Grumbles

A day before Christmas eve and everything is closed. A few mins from our hotel, we see that this place is still open, so we walk in. Its a small and cozy place in the midst of the cold London air. We are welcomed and seated right away. There is not much space between the tables, but the environment is very intimate and seems family oriented.

They have a simple one page menu (back and front) with daily specials. That night's daily special was freshly caught fish with mediterranean vegetables and lamb with quinoa. They had a separate menu for alcohol such as wine (maybe beer and spirit).

The food was prepared in the basement of the restaurant (assuming that is where the kitchen is). We did not have to wait a while to receive our piping hot food (this was perfect given the weather). The food was so incredible, I did not mind burning my tongue with every bite. I knew the food quantity was just right, but my taste buds were begging for more.

Grumbles was the perfect introduction to London hospitality and cuisine. Definitely recommend!

Went here on a weekend night and luckily I made reservations as it was quite packed. This is a quaint little restaurant in London, with an old heritage.

The place is small and historic, and the seating is a bit uncomfortable as the neighbouring tables almost lock you inside your seat for the duration of your meal. They are tight on space but that's not really surprising for London.

I decided on the trout and got a salad as an appetizer. The food was prepared fast and fresh and you can definitely taste the quality of the food - a solid 3 stars.

My trout tasted more like salmon, but it was still good nonetheless.

However, I found this place to be extremely pricey. Not uncommon in Europe, but they charge an automatic 1-2 pound 'cover' for the table bread and olives...which is always a bit of a surprise when the bill comes.

We both really enjoyed our dinner here. It was our last sit-down meal in London before moving on to the next city. When we arrived, the dining room upstairs was warm and packed. The first employee we met said we could wait for a few minutes for a table near the door to clear out, or we could find a spot to eat downstairs, where it was less crowded.

Down the stairs we went! The basement seating area is a lot cozier than the dining room upstairs, which was totally fine for us. It was quiet - only one other party was seated when we entered - and it was warm. They have a bar, and food is transported from the kitchen via dumbwaiter (something I find so charming about London restaurants!)

For dinner, I went with the chicken breast (it came smothered in cheddar cheese, mushrooms, and asparagus), and my husband went with the Moroccan lamb tagine. We ordered a couple of pints to round out our meal.

The food was very good. We didn't have to wait long for the dumbwaiter to ding, announcing the arrival of our meals. My plate didn't look like much - I mean really, you can't make a dish smothered in wine sauce and cheese look pretty - but the flavors were definitely there. The chicken was grilled separately, then topped with the mushrooms, white wine sauce, and asparagus, before the melted cheese was added. As a final touch, they torched the cheese to give it a bit more oompf, which absolutely added to the flavor profile.

My husband was pleasantly surprised by the quality of his own meal. The lamb was served on a bed of couscous, with vegetables and a cool yogurt dip on the side. He managed to destroy the plate in record time, though at one point he did pull something that looked suspiciously like a human hair out of the plate. He managed to convince himself it wasn't a hair, though, and almost licked the plate clean.

And because we weren't full enough, we decided to order dessert. Last night in London, have to make it special, right? They didn't have sticky toffee pudding on the menu, so we went with the lime cheesecake. It was tasty (and definitely the prettiest presentation of food that night). The lime was offset by a mango sauce, which helped balance the tartness.

The only reason I've taken off a star is the fact that our waitress - who was responsible only for the downstairs area (all two parties) - wasn't very attentive. The party behind us kept having to call her over to ask for more water, more wine, status on their meals and to ask for the dessert menu. We weren't quite as vocal, but we did have to flag her down a few times throughout the night, as well. The last time I tried to get her attention, she was on her phone...

Despite all that, the food was excellent and we left feeling full and fuzzy. Had it not been our last night in town, we definitely would have gone back for another meal.

Going downhill - I feel like they are sitting back on the basis of some recent good reviews. The pudding tonight wad DISGUSTING!!!! Bland, beige, boring, cold, stodgy, inedible - ewww, horrid experience to have it put in front of me and be EXPECTED to EAT it. I feel queezy at the very memory of it. And when I made a complaint the person was rude, defensive and downright unpleasant. Really sad because I know it can do better.

Make a reservation! This place is cozy and popular, but for good reason. The Grumbles Filet was so good we came back for a second night! Crusted with spicy mustard and brown sugar, each of our steaks were perfectly prepared.

They also had this amazing fruit parfait dessert, which can only be described as "magical."

We came across Grumbles after a long work day and no one was committing to picking a spot. I read the good reviews and saw that the prices were reasonable and that it was nearby our hotel by Pimlico. We are happy to have found it!

We ate dinner here today because it's right around the corner from our hotel and it has good ratings. We took advantage of their early dinner special (offered between 6-7 p.m.), of which there are two options; two courses for 12.95 pounds or three courses for 15.95 pounds (we chose the former). There are only three choices for each course (the third is desserts), and we both chose the fish soup & the vegetarian chili. The food was what I'd call French country cooking and it was very tasty. The portions were sufficient, but not real generous.

The servers were very pleasant, the interior is very attractive, and it looked spotless. It's a small restaurant and there are a few tables outside. Also, note that a 12.95% service charge is added automatically.

Been twice and will return. Food, service and wine are fantastic. I've enjoyed lamb twice. Their vegetables and sauces are yummy and nothing we've had disappointed. A Pimlico pleasure well worth exploring.

Very inviting little place that oozes comfort food and warmth. After a warm welcome, I sat at a window table and was promptly served olives and bread - big doorstops of freshly baked loveliness. I ordered the avocado & prawn starter, fish pie and a glass of rose. The service was friendly and efficient and my enquiry about mussels in the pie handled quickly and courteously.
The fish pie was light and devoid of all the cream and butter you might expect. The fish was the star with a solid supporting cast of smooth potato (complete with crispy top), dill and chives.

The French guy at the next table was clearly relishing the escargot - quite the endorsement!

For dessert I had the chocolate & brandy mousse. It looked huge, but miraculously it soon disappeared. I don't usually go for chocolate but this was worth making the exception. The bill came to £33 including a 12.5% service charge which is great value - anywhere, not just in London. A great experience made even more so as I was dining alone and hardly even noticed!

Open late! Food is good and exactly what I wanted. Nice, local diner feel with a very very nice staff. I got fish and chips. Don't judge me, but isn't that the best kind of late night eat after a couple of pints?

Food and wine were delicious. Prices were great for the quality. The staff was pleasant, yet they seemed more attentive to other parties. We were going to order more but they didn't check back with us. I would go back again.
Also, I would advise a reservation.
Good luck, and happy eating!