Beach Blanket Babylon

missynm

Stuck up yet fantastic food 2nd March 2009

1 found this helpful

WE chose to have our Valentine's meal here due to the beautiful interior and the set menu on offer looked great. On arrival we entered the bar, which was beautiful, shame about a lack of seating. However the meal itself was fantastic. I had raw oysters with an onion relish to start which were beautifully fresh, and my partner had a fillet of beef for the main which was not only a lovely peice of meat but also perfectly cooked. I would definitely praise the freshness of their ingredients and delicacy of flavours. Overall it was a perfect evening however at a pretty hefty price. Also a shame that the bar is full of young 'daddy funds my lifestyle' ponce's. Otherwise a faultless evening!

ellisian1893

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - ZERO 2nd January 2009

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Please see our spoilt WEDDING ANNIVERSARY list below:
- Paper table linen and toilets smelly.
- watch out for the 12.5% service charge added to the bill.
- On arrival staff were all smoking outside the main door.
- whilst eating a grocery supplier proceeded to pass our table on at least 5 occasions with produce directly above us and they were drilling walls while we eat.
- The pear and stilton salad did not have any stilton on it and by the time it had been rectified the other members of my party had finished their food.
- The waiter bombarded our table and did not allow us to finish.
- The female manager didnt care - no offer of a discount even though I never pursued this avenue-Customer soft skills extremely poor

Browners

Mouldy Chopsticks 27th September 2008

2 found this helpful

Beach Blanket Babylon is one of London's trendiest bars and has a buzzing restaurant. It is beloved by the Notting Hill set and typifices the idea of style over substance. Which is why we went there in the first place!

Your senses are blown away by the over the top decorations - it couldn't be more rococo if it tried.

No matter how trendy or posh you think your restaurant is... there are some basic catering rules that you can't break. Such as don't swear at the customers. Don't serve unhygenic food. Make sure there aren't any mouse-traps on show... etc. Common sense basically.

3 plates of perfectly good sushi arrived at our table along with some sets of chopsticks. The light wasn't great... but it was bright enough to detect a luminous green glow. On closer inspection we realised that the chopsticks were covered in a furry green mould. Gross! The elegant waitress simply took them back and didn't even consider apologising for it!

Our next course was very tasty... but sadly undermined by such a major lapse.

pindulgence

Never going back! 14th September 2008

1 found this helpful

I really wanted to love the Beach Blanket Babylon, it has a reputation for the decor which is most definately deserved. However once you get past the spectaular decor, you are left with a bar and restuarant which loves itself so much it literally has its head where the sun doesn't shine. When we first arrived it was packed. It took ages to served by an obnoxious and quite literally rude member of staff. We were seated for our meal by an equally obnoxious and rule waiter who unfortunately continued to get rude throughout the evening. To top it off, we were forced to pay the service charge for that rudeness. You will NOT be allowed to get away without paying the automatically added charge. An utter disgrace.

WB1

Beautiful venue, awful atmosphere 4th September 2008

1 found this helpful

I had heard great things about this venue and went to the bar on a Saturday night with some friends for a treat. We were disappointed to say the least! The decor was as spectacular as I had been led to believe with chandeliers, nook and crannies, cabinets with jewels, ornate tables and chairs etc and really has to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately that was as good as it got. The bar was packed and it took an age to get served. When we eventually did get to the bar we almost wished we hadn't - the prices are astronomical. The crowd around the bar were snooty, pretentious and often downright rude. The staff seemed rather harassed (unsurprising) but were pleasent enough. Having got our drinks we squeezed ourselves into a little nook between two tables (I think you would have to get there very early to find somewhere to sit) and spent an unpleasant couple of hours being jostled by the crowds. I will not be going back. I have not visited the restaurant so cannot comment on that area.

rusty83

Fantastic atmosphere and service 22nd August 2008

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I went here with my partner after winning a dinner voucher with work.
I was definitely not disappointed.
We sat downstairs, the walk to our table was impressive, and we went down a spiral staircase below the ground. The stairs were lit up by candles which added to the atmosphere! It’s almost as if you’re in caves.
Our waiter served about 4 tables altogether so that felt quite personal, the menu had a lot of choice to suit a variety of tastes. Meat, fish, veggies.
Overall I was very impressed with this restaurant, the food is brilliantly cooked, the wines are very palatable and the décor and atmosphere adds to the experience.
I would definitely come back here!

shelo9

Amazing looking venue shame about the accident 16th March 2008

5 found this helpful

The venue is amazing as people may tell you. There are lots of little alleys and rooms with different themes which are fab. We were in one small level which was overlooking the kitchen. Unfortuantely the chefs thought that it would be great to stare at us all night which was not nice.

There is a great choice of food and the food was good. The burger which i had was a bit difficult to eat so i had to use the knife and fork which is not normal burger behaviour.

The desserts were also good. Unfortunately we only had a small amount of it as the waiter dropped the sugar bowl on my glass which shattered all over us! We had to get away from the table as we were covered in glass. We thought we would stand by the bar (which had been empty before) but was now rammed. The waiter wanted us to stay at the table have extra dessert and pay the bill there which was not happening in our shocked state. We eventually got to pay the bill. The manager had taken off the desserts (which we had not really eaten) but found it difficult to remove the service charge which we thought should be removed. Eventually we got to pay what we wanted to pay and ran out of the place as fast as we could.

The place is a very cool looking, and i think what happened to us (is hopefully) a one off situation. If you want to get out of central and be somewhere different this place is a good choice, but just dont go to the bar after eating as its full of the normal pretentious nonsense.

Cedric

A pocket of romance in Posh london 29th November 2007

4 found this helpful

A brilliant location for a dinner out of the normality. Lost in the middle of Notting Hill, it attracts, well... bohos. But if you get through the crowd of glamourous girls stuck at the bar, you will discover an astounishing venue. I was invited there for my birthday and really appreciated the little niches where you can get some privacy. The deco is inspired by Gaudi, which add to the charm. About the food: this is a nice menu with some appetizing dished throughout. Portions are fine, and delicate. The prices are aligned with what you would expect from a fancy restaurant in Notting Hill. I would recommend this for a romantic evening where the food would add to the charm of the night.

jminich

good place to spend time 8th November 2007

1 found this helpful

Ive been to this resto and its very good

ivailo

26th July 2007

5 found this helpful

Now that this has become my newly found local, I seem to end up there a few times a week. I find the staff very friendly and helpful.

The atmosphere is great the cocktails are well mixed though not cheap at all. Would definitely recommend a taste of the pineapple mojito.

I have not eaten in the restaurant, but it seems to be common knowledge that the food is not great, even some of the staff have confirmed that, though the decor of the restaurant is lovely.

I would definitely recommend this place.