Villandry

On my London layover enjoyed steak & chips & a pudding platter delish!

Orig Post 8/2/13

#dodrinkdine

First night in London and my party of 6 decided to try Villandry. We arrived around 6:30 pm and were seated immediately. We ordered a variety of starters including the salt and pepper squid, mezz platter, watermelon feta salad and shrimp. For dinner, most ordered the fish and chips, but I had the fish cake.

Overall the service was excellent and the wine selection was great. Although the food was good, I wouldn't consider it out of this world. Nevertheless, the ambiance is great for a group and the dessert display is amazing. Worth a try!

Second time coming to this place. It was booked by my friends who wanted a decent restaurant to celebrate thanksgiving.

The service was great but the food wasn't awesome. Particularly the main dish (Turkey), which should have been the highlight. The turkey turned out really dry and the the meat looked slightly dull. The meat portions were huge, but some of the sections were slightly cold. Surprising.

The starters and desserts were good though. Ordered the shrimp cocktail and chocolate mousse. Those were probably the best two things aside from the main course. Shame.

I should have gone for the halibut instead. My friend ordered that and was surprised how tiny the portions were, but apparently it tasted extremely good.

Overall, I wouldn't say it was a horrible experience, but I was quite disappointed with how the turkey turned out. I guess it's a give and take. Still having mixed feelings about this place.

Had lunch with my husband at Villandry today and I must say, it was almost perfect.

Ambiance is great - it's a bit on the noisy side but overall the decor is great and the restaurant is spotless. The crowd is beautiful, and for those that are into Instagram, this place and the food is definitely Insta-worthy.

Service is excellent. Our waiter was friendly and food came out fairly quickly.

Food is excellent too, although portions aren't very large.
-- Poached eggs on top of avocado and sourdough is delicious. I know this particular dish isn't exactly difficult, and even I could probably replicate it, but somehow it was just perfect. I highly recommend it.
-- Chicken sandwich - Husband didn't like the focaccia but he did love the chicken. (There was too much bread for the size of the filling I think.)
-- Sweet potato fries/chips were amazing. Not greasy, with a ton of salt - just the way I love them.
-- Tomato salad was nothing special - I wouldn't order this again.
-- Chocolate souffle cake with salted caramel ice cream. I didn't try this but my husband devoured it. Which is a great sign.

Overall we really enjoyed our lunch and I'd return in an instant. I 100% recommend giving Villandry a try.

As an American in London, I thought this French restaurant quiet good. The staff was friendly and polite. I would highly recommend this place.

Great food, nice atmosphere. The service was a little slow but well worth the wait. Each dish was better than we expected.

Hmmmm.... now I can decide if I want to give this place 5 stars. it's good, really good, but has silly prices attached that make it a little less special that it could be.

Great quality food, from a simple freshly varied menu with a side of snobbish customers. Okay okay I did have fun and it was more chillaxed in the "cafe" area that we ate in but seriously, still silly priced. Apparently if you get a tastelondon.com card you can get 50% off here so that's what we did and lunch for 2 came to £20, great value for money.

London Wine Week: Villandry, St James's Street - If you have not heard, it is London Wine Week from 18th May - 24th May. To participate in the wining and dining scene with London Wine Week (LWW), buy a wristband for GBP 10.00 and you will get a free London bar guide, GBP 5.00 wine taste flights in participating wine bars, bespoke discounts in restaurants which include a small dish paired with wine and with independent merchants there are a series of wine tastings, masterclasses, meet the maker sessions and discounts on bottles of wine.

Gladly, my introduction was with Villandry at St James Street. This is also available at their Great Portland Street branch.

Villandry's offer:
3 chorizo sliders and a wine flight - GBP 15.00
3 mini fishcakes and a wine flight - GBP 10.00
a dish of salt and pepper squid and a wine flight - GBP 10.00

Villandry's wine flight offers four types of wine by Adi Badenhorst; two white and two red from the Secateur and Family (a blend with over a dozen grapes) blend range.

The chorizo sliders were delicious, slightly spicy but mildly tamed by the mayonnaise spread. Three of them were plentiful and at GBP 15.00, it was definitely a bargain.

With more than 100 venues across London participating in the LWW, it is time to make a strategic planning for your wine tasting week!

Unlimited prosecco brunch for £30 - this is perfect. We came here for my friends hen do and it was lovely. The service very quick and always topping up the prosecco. You get croissants and orange juice prior to your food and they offer cakes after. This is a worth while meal and super full. The service was perfect and friendly. A must visit

Went to Villandry for the first time last night and enjoyed the restaurant portion of it. Was a bit confused at first since had to walk into the bar section, through the kids section, past the deli section, and then into the restaurant section. The menu is simple - 1 page and the back is the wine list. The crudites starter came with warm anchovy cream sauce that had a little tea light under the wee copper pot to keep it warm. I had the chicken paillard entree and was pleased with the strong herb flavor. First time I'd ever had an "Eton Mess" for dessert and found it was too sweet for my liking but then again I'm not a schoolboy!

Would go back the next time I'm in London.