Hugo's

Had a large table of 14 booked for my birthday and it was a roaring success! Week night so quite a quiet evening but despite this the atmosphere was great, lovely candles and lighting. Excellent service and the food was served in generous portions that was really very tasty and definitely value for money. Friends from other boroughs have been inspired to move closer to be near such a good local restaurant!

After a rather late night last Saturday, myself and a couple of old ravers headed to Hugo's in search of comfort food - huge full english washed down with recommended bloody mary, did the job. We spent the best part of the afternoon at the restaurant and ended up returning that evening for the Jazz -perfect Sunday!

We've been eating at Hugo's for ten years, and the standard has always been pretty good. Tonight though was a quantum leap up, with Michelin star quality food, delightful sauces and flavours. When I asked the Maitre D he told me they had brought in new chefs 4 months ago, just after our last visit. Prices are unchanged for the past 3 years so this is great value for money. Strongly recommend you to get down to Hugos asap, with new decor, and a revised jazz programme on Sunday nights, overseen by musician Brett Kean. Penks will have to up their game to compete.

Good food and atmosphere but very pricy and be beware of the 'Optional service charge' which they add even to take away food.

Love the buffet lunch, varies from outstanding to average on some days

Either I have just had the worst roast ever or the chef at Hugo's is actually some sort of Heston Blumenthal-esc mad genius. Sunday Roast Asian Fusion is the best way to categorise our dining experience. The lamb and chicken "roasts" we ordered actually resembled the raw ingredients of a stir fry. And carried the aroma of a Chinese takeaway. Chewy strips of lamb and a butterflied chicken breast which our waitress declared "roasted" - probably because it was the only component not to have come into contact with a wok. And the roasties? Sweaty-undercooked-wedge-shaped-potatoes would be a more honest description for the menu. We almost stayed for desert to see how the crumble and custard would be interpreted.

We went on Sunday lunchtime (12 september 2010) and it was simply shocking. we'd booked for three adults and three children for 1.15 - 1.30pm. Arrived at 1.20, no table and no prospect of any. we cleared an empty table ourselves (whicg the stasff said they would but didn't and sat down. had booked high chair for youngest child. which was written in their booking page but never offered. Despite saying we'd like to order quickly because of the children order not taken until 10 to 2 and only then once we'd nagged about it repeatedly. Then nothing, not the water we'd ordered, no cutlery, no bread, no nothing until again we started nagging at 2.15. Then orders came incomplete (fish cake and chips with no chips despite appearing on the menu as with chips), after lots of chivvying chips arrived but only after a bit of sighing on the part of the waiter. hald way through the meal my three year old said the chair had hurt her. I looked only to see tow centimetre ling nails sticking out of the back and front of the chair legs level with the back of her knee, which had indeed scratched her quite badly - again no apology from staff (although they did take the chair out of use). No bill until we'd askedf for it repeatedly. we got our own cutlery and when took children to loo at end no loo paper. It's my local (literally closest to the house) but second unsatisfactory meal (mediocre, heavy risotto). Really gone down hill and staffed by people who don;t appear to give a stuff (which is a big change). And to top it 12.5% "service " charge on top (for what???). Won;t be back

Absolutely rubbish meal at Hugo's tonight. I went for an early dinner with a couple of girlfriends and we all agreed that the food was well below average and overpriced. I had the duck breast salad which contained a whole duck breast cooked to a grey listless lump. One of my dining companions had complementary things to say about her risotto, but the other was served a simply massive bowl of over-cooked soggy penne pasta with a downright tasteless Bolognese sauce.

Service wise, it was poor. When we were seated, I sat at a place without table settings. No-one came to lay me a place and I was forced to grab cutlery from another table setting. Glasses were also cleared mid-way through drinking our wine. We were seated so close to the piano-player that we had to shout at each other to be heard.

The final coupe de grace though came at the end of the meal. Considering a 12.5% (unadvertised) discretionary service charge to be unwarranted on top of the overpriced meal, I told the gentleman taking our payment that I would leave my own discretionary tip of 10%. He immediately took umbrage with our whole table, throwing their credit cards back at both my fellow diners, and shouting “well, you did seem to be enjoying the atmosphere and the music!”. His behaviour was quite shocking, and as he seemed to be the manager in charge that night, absolutely unwarranted and quite unprofessional. It is one thing to have a little moan to your staff about how cheap table number x were, but another thing to openly abuse the customer who chooses how to pay their discretionary service charge.

Absolutely rubbish meal at Hugo's tonight. I went for an early dinner with a couple of girlfriends and we all agreed that the food was well below average and overpriced. I had the duck breast salad which contained a whole duck breast cooked to a grey listless lump. One of my dining companions had complementary things to say about her risotto, but the other was served a simply massive bowl of over-cooked soggy penne pasta with a downright tasteless Bolognese sauce.

Service wise, it was poor. When we were seated, I sat at a place without table settings. No-one came to lay me a place and I was forced to grab cutlery from another table setting. Glasses were also cleared mid-way through drinking our wine. We were seated so close to the piano-player that we had to shout at each other to be heard.

The final coupe de grace though came at the end of the meal. Considering a 12.5% (unadvertised) discretionary service charge to be unwarranted on top of the overpriced meal, I told the gentleman taking our payment that I would leave my own discretionary tip of 10%. He immediately took umbrage with our whole table, throwing their credit cards back at both my fellow diners, and shouting “well, you did seem to be enjoying the atmosphere and the music!”. His behaviour was quite shocking, and as he seemed to be the manager in charge that night, absolutely unwarranted and quite unprofessional. It is one thing to have a little moan to your staff about how cheap table number x were, but another thing to openly abuse the customer who chooses how to pay their discretionary service charge.