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Aster Restaurant

Restaurants, Scandinavian Victoria
3 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5 stars
(7user reviews)
Special Offers
Aster Restaurant

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

A Nordic/French joint at the Nova development in Victoria.

Aster is a stylish Nordic/French mash-up joint in Victoria from the D&D group (Bluebird Café, Launceston Place, Orrery and so on). It’s set across a bright ’n’ airy corner site on the outer reaches of the steely Nova development, with a cute little bakery out front, a cavernous café/ bar and a well-designed upstairs restaurant, replete with snazzy light fittings on pulleys, a neat dusky colour scheme and views onto Victoria Street.

The food was delicate and technically competent, but failed to dazzle – a textbook case of a menu reading better than it eats. Given the location, pricepoint and D&D’s reputation, too many dishes lacked the expected ‘wow’ factor. Take the starter of squid with smoked reindeer, ink and herbs – an earthy, delicate and savoury dish screaming out for a sharp element to lift it from ‘good’ to ‘GOOD GOD!’. A main of zander – a white freshwater fish and cousin of the duckling-terrorising pike – had a similar problem. For a muddy river dweller, it was undoubtedly refined and clean-tasting but lacked a truly killer flavour. On the other hand, gnocchi – crisp on the outside, béchamel light within – with vinegary walnut cream and smoked cheddar was truly marvellous. A pudding parfait of sea buckthorn and skyr (an Icelandic cheese) was excellently sour with orange berries.

Aster’s missteps could be easily remedied, but as it is, it’s another attractive almost-hit for Nova (and Victoria in general). In this formerly food-barren bit of town, that’s still something.

Details
Static map showing venue location
Address: 150 Victoria St
London
SW1E 5LB
Transport: Tube: Victoria
Price: Dinner for two with drinks and service: around £110.
Contact:
www.aster-restaurant.com Call Venue 020 3875 5555
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Special offers

Weekend Brunch: 2/3 courses £25/30 with unlimited bubbles £19

Join us for our Weekend Brunch: 2/3 courses for £25/30 with unlimited bubbles £19. Terms and Conditions: Maximum of 6 diners. Includes VAT, excludes service. Valid For: 1 - 6 People Sun 12:30PM-3:30PM,Sat 11:00AM-3:15PM

Offer valid until Sep 30 2019

Pre/Post Theatre: 2/3 courses for £25/£30

Enjoy our Pre/Post Theatre menu: 2/3 courses for £25/£30 Terms and Conditions: Maximum of 6 diners. Includes VAT, excludes service. Valid For: 1 - 6 People Mon-Sat 5:00PM-10:45PM

Offer valid until Jun 30 2019

Users say (7)

4 out of 5 stars

Average User Rating

4.3 / 5

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star:3
  • 4 star:3
  • 3 star:1
  • 2 star:0
  • 1 star:0
LiveReviews|7
1 person listening
tastemaker

A unique take on a brunch menu, which I found satisfying and delicious! I went for the 2 course meal with a starter and main. I started with the Chicken Liver Pâté, which was surprisingly good. I liked how it was served with a buttery, toasted brioche and how creamy the pâté felt. Wasn't a fan of eating it with the jam/chutney on the side but that tasted good on its own or on the brioche. As for my main, I had the Duck Confit, which I loved! The skin was crispy, the duck meat was cooked perfectly, and the red cabbage was a good pairing. It was a filling meal but without making me feel overly full. I also had a cocktail, the Lychee & Apple. However, it definitely tasted more of green apple, I couldn't taste the lychee at all. 


In terms of service, we had lovely and fun waiters who really get into the brunch vibe with the DJ playing music. I wasn't as impressed with our hostess, who didn't seem impressed when I asked to change tables when I arrived. The table I had originally was in a corner and far too close to another table. The restaurant also wasn't crowded and I could see empty tables around so I wasn't sure why she made a face when I asked for that change. 


I liked the vibe and the decor because it felt very Christmas-y with the decorations and lighting. Definitely a cute place for brunch on the weekend but also for a date during the week!


Lovely atmosphere set in the heart of Victoria. Great wine selection to be paired with a satisfyingly light Nordic meal. The blackcurrant herring with beetroot creme fraiche was a perfect way to start off my meal - you could taste the pickled flavour and the sweetness from the fruit in one bite; and the Arctic char as a main was delightful and came in a generous portion. The chocolate planet was a great way to end the meal.


I went with a friend and we shared a carafe of wine and our glasses were constantly topped up. Great, attentive service. We went on a Saturday evening and the live music was perfect. 


Definitely coming back here when I fancy something a little bit different, somewhere easy to get to for everyone, and for a delicious meal and great jazzy music. 

Tastemaker

Opening statement: Delicious Nordic food in a modern setting with on point service. 

This new restaurant in the impressive Nova Square complex (with lots of contenders for brunch, lunch and dinner) is an absolute gem. We booked a table for an early dinner in the cafe, situated on the ground floor - the menu is more up my street plus it's cheaper - however they have a more formal restaurant available. 

Having eaten for what seemed like all day we still opted for their current smorgbord set menu; 4 plates and a glass of wine for £19. There were plenty of dishes to choose from and the waiter patiently took our order, advising where needed. The food is served a few dishes at a time so by the end we were all incredibly full and felt like we had had a full on 4 course meal. Each dish was very generously sized considering the price and all beautifully presented. 

Recommendations: pork belly on rye, potato hash with lingonberries and mackerel.  The house white was also good which I always think is a good sign!

My only criticism was the resident DJ who was playing really loud music which made it tricky to hear across the table. 

Friendly efficient service and delicious food - Dying to go back!

Tastemaker

I visited Aster last weekend for their Saturday brunch and left feeling slightly disappointed. 


Swooning over their Instagram photos gave me a sense of excitement and I had high hopes for this place, however I felt that their food didn't live up to their beautiful interiors.


Once inside, a member of staff took our coats whilst another led us to the top floor where a DJ played classic funky house. We sat in the pink leather booth whilst I admired the surroundings of brass light fittings and copper bar accessories and chose our food selections. The menus is £21 for two courses or £26 for three, plus £15 for bottomless bubbles. 


As soon as we placed our orders the drinks were poured and our starters arrived. I had the Eggs Benedict, that came with a very small egg and far too much ham. For my main I chose the burger whilst my friend had the baby chicken and lentils. The burger arrived looking sad and uninspiring, and it tasted like this too with little seasoning and a cold bun. Thankfully, the chunky chips (that had to be ordered separately) were triple cooked to perfection. 


Whilst the drinks were topped up frequently, this seemed to take the main focus, but if they were to improve their quality of their food they would definitely get five stars. 

tastemaker

Jumping on the bottomless brunch trend in style, a girlfriend booked the Aster for 3 of us last Saturday.

We were impressed, the staff are friendly and accommodating, the brunch menu is available 11  - 4 pm with a choice of 2 courses for £21 and 3 for £26 I started with a mini eggs Benedict and chicken and lentils following, the food was delicious but small portions, quality over quantity. Accompanied by bottomless bubbles for £15 The restaurant upstairs is very stylish, contemporary lots of glass and light. Good fun atmosphere,  Dj to curate you musically through the afternoon & free flowing bubbles, what could be better.

Tastemaker

The food was absolutely delicious. The flat iron steak came as a pleasant surprise. With a cafe de Paris sauce on top it created a beautiful taste throughout. The creamy potatoes were delightful and the chips were cooked to perfection and perfectly salted. The only minor let down was desert options. A rather strong after taste consumed the chocolate tart but the decision to swap the creme for ice cream was wise. To the recuse came the almond cake which was drizzled in delicious icing.

Tastemaker

This place was fantastic. Above all the decor is just incredible, it has an awesome atmosphere and the staff are just delightful. The place is just seconds walk from Victoria station, however unfortunately encased around all the ugly construction work that is going on around there.


I came here for dinner just after they opened, the wine was great at both expensive and reasonable price points - without even seeing the prices I picked the Malbec as its a wine I usually love and it turned out to be the cheapest red at only £18.


We were early and had a drink at their wine bar downstairs, they also have a cocktail bar upstairs but I didn't get a chance to try this. Prior to being seated the host offered to give us the tour of the brand new restaurant taking our coats and wine, he was incredibly nice and enthusiastic about the place. With good reason as the restaurant is beautiful. The rest of the staff were just as nice and the food was just as great. I would really recommend the salmon to start, it was great. My only disappointment was in the desserts neither of which I liked that much, I would highly recommend the starters over deserts if you have to pick one.


The portions were good enough size for a modern restaurant and the prices were alright, the food was unique enough to be interesting, but no where near the point that it would push your tastebuds to the limit! Which is a good and a bad thing. Overall I would highly recommend Aster!

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