Palm Court Brasserie: reasonably priced food in central London (Palm Court Brasserie (London))

Member Name: MarieHHH

Product:	Palm Court Brasserie (London)
Date:	21/06/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: reasonable prices, excellent location

Disadvantages: service average

Every 6 months or so myself and four close friends from school days drag ourselves together from our various corners of London to have an evening of food, catching up and setting the world to rights. This can only occur at these intervals as it takes us at least two months to find an evening when everyone is free, and then usually at least another month to agree on where to eat. This month we reached a consensus on Palm Court Brasserie in Covent Garden, so this is a review of a Thursday evening meal with friends there.

Location

Palm Court Brasserie is located on King Street, under a minutes walk from the main Covent Garden square. It is very easy to find and around a 2 minute walk from Covent Garden tube.


The Restaurant Décor

Externally, Palm Court Brasserie has an exuberance of greenery for a place in central London. It also has a canape pulled out across its front, shading its window. These two features made me a little wary, as they made it look a bit cheap and tacky. However, once inside these fears were allayed. It was essentially decorated like a typical French café-restaurant, with art deco type prints and wooden floors and chairs. It was neither posh nor tacky, instead a comfortable middle-of-the-road interior.

The toilets were clean and non-descript, located down some stairs.


The Food and Drink

Just as the décor was typically French cafe, so was the food. It was hearty, filling and unpretentious. We chose to eat from their special offer menu, which had a good range of choices and none of us were disappointed with our meals. They weren't meals to write home about, but they were full of taste. My only complaint would be regarding the soup - one of my friends picked soup as a starter and was asked if she wanted bread with this - she replied yes, not realizing that although her 3 courses and a glass of wine were just £15, the 3 slices of bread to go with her soup would set her back another £2.50!

The drinks menu was comprehensive and comparably priced for the area.


The Service

Just as I have noted the décor and food was typically French, so unfortunately was the service, despite the waitress not actually being French. She gave off the vibe that everything was too much effort for her, and when we produced more than one card to pay the bill with she audibly sighed and rolled her eyes! Having said that, the orders were taken quickly and the food arrived at the table all together and fairly efficiently, so ignoring the indivual attitude the service wasn't bad.


The Price

For a restaurant in the very heart of central London the food was very reasonably priced and the special offer deal of 3 courses plus a glass of wine for £15 (advertised on a large board outside) made it exceptional value.


Conclusions

For a reasonably priced place to eat in central London with friends I think Palm Court Brasserie is a good choice. However, I don't think I'd recommend it for special meals or a romantic date as it just didn't have an intimate type of atmosphere.

Summary: A good choice for a meal with friends in central London