The Grenadier, Belgravia

We visited this pub today based on positive (historical) recommendations. It turned out to be the worst dining experience I have had in London since gastro pubs were a concept rather than reality. This place is riding on its prior reputation and that is all it has to offer. When one person in our party ordered a tea, asking for Earl Grey, she was told they only had 'English tea' as this was a real English pub (I must have missed the tea plantation on the way in from Brighton last weekend!). When the starters were delivered, 3 out of 6 had to be sent back because they were cold. When the mains were delivered, 4 out of 6 were wrong and 1 was cold. The waitress suggested we might want to just take the 4 incorrect orders as it would be another 15-20 minutes to bring the correct order. I should mention that none of the food (served hot or cold) was any better than average. At the end of our incredibly average and over priced meal, we were confronted with a bill which had an additional GBP90 service charge as a penalty for 9 no-show people which we had never agreed to. Quite frankly, the recent other diner experiences sum up this new management nicely. They are unprofessional, serve below-standard food and it won't be long before they are out of business.

16 Mar 2008 17:42