Gazette

Dishonest and disappointing. I went to Gazette with my (9 months pregnant) wife last Friday night. I'm a member of the Gourmet Society, and according to their website, you can get 2 meals for the price of one. There were conditions, to use the card on Fridays you need to book on the day, and mention that you'll be using the card. I did all of these things, and the man I booked with said it was fine. All good. However, when we went to Gazette and ordered our meal the waiter looked a bit blank at us, and went to find the Manager. When I showed the Gourmet Card to the Manager, it was met with a Gallic shrug and a 'we don't do that'. He then turned on his heels and walked off, and we never saw him again. We were made to pay full price for our meal. I am very disappointed with the way we were treated in Gazette. It is dishonest, pure and simple. It's a shame, as we've recently moved to a house about 10 minutes walk from Gazette, and we would definitely have gone again, and would have recommended it to our friends as the food was really good. However, all I will do now is tell everyone how rude, dishonest and money-grabbing they are at Gazette. Their loss.

I visited Gazette in their old location in Balham and used a Taste London card to take advantage of a 50% off offer. Had I not used it, I don't think that it would have been very good value for money. I'm a sucker for steak tartare and Gazette's did not disappoint. It comes to the table "unmixed" and the waiter kindly offered to prepare it for me or prepare it myself if I wanted. I chose to prepare it myself and it was delicious. It was so fresh and had a perfect mix of cornichons, which I love. The wine list is very comprehensive and offers a wide variety of wines, not just French which is nice as I often don't enjoy French wine. As noted with other reviewers, the service was quite slow, but I've learned to accept that in most restaurants in the UK, and on the continent, especially when it comes to French restaurants. Overall, it was a good experience and I'll definitely be back.

It's a complicated one, this, and no mistake. I agree with pretty much all the comments, good and bad! The menu's good but a but small. You'd expect that by concentrating on a small number of dishes the food would be consistently good but it's not. The surly service has improved but there are still times when you could be drawing your pension before a waiter notices you. Despite all that, on a good day you can have a truly fantastic meal here for way below fine dining prices. And the wine, beer and cider selection is magnificent. My advice is to always have the specials - which are always great - and only go when you've got time to ignore the tardy service.

The service is fairly good, although there do always seem to be a higher proportion of waiters/waitresses to customers. The new premises are very nice and a huge improvement on the old ones. The food is overpriced for what you get (£9 for a tiny salad) and they could do with extending the menu as it is a little limited, especially the lunch menu.

Do not read the previous review!!! The food is good, the wine list is amazing and the service is friendly. I have been there 4 times already and haven't found a better deal so far in Balham.

It is amazing to see how people react to critics or comments for that matter,.... It is cheap to writte a review on his own place just because the comments are not good.. You should put your efforts in making it work and make it better The facts are that the first gazette was poor in food quality and the second is exactly the same , no surprises there!! same menu , same cook, same management so same disaster

Have to disagree with the negative review from TO - perhaps coming south of the river for a change gave them a funny turn - and the comments below. Yes it's not perfect but it's great to see someone really investing in a place in Balham & on the whole pulling it off. On two visits we've had great service & good honest cooking at decent prices. Keep ip the good work Gazette!

I think that the service at Gazette has improved enormously since 9 months ago, and certainly deserves 3 stars rather than 2. It used to be staffed by a particularly obnoxious waitress who would take over half an hour before bothering to take your order - who would then treat you disrespectfully. Thankfully, she appears to not work there anymore, and the new staff put a lot of effort into being friendly and polite. They should be given credit for this. The new premises has given the restaurant a boost, with a bigger kitchen, and smart furnishing. I think there may have been some teething issues with the new premises. I went there in the first week after opening and they got my order mixed up. However, the last 2 times I have visited, there has been no problem. I welcome the addition of a smart establishment on what would otherwise be a slightly shabby section of the balham high street. I think they should observe how le pain quotidien in Wimbledon village is run, and emulate them slightly. If they keep putting the effort in, this could be a fantastic place to eat.

Fantastic Meal - the best I have had in Balham in a long time. Service was a little scattered, but we put this down to teething problems. WIll be back for sure!

The reviews are no surprise to me. The old Gazette offered appalling service and indifferent food, so why should the new one be any different. God knows why anyone would go here when there are so many good restaurants in Balham.