Brasserie Joel - London

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.

The scallops and the beef bourguignon were delicious. The tart Tatin for dessert was good, but not as impressive as the first two courses.

Superb quality service, food and drink highly recommend

This restaurant is excellent and I would definitely return and recommend it highly!

Overpriced and underwhelming . Normal table tap water was £5! Overall, menu was limited and price for 4 of us was in excess of £200