Brasserie Joel - London

This meal was exceptionally good, as I did not expect much on the first side. the staff was friendly and checked for them all once awhile, the brat pork and the steak were nicely cooked. when they have lunch, I think I'll come more often.

The service was very good and the food was very nice. much nicer than we thought it was. the setting is quite cool, but in the necessity, the table surfaces, for example, are all so easily slandered. the foods for them, all very good (although the bark was somewhat under seasoned) and with some surprising touches. it is not cheap, but it is also not expensive; it is worth it. I don't say that often, even if I like a place, but I'd go again and again.

We had a nice stay here when we were in london and at joel’s the breakfast buffet was quite limited compared to the marriott’s and hyatt’s, but that was not really disappointed. every single article we ate was delicious. special mention about their creamy stir and their apple-danish bakery and pain au chocolat.

It is hardly a romantic or quiet environment if that is what they are looking for, and once inside, it was not clear where to go. to the luck I had seen in the web that the restaurant was on the 1st stage, so I went to the escalators. here I spied a menu, but I was also in the lobby of a hotel and there were no instructions where to go next (annie had the same problem.) when I finally found the recipe table, I could not help laugh that the search for them was a very big challenge. it turned out to be a challenge that is worth taking. for brasserie joel is a destination to recommend.

Brasserie Joel is situated in a hotel and quite a few of the diners were residents. It thus felt somewhat impersonal. The menu was standard brasserie fare, with nothing exciting or original, but plenty of tried-and-trusted favourites to choose from. Our waitress was on her first day (which she did apologise for) but spoke virtually no English and didn’t have a clue about the menu, so we could only order by pointing at the menu. When she brought someone to help (a manager I think), he still failed to inform me that the main ingredient of a dish I asked about was cheese (describing it as a Gazpacho). Ultimately the food was well cooked and decently presented, with a tarte tatin being particularly delicious. Next to the restaurant there is a nice bar, which was perfect for a digestif. However, the price, at £90/head (including a £65 bottle of fairly ordinary Pouilly Fume) seemed very steep for a brasserie and there are similar restaurants in the area at a far lower price point.