Aubaine

Aubaine is one of those French bistros in London that aren’t particularly French except in how irritating they are.
I’ve been here two or three times (only because I always stay at a hotel right around the corner) and each time, I wonder why I come back.
The good: the location is great, the space is nice, the bread and butter are very good.
The bad: the food and the service. The food is unexceptional from beginning to end. Ok, the soups can be quite good but almost everything else from the eggs to the peppercorn sauce with the steak frites is just poorly done.
Yet the service is even worse than the food. On my last two visits I’ve had the same aloof waiter who looks like a young German solider, with drooping eyes, and oozing a combination of boredom and irritation whenever you speak to him.
This evening I arrived late (I was meeting a friend) and so wanted to order immediately so that my friend wouldn’t have to wait any longer than he already had. I made eye contact with the waiter who eventually came over. As I began to tell him what I wanted, my friend suggested something else which I considered for maybe four seconds after which time, the waiter, in an almost comically obnoxious way, pointedly asked — «Are you ready to order?» I had hesitated a matter of seconds. Shocked, I said to give me a few minutes pls.
When he eventually came back he took my food order and at the end asked me what I wanted to drink. Just water, I said. «Just water?,» repeating the words in a slow, strange tone. Yes, just water, I repeated back. I then reached for some bread and noticed that someone had forgotten to set bread plates at our table. I asked if we could have a few.
Bottom line: we ate bread and butter off the table for most of the meal and, only just before the main course was served, finally got the attention of the manager who served us water. There was no further communication from our waiter to us and no plates were cleared.
A ridiculous place lacking in, well, basically everything except self importance.

Came here for lunch and ordered the herb crusted lamb. Given the awful consequences of businesses not advertising allergens properly, I felt this needed to be shared. I am sensitive to nuts, but fortunately not fatally. I started eating the lamb and started to feel a reaction coming on. I stopped eating and asked the waiter if there were nuts in the dish. He went away and came back and said there were pistachios in the crust. I said there was nothing said about that on the menu– how can you not declare nuts in a dish? He said they weren’t legally obliged to declare every ingredient on the menu and that i should have said I was allergic to nuts when I ordered (fair enough, but I never do because I’ve never come across a restaurant stupid enough not to say there are nuts in a dish). He then sarcastically asked if I wanted an ambulance. The manager came over and said — I quote– ‘pistachio nuts aren’t nuts, so that’s why they aren’t on the menu because they aren’t a main ingredient’ I’m not even going to say anything about that because that sentence because it speaks for itself. My friends received sad greying pieces of meat as steaks. Even if the dreadfully mediocre food was enough of a reason not to come back, the incompetent service and shocking and utter lack of common sense and intelligence certainly is.

Went there after a day of walking the streets of London. We were dressed casually and were made to feel like paupers — basically ignored. I had not eaten all day but my companions had. When I was the last to order, I asked for an appetizer salad and a meal. The waiter acted incredulous that I would have food in front of me when others did not (they could have cared less). My salad arrived with others’ meals sans the main course. About twenty minutes after everyone had finished eating the waiter came by and asked for our desert orders — he explained that I could get my main course when others were eating desert. No thanks. Unless you are dressed for the theater and intend to have a «balanced» table, I would recommend staying away from this place. There are so many better places to eat in London.

I came here for dinner with a group. We were given a really nice room downstairs and even though we were down there we had great service (I was worried we would be forgotten!) We had bread baskets on the tables and I ordered the puff pastry. It was good, but not what I expected, as it was flatter and not as «puffy» but it was still very rich and satisfying. Great service and friendly staff. I would come back for a nice meal, but the portions and the small size of the menu deter me for coming back for dinner, maybe lunch.

Nice staff. Took them a while to seat is however. The prices are incredibly high for half decent food. Also, they serve their bread horribly and service is too slow. Don’t be deceived by this restaurant, not as good as you think

Fancy and French. Didn’t stick around to order because nobody offered us a menu (after seating us next to the cold air vent). When we asked to order drinks, we waited 15 minutes before picking up our coats — at which point the waiter leapt across the restaurant. Neverrrrr again. I’ll have a £14 burger somewhere else.

Very nice French café! Dessert + coffee/​tea for only £5. Lovely area with lots of shops, just across from Kensington Palace. Desserts were quite yummy (although not at all nut-​free), and the tea was lovely.

an absolute joke of a restaurant. worst service i have ver experienced. the waitress walked around as if she was a correctional officer with an attitude.

Went here last week with my wife before a show at royal Albert hall. Stopped in because of the dinner special (appetizer, main course, and wine for 16,50). The food was mediocre at best but the service was horrific. I would stay away from this place. At a restaurant you would hope for the waiters to pay attention and refill drinks when needed but no one seemed to care.

Found location and made reservation for Sunday brunch using the Unilocal web site. Very useful! Aubaine is a great location and a decent space. Food is good but pricey IMHO. Bakery items were very good and just-​the-​ticket with fresh fruit and coffee.
Waay too many strollers parked between already-​too-​close tables with fussy infants making their signature floor and table messes within nearly-​arms-​reach. Might be a calmer atmosphere after ‘bedtime’…

Boring restaurant. Redwine was too hot, they put the bottle on ice. Sirloin was tender, but tasteless. I should have taken the burger, that is hard to do wrong.

I loved the quiet, rustic feel of this classic brunch place in Kensington, but the food just didn’t live up to my expectations. I ordered Eggs Benedict with a side of fruit. I was underwhelmed by the food and overwhelmed by the price of it all. Next time I crave brunch, I’ll go to Carluccio’s. Better quality of food and cheaper too.

I cannot even begin to express how much I love this place. I have been here on two different occasions. Each time the service was amazing and the food was delicious. The restaurant has these lovely garden setups around all the windows to give you the feeling that you are sitting in a quiet garden. If the weather is nice they will open up the glass doors to the street.
The first time I came here, I ordered the bread basket with peppermint tea. It came in a lovely basket with 4 slices of bread, 1 croissant, and homemade jam. My husband ordered a pain au chocolat which he said was his favorite of everywhere we went (other than Laduree).
The second time I ordered the yoghurt with granola and berries. I had specified berries when I ordered while the menu specified fruit. The server asked if I would only like berries and I said yes. I loved that he not only asked to clarify, but followed through with my request. My husband ordered the french toast which was incredible. It’s a lovely brioche that is sprinkled with sugar and just the right amount of syrup. My mother-​in-​law ordered the eggs benedict. She felt they were too salty because they had used a cured ham, but were otherwise good.
Final verdict? I’d go back. Lovely tea, quiet restaurant, excellent food and service.

YUM! We also rode past this place while on bus 52 and decided to finally try it out. It was packed on a Sunday around 1pm. They have both indoor and outdoor seating and the ambiance is so cute. It has a rustic modern look with mixed chairs, flowers, and butterflies. The host was very prompt and kept us informed of our table status regularly. The waiters and waitresses were very polite and friendly as well.
We tried a few of the dishes and loved all of them. The Croque Monsieur was the perfect amount of cheese and toasty goodness. The fries included with the mussels were thin cut, crispy, and fresh.
Croque MonsieurEggs Benedict –Œufs pochés, brioche, jambon de pays et sauce hollandaiseMussels Moules Marinière et frites –Mussels, white wine, parsley and fries
We will be back soon!