http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue <b>Black & Blue</b><br />London, 1-2 Rochester Walk, SE1 9AF, United Kingdom en http://trustedplaces.com/uploads/placepics/trustedplaces.comaPlacePic['name']}.140.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1n6of7
Review by DanWilkinson

Rating: 2.00
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Devoid of any sort of atmosphere, this is the sort of place that gives you that creeping feeling you've made a mistake as soon as you're shown to your table. Everything about it is average, except the prices, which are slightly north of where they should be, even smack in the middle of Borough Market.

The menu is, to their credit, nice and simple; steaks, burgers and the sort of sundry brasserie also-rans for those bored with beef. The problem is, even this pared-down selection seems to be beyond the kitchen's ability, as so-so steaks come overdone, burgers lack lustre and the chips just aren't... that... great. The wine list should be ashamed to be sharing a street with Vinopolis, Wine Wharf and Majestic: it's dull, uninspired and uninspiring.

Service-wise, my scoring falls slightly below the average mark, with a colleague of mine once waiting 20 minutes for the bill to arrive, only to walk out without paying (unchallenged) as he was late for a meeting and incensed at being ignored. Personally I've only ever felt vaguely tolerated whilst there.

On a high street in Doncaster, this place would probably stand head and shoulders above its peers. Unfortunately the competition within 30 metres' radius of Black and Blue (Wright Bros, Feng Sushi, Roast, Brindisa, Applebees, etc etc etc) is some of the stiffest in its class in London and B&B just doesn't stack up. If you're in the area and really *need* a steak, do yourself a favour and climb the staircase to Roast.

The cows outside do make me chuckle though. One of those stars is for those alone.

]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:02:54 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1n6of71242266022 DanWilkinson 51.505154256795 -0.092259872468106 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1l7a48
Review by cat8179

Rating: 1.00
Tags:
Very disappointing! I decided to go to Black and Blue as a change from Gaucho's. My friend and I both ordered steak (he had fillet, I had ribeye). The steak wasn't bad but personally I thought lacking in flavour. The chips which came with the steak were disgusting, they were just sticks of fat; I assume this was caused by being cooked, left to cool and then put back in the fryer. They reminded me of the kind of chips you get from a seaside cafe. The salad, which also came with the steak, consisted of lettuce, a bit of grated cheese and some walnuts, not very appetising. In another review someone said they got lots of roasted veg, this isn't the case, I saw no one get any veg nor was there the option of ordering it. For dessert we had chocolate brownie, the brownie itself was nice (probably bought from one of the stalls in Borough Market) but it came with nothing, no cream, no ice cream just two small raspberries and some blueberries. My glass of wine was £8, even for London that's very expensive. In total our meal cost £73, very expensive for what was a low quality, poorly cooked, and badly presented meal. I definitely won't go back.]]> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:25:05 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1l7a48234117248 cat8179 51.505154256795 -0.092259872468106 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1j97d6
Review by walid

Rating: 3.00
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After nearly 3 months of not seeing some of my best friends we decided to have a boys all night out in London Bridge to go to Shunt Vaults. But being 3 hungry boys we went to Black & Blue to get our protein fix in the shape of juicy steaks. As Evi mentions, Black & Blue is a franchise with restaurants across London. From the outside B&B looks modern, clean, and even trendy. Without any reservations we were told the wait would be about 45 minutes. We ordered a few beers and let the conversations flow, and before we knew it our table was ready. We decided to skip starters and each go straight to a 280g of Sirlion steak. I ordered mine rare, the way meat is meant to be ate ;-) It was delicious, tender, tasty, and well cooked. The fries were chunky, tasty, and slightly crunchy.
The service was prompt and efficient. Now you may wonder why I'm not giving it 4 stars or even 5 stars. Well as mentioned the venue is modern and even trendy, the service was good, and the food quite tasty, but like most chains it lacked that distinct character that makes non-chain places unique. It was a great night, and we had loads of fun catching up and exchanging crazy stories... hope not too many people heard us ;-)]]> Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:51:06 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1j97d680692194 walid 51.505154256795 -0.092259872468106 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1q74v8
Review by evi

Rating: 4.00
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Black and Blue Steakhouse is a franchise with restaurants in Borough Market, Glousester Road, Notting Hill, etc. It is a guaranteed place for a nice steak or lamb. Alongside the well-cooked and tasty meats this place offers, it is also nice that they always bring you an abundance of raw vegetables or roasted peppers, etc to accompany the large steaks. There is an exciting wine selection and the environment is very relaxing and spacious. The staff is extra attentive too.]]> Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:11:24 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1q74v8411705190 evi 51.505154256795 -0.092259872468106 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1554y7
Review by Angel_Bury

Rating: 1.00
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Frozen Chips! What a cheek, I was aghast when my £20 fillet was served up accompanied by a scattering on greasy fat frozen chips. For that much money the least they could do is cut up their own potatoes. The steak was pretty avarage too, staff were in different, and our cheese board dissapointing.
Other irritants included a steak knife to eat with that was almonst the size of a carving knife, it was cumbersome and blunt, or was that £20 steak just too tough? The wine was ok but overpriced, our large bottle of water appeared and was a miserable 50cl worth. There was no toilet paper in the loo! Need I say more? Avoid this place like the plague. If you want a decent steak go to Smiths of Smithfield.]]> Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:34:58 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1554y71474613197 Angel_Bury 51.505154256795 -0.092259872468106 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1202b8
Review by akl5_tp

Rating: 3.00
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Having read reviews on other branches of this steak house I was eagerly anticipating making a visit to their Borough restaurant. However was disappointed that I couldn't book a table (apparently it's their policy not to take bookings of anything less than a "group", whatever that means). I do understand that making a booking for a restaurant equals turning up on time, and so was disappointed when 4 of us arrived 7.15 on Tues night, to be told that the wait was 45-50mins!! My fellow diners convinced me to hang around, however after 65mins we were almost ready to walk away, only to be shown to a table after a few evil stares at the "maitre d" (who really needs to be shown the ropes of such a role).
Anyway the food - the steak was good, service not bad either, but in hindsight would I have waited 65min for what we got? Probably not.]]> Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:02:12 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o02h8k/black-and-blue/1202b81160591901 akl5_tp 51.505154256795 -0.092259872468106