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The Fish & Grill is Malcolm John's second Croydon eaterie. It's a large, handsome space, with polished dark wood, high-backed seats and banquettes, and modern prints on the walls, designed to attract business lunchers and special-occasion diners. Whether due to size, layout or understaffing, service can be slow and muddled; we had to leave our seats and seek out staff.
The menu and its execution, however, were not compromised. Seared scallops were pearlescent perfection, with accompanying green beans nicely snappy and hazelnut butter the right shade of brown; 28-day aged Aberdeen Angus beef fillet was beautifully pink and tender (and a generous size); chips were triple-cooked; a special of sautéed ceps and crayfish showed great attention to the quality of the seasonal mushrooms.
Flavours tend towards the robust, whether in a powerfully dressed rocket salad, lobster fettuccine sauced with roast shell-scented bisque, or briny buttered sea vegetables. As perfect a crème brûlée as you could hope to find, with aromatic Keralan vanilla much in evidence, was worth the wait. The approachably priced wine list, helpfully structured according to flavour profile, completes the winning formula.
...from a set menu (3 courses £17.95). Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 12:00-22:00, Friday, Saturday 12:00-16:00
Offer covers Min 1, Max 70 people
Offer valid until Feb 29 2012
Please book this offer through the booking panel below.
... usual price £17.95. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Offer available Monday 12:00-22:30
Offer covers Min 1, Max 10 people
Offer valid until Feb 29 2012
Please book this offer through the booking panel below.
...Includes Vat, excludes service. Not available 14th February, Mother's Day, Father's Day or on any Bank Holiday.
Offer available Everyday 12:00-15:00 and 18:00-22:00
Offer covers Min 1, Max 6 people
Offer valid until Nov 30 2012
Please book this offer through the booking panel below.
Sorry, booking is not available at the moment.
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What is 'following'?020 8774 4060
Lunch served noon-3pm, dinner served 5-11pm Mon-Thur. Meals served noon-11pm Fri; 10am-11pm Sat; 10am-10.30pm Sun
Main courses £10.95-£44. Set lunch £14.95 2 courses, £17.95 3 courses
Credit cards AmEx, MC, V
Facilities
Tables outdoors ( 3, pavement ), Babies and children welcome ( children's menu; high chairs ), Booking advisable ( Fri, Sat ), Available for hire, Disabled ( toilet )We have been to Malcolm John restaurants many times but unfortunately Fish and Grill seems to have gone downhill. The food was OK but for the prices they charge it should be. The service however - in an empty restaurant - was shocking. Expensive, weak cocktails and rude, arrogant staff made our celebration meal deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant. We couldn't wait to leave. Too many schoolboy errors (warm water/no ice etc) for a restaurant that has been open this long.
When we left negative feedback through the website we were fobbed off with a template word document response which is also a bit amateur at this level.
Hugely disappointing and we won't be back.
Sure, the quality of food is generally high, but the service is well below what is expected even at a cheaper restaurant. The arrogance of the management and the owner ooze through the restaurant and I would not go again.
The waiters were unintelligible and unknowledgeable: if if they could explain the various specials and less common fish on the menu, we could not understand what they were saying. They constantly clumsily reached over to top up wine glasses to the point of annoyance, it was almost impossible to get tap water instead of paid for fizz, one dish was forgotten altogether (they refused to admit the mistake and a glass of champagne was not compensation) and they never seemed to know which dish went where. When we complained, we received a fistful of useles 15% discount vouchers instead of money off the bill - the vouchers expired at the end of the month. Only the wealthiest would go to a restuarant like this monthly and frankly they would spend their money in town when you would get the appropriate level of service.
Overprices, over-rated and I won't be going back.
After hearing about this restaurant from my friends, I decided to take my husband for dinner. The food was simply not worth the money. Having recently been to a great seafood restaurant in Dubai I was expecting great standards due to the Micheline stars. We were really disapointed as the soup was tasteless and very thick and the filet stake was simply burnt (I only asked for it to be well done). I have never felt more angrier at wasting money than today. When the waitress asked me how the food was I told her about my disapointment but she did not comment or seemed bothered. Surely she should have enquired about what I was telling her! After all I am a customer.
Brilliant concept. I ve been a customer for few years now. Going once a month at least. Did not have a great experience at New Years Eve. Wrote to Malcom Jones. His PA answered and the answer was poor. Thinking of offering my custom to Albert's Table if nobody comes back to me. Shame...
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