Thompson St Albans Reviews Summary

Category: Modern European restaurant St Albans

Address: 2-8 Hatfield Rd, St Albans, AL1 3RP, United Kingdom

Phone: +441727730777

Rating: 4.5
based on 121 reviews.

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "The food at Darcy's is quite simply divine."
  • "The food was well presented, hot and excelled in flavour."
  • "Every course was delicious from the tasters, through the fish courses, beef and desserts."
  • "The sushimi tuna and the lemon sole was fabulous."
  • "The herbs gnocchi and chocolate marquis were real highlights."
  • "The food was amazing."
  • "Absolutely gorgeous food."

Cons:

  • "The food was average at best, the portions would have been appropriate for a tasting menu but for £12 for a starter and £24 for a main I would expect more."
  • "Quantity of portions really small even for tasting menu standards and quality (flavour etc) also pretty poor."
  • "One of the courses was a pavé of Halibut, I believe, and it was heavily overcooked."
  • "Food was nicely presented but tasted pretty average and was served cold."
  • "Some of the dishes are just a bit boring."
  • "None of the courses was even close to be of any value, and for me had even a strong discordance in taste."
  • "Food was OK but nothing to write home about."

Service

Pros:

  • "Staff were professional and courteous."
  • "The staff were very welcoming and were happy to work around us."
  • "The service superb."
  • "Great service and friendly staff."
  • "The service was excellent and the team led by Nick, who was professional and friendly ensured that the event ran smoothly and was a success."
  • "Discreet & very attentive staff, nothing too much trouble."
  • "The service is always impeccable."

Cons:

  • "...but the experience was absolutely awful, disappointing and not worthy of a return visit."
  • "Didn't like the pushy Maitre D at all."
  • "Service was bad especially from one mumbling grumpy girl and a young man with really bad BO."
  • "The dining room was cold, the waiting staff were unwelcoming and equally as cold."
  • "They really need to sort out the service - only one person seemed to know what they were doing, the rest acted like it was their first day."
  • "Service not up to par."
  • "The waiting staff were unwelcoming and equally as cold, to the point where we wondered if they should be working in a people facing job at all."

Value

Pros:

  • "Not cheap, but the food is worth it."
  • "This isn’t just a fun night out this is great value for the quality of the experience."
  • "Great food, decent value."
  • "At £18.90 for 3 courses and a glass of wine each this was excellent value."

Cons:

  • "Could do with a bit more value on the drinks."
  • "Forking out £35 for a £7 bottle of wine just because the cork is pulled by a waiter stings a bit."
  • "The prices are too high and difficult to justify."
  • "Overall really disappointing for the astronomical prices they are charging (£356 for 9 courses + 2 bottles of wine…)"
  • "The food was nice but unsure if it’s worth the ££££ price tag."
  • "Prices are way too high for what you get, I don’t really know how they justify it."
  • "This meal costs £450 !!!!!! Insane price and could have eaten at the Fat Duck for less - Sorry, but real ripoff !"

Ambiance

Pros:

  • "Had a beautiful lunch yesterday, we were blessed with some sunshine and we were able to sit outside - lovely."
  • "Intimate dining area for a small family wedding lunch."
  • "The ambiance was comfortable, relaxed, yet classy."
  • "The atmosphere was calm and warm."
  • "The overall atmosphere is both calm but warm and inviting."
  • "The atmosphere was wonderful, friendly and vibrant."
  • "Wonderful calm relaxed atmostphere."

Cons:

  • "Needs better glassware, considering the food is Michelin star quality the glassware was a bit ASDA smartprice."
  • "The main course was brought out and they didn't bring out the side dishes until 10 minutes later."
  • "The interior is as minimalistic as it gets... the place itself lacks a personality."
  • "For some reason it was stiflingly hot in there, but they couldn't or wouldn't turn the temperature down."
  • "Dining rooms look quite drab - tired chairs and depressing paint, decor and lighting."
  • "Only criticism is the dining rooms look quite drab - tired chairs and depressing paint, decor and lighting."
  • "Ambiance was biggest let down."

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