The Living Room W1

ilovelucy

Sophisticated restaurant with good choice of food 29th October 2008

1 found this helpful

Before my visit to the Living Room - my expectations were quite low. I was expecting a place where the food came second to the drinking and partying. And as it is part of a chain - a "Revolutions" type of bar sprang to mind. However walking in, I was pleasantly surprised - the decor was smart, homely and sophisticated without being pretentious, the restaurant being at the front with the bar stretching the width of the restaurant at the back. It was a Tuesday and it was already getting busy by the time we sat down to eat at 6.30pm - by the time we left it was full and bustling. The menu was varied and interesting. For starters I chose the rabbit puff - edible but I couldn't tell if it was rabbit and the walnuts were a bit overpowering. My friend chose the goats cheese tart which although looked like a slice of cheesecake was very tasty. However the mains were more exciting, I liked the fact that they had a section of mains called British Classics of which I chose the ribeye beef with chips - cooked perfectly to my liking and packed plenty of flavour. The chips had a wonderful crunch to them. My friend had the monkfish cheeks with the spinach puree which looked and tasted amazing. It was a smaller dish than my steak so luckily she ordered some dauphinoise potatoes and vegetables. Coupled with a glass of very fruity cabarnet-grenache, we were very content with our meal and had no room for dessert. With the tastelondon card we each paid £25 - which was thought was very reasonable for what we had. Will come back again!

StarCrossd

Hidden Party Gem 25th September 2008

0 found this helpful

Hidden down a little alleyway off Regents Street is the W1 branch of the Living Room. This is a behemoth of a dining establishment set over two floors – including a packed bar downstairs full of hungry, irate would be diners waiting for their table which is usually not ready on time. This is also probably the loudest restaurant I have ever been in (not helped further if they have live music on the stage) – if you are looking for an intimate place to eat of an evening, keep looking. If however, you are having a party and don’t mind the general chaos, noise and high prices then it’s actually quite a good experience – the food and wine is good, small ‘haut cuisine’ portions, but tasty and the décor is decadent. The Living Room is not really a place to take a quiet date or as an everyday dining experience, but for a party vibe or a jumping off point for the numerous local bars and clubs, it’s a good option.

howardtjmoon

Ohhh the magic 3rd April 2008

3 found this helpful

What a night. What a night. Filled with families and some creatures that I didn't recognise! The food was fantastic. Jewish starter, malaysian main and seafood ice-cream deluxe for desert! Fantastic atmosphere, great jazz-fusion music and friendly staff!

I will be back, yes sir.

ablair9999

Lively, Fun and Good Value 3rd April 2008

6 found this helpful

I took my Dad and Step Mother out last night, and this was my restaurant of choice based on the menu, reviews and location.

This restaurant is tucked away on Heddon Street in the heart of the west end. The street has an almost magical atmosphere with several restaurants and bars with tables out on the street and a canopy of fairy lights running the length of the street.

The restaurant itself is modern and trendy. The design suggests immediately that this is a rather smart place but without being overly formal or pretencious. We sat downstairs (by choice as we were offered the quieter upstairs area or a downstairs table) because they had live music - a modern take on the piano bar. We were celebrating a birthday so wanted to stay in the livelier area!

The menu was not exaustive, but certainly had enough tasty sounding dishes to make ordering difficult! We had a vaierty of starters; Spicy Crab Cakes, Salmon Grandlavax, Brushetta, Hummous, Rabbit Parcels and Potato Wedges. All of which were very good, obviously freshly made and priced between £3.50 and £6.60. The main courses we had were Slow Roast Pork, Duck Confit and Shepheards Pie - main courses here were priced between £10 and £20. Finally dessert! Chocolate Brownie, Treacle Tart and a White Chocolate and Honeycomb Parfait (all around £5ish). The food was all fantastic - served fresh, hot, on time and well presented.

We had one bottle of the house red and white wines to drink (but were also tempted by an extensive cocktail list).

Overall a fantastic meal, in lovely modern surroundings with great service and at great value. Not cheap eats by any means, but great value for the quality and service we received.

My only gripe was that the coffee wasn't very good. We had a mix of espresso and americano coffees, but they just weren't nice.

Highly recommended - just go somewhere else for the coffee afterwards perhaps!

ONscotland

Nice but noisy 22nd September 2007

3 found this helpful

The Living Room looks brilliant.
I was really very impressed with the design of the place, from it's long bar, to the use of wood on the walls, banister and floors. It all comes together and is very easy on the eye.

I went here for a quick drink and dinner, and for a central London venue like this, expected the prices to be expensive... I was pleasantly surprised both by how comprehensive the menu is, but also the prices.

I opted for the Steak and Ale pie - £10.95, and served with mashed potatoes.
The pie was huge. It was filled to the brim with meat and vegetables, and tasted great. My colleagues ordered lasagne and steak and chips - all found their meals to be delicious. The pre/post theatre menu offers three courses for £17.00. I will be back....

...when it's quieter.
Going out in central London on a Friday night means everywhere is going to be busy - and the Living Room was heaving. I literally couldn't get to the bar. And the noise! It's on two floors, and the acoustics of the place meant that the sound was amplified. Add to that the music (there was background music when I arrived, and then live music later) and it's most definitely not the place to go if you are looking for a quiet night out.

londongiirl

Very pleasent 2nd August 2007

3 found this helpful

We had a voucher from a magazine for a buy one get one free lunch and thought we would be treated different from the 'full paying' customers but we werent. the staff were lovely and very polite. It is a very pleasent resturant, not very busy but we did go about 2 in the afternoon. It was definatly a good choice, might go again in the evening or over the weekend to see if the atmosphere is a bit more lively. Its a nice place to go for a nice lunch..somewhere to relax.
Great choice of starters but not enough fish and veg options, but very tasty and beautifully presented.
All in all i really liked this place and would definatly go again!

sue

Trendy Bar & Restaurant 16th March 2007

3 found this helpful

The Living Room is located in the heart of the West End, just off Regent Street (Piccadilly end). It is part of an upmarket chain - the others have been open for some time, in Manchester & Birmingham. This new addition is housed in a converted Post Office. Split over 2 floors, there is a bar and a dining area on the ground floor and a dedicated restaurant on the 1st floor. It is a modern, stylish looking place and it was very full when we were there, and it was only a Monday night.

Although we thought we had booked a table in the 1st floor restaurant, we were instead seated in the dining area on the ground floor. The menu is the same, but this level is very noisy, so it wasn't the most pleasant place to enjoy a meal with friends. Service was quite friendly, though a little inconsistent.

The toilets were excellent!! Walk down the short flight of stairs and you find yourself in a circular wood panelled room with a large sink in the middle. You stand there, confused, trying to work out where the toilets are...then you spot a high heeled shoe stuck on the wall, and then on the other side a mans shoe. You push the wall under the applicable shoe, and hey presto - a door opens and you enter. The ladies toilet cubicle walls were carpet covered and there was a bookcase (behind glass). Check out the photo!

Now for the food. We skipped starters and went straight for main meals (leaving room for dessert of course!!). We all had red meat - the Rib eye steak and the Fillet steak. Meat was cooked as requested and chips were tasty. For dessert I shared the tasty Sticky Toffee pudding.

While the food was nice, we all felt that it was a bit overpriced. Drinks prices were about average, and there was plenty of wines to choose from. In summary, the food was nice and it is a great looking space, but probably won't be rushing back any time soon....or maybe just for a drink at the bar one day.