Rules Restaurant
London's Oldest Restaurant
- The Restaurant
- The Cocktail Bar
- The Menu
- The Wine List
- Private Rooms
- Wine Tasting Notes
- History Of Rules
- The Lartington Estate
- The Guide to Game
- Holiday in Luxury on The Lartington Estate
- Staff - The Rules Family
- Staff - Training & Vacancies
- Links
- Christmas Rules
- St Martins Social Care Unit
- Where Disaster Rules by Kingsley Amis
- Time Out Eating & Drinking 2008
- Visitors' Book Comments
- Sir John Betjeman
- Unwrecked England
- Mystery Diner Report
- News
- Site map
- The Financial Times
Report August 2008
Booking
I decided to book on line this time. It worked very well indeed.
Arrival
We were greeted and the greeting was warm and friendly. The table was comfortable though that part of the restaurant does mean that one is quite close to the next table.
Service
The primary waiter was very cordial and approached us immediately. The service overall was efficient. I felt the first course arrived so quickly that we had really not had a chance to catch our breath, still less finish our aperitifs. The gap between starter and main course, and main and dessert was much more appropriate. It is a little difficult, isn't it, to get the balance quite right.
Food
I started with the Terrine. It had a good consistency, and had some nice varieties of flavour. Really good. The toast was warm and tasty (good bread). My companion had the cold Asparagus soup. It looked delicious and he said it was. I then had the Rabbit which was the special of the day. It was good if a little on the bland side-I am not an expert on rabbit (that's why I thought I'd have it) so maybe it just is. The Radish salad was an adventurous accompaniment and went well with the -quite lovely-potatoes.
My companion had the Rack of Lamb-he said they were very good but felt the Lamb itself was a bit bland. The accompaniments were wonderful, and the extra green beans we had were perfect. I didn't have a dessert (I'm on a diet), but my friend had the Gooseberry Fool and said it was lovely.
We had a bottle of Merlot, it was very, very good. I was pleased that the tap water we ordered arrived in a nice jug.
Toilets
Clean and nice, a member of staff was emptying the bin as I went in. I did note that the 5pm cleaning slot had not been initialised.
Other Diners
Everyone seemed to be having as nice a time as we were, and everyone seemed to be receiving excellent attention. I noted that the Beef looked spectacular. Overall a lovely dining experience. The room, tables and demeanour of the staff are impeccable, the food superb, the atmosphere lovely and a nice evening.