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A smart restaurant, with bold flowers and white linen, the CDR makes a good first impression. Even the slightly fussy service (a tong-wielding waiter proffering minute wedges of lemon for your water, for example) has initial appeal. Multi-tasking, however, is not a strong point. We found almost every request (wine orders, menu queries) involved a frustratingly lengthy redirection to an alternative waiter. That said, the menu is enticing, with lots of inventive meat and fish dishes. In a primarily Modern European menu, however, the occasional Asian-fusion dish struck us as misplaced; chewy smoked duck breast served with so-so pak choi and noodles unfortunately proved us right. Swordfish with ratte potatoes and excellent anchovies was much more successful. Starters (salmon gravadlax, oxtail ravioli, baby artichoke salad) are well proportioned – as they should be for £8-£10. Still, the prices are unlikely to raise an eyebrow among the boomingly loud suits that make up much of the clientele. An unexpected but (we were told) long-running discount offer took our bill down to reasonable levels; without it, we’d have been unimpressed by the value for money.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008
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I love the restaurants in Farringdon, St John, Moro, Vinoteca. the Coach and Horses. But the Clerkenwell Dining Rooms is an embarassing blot on this foodie landscape. Our meal there last night ended up with my highly affable and courteous dining partner rowing with one of the waiters who seemed to think we were not the best judges of the inedible main course of Roast Port Belly, which we sent back to the kitchen because you could not physically chew it. My main course of Halibut was dry and would leave Tiny Tim still looking gaunt and hungry, served as it was in a tasteless curry sauce with sad, limp vegetables - sorry to get you up chef. Our starters had been a little better, but oversized and rather clunky in texture and presentation. The waitresses were, however, fabulous, immediately taking the main course off our bill and apologising profusely. How they work with that jumped up waiter who thought that he knew better than two customers, who are not only rather obsessive lovers of food but were also paying upwards of £130 - oh yes - for a meal that my grandmother would have turned her nose up at during the inter-war years. His aggressive line - 'well we have been rather busy this evening' left us gobsmacked. Hey, we've only worked all week and were looking forward to a meal that we are going to pay handsomely for, but don't let that get in the way of your busy kitchen. So. Don't go. Go to one of the 4 restaurants I mentioned earlier, avoid fork rage, save yourself your hard earned cash, and quite possibly, your teeth.