Waterloo & City

Waterloo and City is closed as of Feb 6 2015. Owners said they’ll reopen in a new location when the time is right. Look out for Birch by Brendan Collins in Hollywood later this month.
Brian Dunsmoor and partners Jonathan Strader, both from Hart & the Hunter and Ladies Gunboat Society, along with Zanzibar’s Louie Ryan, will open The Hatchet Hall here later this year

Having just returned from London and spent a great deal of time in true gastro pubs in little known villages outside the city. I am always delighted to dine at Waterloo, the feel is the same. It is wonderful to see one of the owners truly own rest restaurant as he choreographs each step of service and culinary execution with perfection.
I can use all the large pretentious words to describe my experience’s the half dozen or so time I’ve been here. Though they don’t do this restaurant justice.
Lets start with: Chicken Liver Mousse, Sweet Potato Jam, Toast, Pickles. The mouse was lovely smooth and buttery.
House Cured & Imported Salami, Toast, Mustard, Pickles. The prosciutto is so thin you can read through it. Perfection (see photo.)
Beef Wellington, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Onion Marmamlade, Red Wine. This is a classic dish with sauces and traditional techniques that you rarely find stateside. A Must!
Steamed Broccolini, Garlic, Chili, Shallots. Nice and spicy.
Doughnut, Orange Brandy English Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream. There is nothing better than a home house made doughnut on to your plate. It just makes you smile with anticipation.
This was the perfect way to spend a Saturday evening in such an inviting restaurant that wants you to be present. Come here to enjoy one of the best meals of your life. This place I will miss and miss a lot, Cheers!

First review of 2015 and Review #450!
Where should we go for our 12 year anniversary with dear bf? I remembered one of my good friends had recently jumped into the restaurant business (straight from an office job too!) and I had yet to try the place she was working at, a bit of a drive since it was on the Westside and here I was in the SGV. It was time, I decided, and I booked a reservation online for a Friday night dinner at 7 pm.
I knew off the bat that we would order the beef wellington (the English bf likes to express every so often him missing his favorite beef wellington from his home across the pond) and the chicken liver mousse terrine (since said friend was manning the charcuterie station, we knew we had to try one of her terrines). Other than that, I wasn’t sure what we must order. So I had asked said friend earlier in the week for her recommendations on dishes not to be missed and that helped her identify our ticket when we were there, hehe. In addition to the chicken liver mousse terrine and the beef wellington, we had the tuna tartare, lobster and shrimp bolognaise, and strawberry pavlova dessert.
We were very impressed with the chicken liver mousse terrine. By itself, it would’ve been overwhelming and rich half way through, but the toasted bread and sweet potato jam complimented it perfectly that we were smothering every last morsel of the terrine + jam onto the bread.
The tuna tartare was super fresh and refreshing. We wished there were more when we finished it all too quickly.
I’ve never had beef wellington (other than a not too authentic version at an event before, but that doesn’t count!), so I was eager to try and excited that it was as good as it sounds… meat wrapped inside a crisp, flaky pastry. Sadly, I also wished there were more in the entrée size as that went as quickly as the other plates we had so far. It also came with bacon wrapped asparagus (ooh!), and who can argue with that fine combination?
The lobster and shrimp bolognaise, our other entrée, included homemade squid ink pasta, so we knew to expect black pasta. This was a very filling and satisfying dish. You can truly experience the taste of the squid ink in each bite!
The seasonal dessert was the strawberry pavlova, so we ordered that instead of the popular bourbon glazed doughnuts. We foolishly thought we would be okay after the pavlova dessert to add the doughnuts anyways, but it was not meant to be (that means dessert for another trip!). The pavlova was just what our palate needed at the end of the meal — light and fresh strawberries mixed with a light strawberry sorbert with the sugary (in a good way!) marscapone.
We came right before the majority of the dinner rush, so we did experience some absent servers in the late beginning and middle of the meal (sorry, good friend, they weren’t able to completely take good care of us… understandably it was a busy night!). However, I did enjoy taking the time to savor the dishes and have a relaxing anniversary dinner. I am sad that Waterloo & City will be closing towards the end of the month (January 2015), so I’m hoping to squeeze in one more visit for another round of the favorites from the first meal and the chance to also try the bourbon glazed doughnuts!

When I think of gastropubs I think of overly heavy typical food, but this place is super yums!
I went here for a late dinner with my friends. We shared a bunch of stuff; we got:
–Crispy pork belly with scallops and chorizo
–Steak with potatoes
–Brussel sprouts
–Pasta with lobster and shrimp: surprisingly my fave dish!
–Sticky toffee pudding: so goood
I really wanted to try the beef wellington but they were out…
I heard that they were going to close this place soon hopefully I can come back and try the beef wellington before then

Cheguei em LA hoje após uma cansativa viagem dirigindo desde San Fran e decidi comer neste bar próximo ao hotel. É um local maravilhoso para um Happy Hour ou um jantar elegante, ou seja, você é quem escolhe.
Os garçons são atenciosos e te deixam a vontade. Para escolher a bebida, você pode escolher o que está no cardápio ou sugerir algo diferente.
Comi a pizza Grilled Artichoke e Proscuitto (presunto italiano) junto com salada de Arugula (rúcula) e o sabor é incrível. Recomendo pedir um Azeite (óleo de Oliva) extra e apreciar com a pizza.
Comi também o Chicken Liver Mousse, que é uma espécie de patê que vem num pote e você passa no pão tostado que vem junto (você pode pedir mais pães se quiser). Quando vi e senti o cheiro, parecia uma espécie daqueles patês que vendem no supermercado, da Sadia. Quando comi este Mousse, o sabor é incomparável!!! Nunca comi um patê de frango tão delicioso na minha vida!!! Isto é algo que você precisa comer!!!
Tomei dois drinks do cardápio, mas achei um pouco caro. Os Drinks são bastante diferentes, mas muito bons! Recomendo o Slap & Tickle.

D brought me here for happy hour
and I thought the food was terrific —
wide assortment of eats that are
really different than the standard happy-​hour fare
you find at most spots
(like the short rib ravioli. omgs)
and the drinks were strong and delicious
definitely one of the best spots for happy hour in this part of town

If you’re ever in Culver City, come down here for a great happy hour! Their cocktails, food, and service are all wonderful.
Parking can be a little difficult here but it is nice that they do offer valet. With a validation, you only need to pay a little over $ 2 to park in their lot.
They have happy hour every day but it is only offered in their bar and lounge area. Although it seems pretty limited, they have seating in the back as well so you won’t feel too crowded. But I do suggest coming early because it seemed a little packed when I went.
I came here on a Friday night and was immediately seated in the back. It took a while for our server to come to our table at first, but once they did, they were pretty consistent with bringing food/​drinks to our table promptly.
Overall, there was a variety of food/​drinks on their happy hour menu. They offer truffle fries, pastas, oysters, pizzas, and cocktails for a little less than $ 10. What seemed to be the most popular item on the menu was their pizza.
Their pizza is HUGE! For only $ 9, you get an entire pizza to yourself and it is delicious. The crust is perfectly crunchy and they use good quality produce as toppings to your gluttonous dish. We got the special of the day which consisted of Italian sausages and sweet peppers. A nice sweet and savory combination. They gave us crushed red peppers and parmesan as well to compliment the pizza.
I got the gnocchi which came with a lamb ragu. The ragu was decadent, creamy, but not too heavy. The gnocchi was soft and fluffy and felt like a pillow of clouds in your mouth. It was good dish overall but a little smaller.
The truffle fries were absolutely addicting. They were a nice thick cut of potatoes which came with a truffle sauce and ketchup (homemade). I was obsessed with truffle sauce. It was very flavorful and went with the french fries very nicely. However, if you want to order more of the truffle sauce, it costs an extra $ 3. Our waitress was nice enough to give us two extra sauces to substitute for the truffle sauce. On the downside, nothing could compare to the truffle sauce. I managed to scrape out every little last bit of the sauce in the cup.
Drink wise — pretty good. House wines/​beers are only $ 5 and their sangria is pretty good too. The sangria was light and refreshing and had a pretty good amount of liquor in it too.
You definitely gotta try this place!

I’ve been here a handful of times. Today I came for happy hour only (5– 7 only at the bar, Mon — Sun) The bar has big cushioned stools but no backs. boo !! I need that added comfort for my back after a long day. There’s a lot on the happy hour menu and I was jazzed to get started. While I looked over the menu, I order the happy hour red wine which was very fruit forward. Not my favorite.
We split everything and started with:
The arugula salad which was simple and flavorful. It had smoked almonds and crispy shallots in it that just melts in your mouth. Salad Perfection.
Next, we had the chicken wings. — $ 7. We’re not big on BBQ sauces, but this is *spicy* BBQ, with scallions and sesame seeds. I’ve had them before and definitely ahd to go there again. The heat is not too much and they had a small amount of sweet and a perfect amount of citrus. They went swimmingly with an Anchor IPA.
Next, the salmon poke with gooseberry salsa and a sesame cracker. $ 7. This can usually be a heavy dish. Not this one ! Beautiful presentation and had a lovely mayonnaise based dressing on raw super-​duper fresh, top notch salmon. So freagin’ good. The cracker adds the perfect crunch. I like to top a little salmon on end of the cracker and take a bite then pass it along. Sharing is, in fact, caring ;)
What’s next you ask? PORK SHANK RAVIOLI –7. Notice I obnoxiously capitalized it? Get it at happy hour, or from the main menu for a larger portion. Just trust me.
Just under the end happy hour we slipped in the Wild Mushroom & Truffle Pizza — 9. Just Really, Really Good. Sometimes, the truffle can be overly heavy making me sick of the flavor. Not the case here. Wild Craft, watch out ! Here’s my new pizza joint.
Oh shoot ! I didn’t notice the Oyster mignonette and lemon ! — $ 7 (for 3) Just had to add 2 orders of that in as well …(2 minutes before 7pm.) It was refreshing to have an oyster in between a few bites of pizza.
We left full and satisfied. I’m already planning my orders for our next visit.
My only issues, and the reason for the 4 stars and not 5 are:
A) I really believe in bar stools with backs are a must. I don’t go to places at times specifically for this reason.
And, B) It’s crazy loud in there. Something should be done like adding those foamy things on the ceilings, under the bar, tables, etc. It would really help to absorb the sound and make it more of a pleasurable dining experience.

My friends and I heard that Waterloo and City was closing this location in the end of January, so we decided that a visit was necessary before it shut down. We came in around 9pm, and since our whole party was not there, we ordered a few drinks first and had some complimentary bread. I had the Slap & Tickle (vodka, vanilla, fresh pear, lemon), which was sweet but not too sweet. I also got the Gilby’s Gin Fizz (gin, port, lemon, grapes, egg white, peychauds) which was my favorite. Their cocktails are delicious here! After everyone arrived, we decided to order basically everything we wanted to try.
Chicken Liver Mousse, sweet potato jam, toast, pickles, 13– This was a favorite for many. The mousse was very creamy and the flavor was great. Paired with the jam and pickles, it was delicious.
Terrine of Pressed Smoked Salmon, fried egg, tartare sauce, 12– The smoked salmon was pressed between layers of potato, so it was definitely interesting. The egg and tartare was delicious with it, but I wish there was more egg, as that disappeared first.
Salmon Poke, gooseberry salsa, sesame crackers, 13– another favorite. The poke was marinated in a light vinaigrette sauce, and it was delicious. Very fresh tasting and a great appetizer.
Foie Gras– this was a special of the night, and of course we jumped on this one. The foie gras was yummy, it sat atop a piece of bread I believe, and a small piece was perfect as the foie was very rich.
We then moved on to the entrees…
Wild Mushroom Pizza, smoked mozzerella, truffle oil, 14– This pizza was wayyy too salty. We couldn’t even finish it… it was pretty bad. The middle was also soggy so everything kept falling off the pizza. Stay away from this dish!
Beef Wellington, bacon wrapped asparagus, onion marmalade, red wine, 32– The beef wellington was smaller than expected (maybe because we split it between 5), but it was great. Because the beef is baked instead of grilled, the quality of the meat is more smooth overall and consistent .The puff pastry was yummy around the beef!
Another special of the night– Burrata Pasta with Truffles– our favorite entrée. Too bad each of us only got one piece… but it was amazing. Loved the foam sauce on top!
For dessert, we ordered the only two that they had– the toffee cake with ice cream, and a doughnut with ice cream as well. Both were delicious, maybe it was the combination of a warm dessert and ice cream on top, but we loved both (the toiffee one a little better though).
The bill was around $ 240, which was moderate as we did order a bunch of drinks as well. The service was okay, the lady wasn’t around that often and when she was, she wasn’t very personable. I’m glad Waterloo and City will be opening in West Hollywood area (I think?), as it will be much closer for the people in LA!