Balans Soho Society, Multiple Locations
Recommended by a friend, although admittedly I was told to go to the Soho branch but didn't listen and went to Westfield instead, I was excited and had high expectations of what Balan's had to offer.
Located outside of the White City shopping centre, it's a relatively small restaurant with a few seats also outside. Nicely decorated, it felt modern but with a bit of a country-edge. We were seated straight-away and handed menus. It didn't take long to choose a main, possibly due to the fact I can't go out for dinner without researching and picking through the menu beforehand, so we ordered and started chatting away.
What felt like about 4 hours, but in reality was probably about 1.5 hours, passed and our food was still a no-show. It was that moment when you start looking around you, deciphering who arrived after you yet had their food already. It didn't take long to realise that we had been forgotten. After prompting the waiter with a polite smile and a 'where the hell is our food, i'm starving' he rushed off the kitchen and we quickly saw them begin prepping it - the joy of having an open kitchen. Another 20-30 minutes passed and our food was delivered with an apology.
I ordered the roast chicken (first photo) that was not served at all as expected. Served with bacon, mash, mushrooms and tomatoes, it then had a strange tomato-esk sauce covering it and felt a bit more like a stew than roast chicken and vegetables. It was okay, but definitely not something I would order again.
Overall, we were all thoroughly disappointed. The food wasn't great and the service was slow, and even the chirpy waiter didn't make us leave any happier. We weren't offered any incentives for our delayed food so the whole evening left a bitter taste. I have been told that the Soho branch is a lot better so I'll give it a go but Westfield - it's a thumbs-down from me.
Located outside of the White City shopping centre, it's a relatively small restaurant with a few seats also outside. Nicely decorated, it felt modern but with a bit of a country-edge. We were seated straight-away and handed menus. It didn't take long to choose a main, possibly due to the fact I can't go out for dinner without researching and picking through the menu beforehand, so we ordered and started chatting away.
What felt like about 4 hours, but in reality was probably about 1.5 hours, passed and our food was still a no-show. It was that moment when you start looking around you, deciphering who arrived after you yet had their food already. It didn't take long to realise that we had been forgotten. After prompting the waiter with a polite smile and a 'where the hell is our food, i'm starving' he rushed off the kitchen and we quickly saw them begin prepping it - the joy of having an open kitchen. Another 20-30 minutes passed and our food was delivered with an apology.
I ordered the roast chicken (first photo) that was not served at all as expected. Served with bacon, mash, mushrooms and tomatoes, it then had a strange tomato-esk sauce covering it and felt a bit more like a stew than roast chicken and vegetables. It was okay, but definitely not something I would order again.
My friend ordered the crab linguine (below) which looked a little more appetising. I, of course, had to try some but was disappointed to find that there was absolutely no flavour to it, at all. It was supposed to be a little spicy but it tasted more like it had been rinsed in olive oil and salt than cooked in crab and chilli. Definitely not a recommended dish.
Overall, we were all thoroughly disappointed. The food wasn't great and the service was slow, and even the chirpy waiter didn't make us leave any happier. We weren't offered any incentives for our delayed food so the whole evening left a bitter taste. I have been told that the Soho branch is a lot better so I'll give it a go but Westfield - it's a thumbs-down from me.
Comments
Post a Comment