Balfour

The biggest Fish & Chips I’ve ever had. Taste is very ordinary, but definitely filling. Service was quite slow.

Here’s my first ultimate test for what constitutes a good pizza: the crust better be tasty and good enough that you shouldn’t mind eating it plain. I am pleased to say Balfour passed this with flying colours. My quattro formaggi was delicious, and at £12.95, quite reasonably priced for the central area where the restaurant is located.
My dinner companion wasn’t feeling so hungry so settled for a nicely frothy cappuccino and a smashing genuine (and huge) tiramisu. The lady has lived in Italy, so I take her word for what’s a good tiramisu seriously.
I like the interior of the restaurant — it simple, but warm and quite nicely divided between multiple separate areas, so even if the place is full, a level of intimacy is maintained. That being said, I don’t think I have ever before commented on a music in a restaurant in a review (how picky can one get about that, right?), but sweet jesus, the entire dinner here felt like a throwback into a middle school dance with the corniest selection of old love songs ever. I think 10cc — I’m Not In Love was one of the better songs we’ve heard — that should say something! :D
This place didn’t blow my mind per se, but I would definitely give it another shot for tasty portion of Italian comfort food if I’m in the area again.

I came here to have a quick lunch as I was meeting up with a friend who was travelling back home to somewhere in North England and we were both running late. The food was really good, quite impressed but then when I found out that its an independent restaurant, I can’t be surprised as they taste so much better then chain restaurants. We only ordered a main each and shared that between us both so we could both try the food. It was truly filling and wholesome. Really enjoyed myself and my friend said the same, I would like to come back when I have more time so I can enjoy myself more.

Best breakfast! Had a lovely Italian style poached eggs on ciabatta with perfectly made cappuccino! They do serve a fry up but it’s got a nice twist. Staff was fantastic. Service was fast, and relaxed. Very friendly, clean. There are two WC locations (upstairs and downstairs) should you have the need. Location is not good for groups over 6 due to size constraints. Would make the trip if I am ever over that way. So great! I dream of this breakfast and have desperately tried to recreate the moment.

The food is good, the service is OK, but they add a 18% service charge to the bill. But the restaurant is always very busy so I suppose they can get away with it.

Excellent food. We arrived without booking but they were able to accommodate us in about 20 minutes. The restaurant is small and tables were close together but once you get your food you do not care. Our veal was wonderful and accompanied by steamed spinach and roasted potatoes. The wine was an excellent value and quite good. The ice cream was divine. Highly recommend if you are in the Bloomsbury area.

Really good food and service. And the manager had a TV out to watch the UEFA champion final match! Really nice local place. I would be inclined to return when I am in London again.
Started with mozzarella breaded and fried with salsa and a salad. The shared a pizza. Fresh ingredients! No complaints. Give it a try.

The restaurant is perfect in my opinion. Good service, fast and meal is delicious. I went there several times and cant stop ordering pizza. Pizza is huge. Place is perfect for a romantic dinner too. Low light and very comfortable places. Staff is great too.

Do NOT go here.
Terrible and rude service, very mediocre food. So many other, good restaurants in the neighbourhood (incl Italian, see Brunswick Centre).
Extremely long waiting time, rude waiting service ignored every request (including food allergies! and the ‘choose your extra topping’ featured on the menu). Noisy.
No idea why people go here (just unfortunate tourists I’m sure)
Do NOT go here.

This local, independent, Italian restaurant is just the kind of place Unilocal can help you find. It’s not famous or a chain, but has friendly staff and good food each time I have visited.
* They have a high chair for babies
* They give you lovely bread as soon as you sit down so you have time to read the menu without starving
* The staff *can* be speedy if you need to rush off after lunch to get back to work!
* The spinach and ricotta ravioli is looovely
* I once came here with friends in the evening, and the staff didn’t rush us at all, so we stayed for hours drinking wine and eating slowly. I don’t even remember what we ate, (as I ended up really drunk) but I remember it as delicious.
Also, goodness! The previous review by «JD F» sounds so bitter (and rude!) It doesn’t sound like my experiences here at all.

Les regards persistants des passants à l’intérieur de ce restaurant italien sont bien justifiés par des pizzas à la taille de soucoupe volantes, mêlant tomate et roquette pour des créations qui sentent bon le printemps. Mais sortie des pizzas, quelle déception ! Le salmon-​cake cache en vérité des croquettes de saumon-​pomme de terre bourratives à souhait et bien fades une fois privées de leur mayonnaise sucrée et écœurante à souhait. Les pennes au chorizo font trempette dans une flaque d’huile et à l’inverse les pancakes au sirop d’érable sont secs et bien en mal de trouver de quoi s’humecter. Optez donc pour les pizzas et restez-​y !

28 Oct 11: I normally research restaurants before I travel, jotting down a selection to choose from. This was a place I had not read about. Located near our hotel (George Hotel) I had my fill of pub foods. Six of us decided to give it a try.
We arrived without any reservations, The place was completely full but the manager got us seated in just a few minutes. We sat towards the back of the restaurant at a large table.
I started with the grilled goat cheese appetizer: Two large pieces of toast topped with goat cheese, roasted peppers and served with a salad. Next I had the Ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach in a sage butter sauce; Tony had the spaghetti Bolognese (£7.95). Both were large portions and very good. Along with our meal we had a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio.
Our friends enjoyed their dishes too.
We were happy with our restaurant choice, as the prices were reasonable and the food portions large. Service was a little slow to start but that was understandable due to the busy evening.

Dishes here are approx £10 for pasta, which is what I ordered tonight. I ordered the Mushroom Ragu from the Blackboard, which is always a good idea! I’m here on holiday, so to my fellow travelers: always ask your waiter for their recommendation.
The restaurant was quite busy at 3pm on a Tuesday with two waiters working. The staff was polite and warm, service was a little slow since they were slightly overwhelmed. So I give a plus for their positive attitude! After I ordered, the food came within 10mins and it was so fresh and steamy. You can tell that the pasta literally just came off the pan, yum! The dish came with plenty of pasta and meat sauce with little surprises of different mushrooms inside. I don’t know if my it’s my congestion, but the dish lacked a little salt. Not quite sure about it, but I still enjoyed my dish… I’m not an overly salty dish kind of girl, FYI :)
Oh, I also ordered their apple juice that came in a wine glass with a lime inside. The juice tasted more like a lemon-​apple drink, might have tasty with a shot of grey goose, lol. It was £2.

Finally after a year of living in London we made it back to Balfour. When we first arrive and stayed in Bloomsbury, every time we tried to go it was packed! But this past Friday we made the trip from Pimlico and booked ahead. Which is a good idea since they get busy on a Friday.
As others have mentioned the service is a bit slow. But if you are ok with sitting, talking, looking at the menu and nibbling on bread for a bit you will be fine. Bringing the bread to the table as soon as we sat down was a nice touch.
Taking the advice of fellow Unilocalers I went straight for the Chalkboard menu and was not disappointed! We started with the Swordfish Carpaccio served over citrus salad and it was lovely. I have had carpaccio before, but never swordfish and this was delicious. For the main I had the asparagus and ricotta ravioli off the chalkboard and my husband had the farfelle with anchovies, capers, olives and chili oil from the menu. Both were heaping big portions which was exactly what we were wanting. Due to the size of the pasta and the fact that we ate every bite, we did not stay for desert. Though I saw many a yummy desert come out of the kitchen… i would go back just for the desert sometime!
On a side note, the table right next to us ordered the ‘angels on horseback; and the calamari. BOTH looked amazing and for starters they were generous enough portions to share. Would we go back? You betcha!

I had my mouth all made up for fish and chips at the nearby North Sea Fish Restaurant, only to realize that my jet-​lagged brain forgot that it was Sunday and the North Sea Restaurant is closed on Sunday. Add to that a wonky mobile WiFi that chose that very moment to not work. I probably would not have chosen to go to Balfour if I had seen the rather low Unilocal rating.
As it turned out, my meal was just fine. The food was quite good. If the service had been better I might have even given them 4 stars overall. But the fact that I was seated at a table and then completely forgotten about shot their chances for rising in the Unilocal ratings. When I have to flag down a waiter to ask if someone would please take my order, I tend to get a bit grumpy.
The location, on the corner, near a LOT of budget tourist hotels, means that they get a lot of people like me as customers — just off the plane, tired, hungry and just wanting some good food at a reasonable price and a quiet spot to relax at the end of a busy travel day.
Once they remembered I was there and took my order, things got better. I enjoyed the complimentary brown bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, while sipping some very tasty Pinot Grigio. Then came a really excellent insalata verde tossed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. I followed that with farfalle alla giardineria (sp?) which was delicious, with chunks of eggplant, peppers, and zucchini in a light tomato sauce. I celebrated my return to London by ordering dessert — tiramisu and coffee. Turned out that that was the one part of my meal that didn’t come up to snuff. It was an enormous portion of tiramisu, but virtually flavorless.
Oh well. The food was worth 4 stars, the service maybe 2 stars. But watching/​listening to the lavender-​trousered gigolo at the next table successfully woo the young woman he was with into paying for their meal was worth at least 5 stars.

To bone or not to bone? This is the question…
So, I happen to believe that if I am paying for a meal, and the fish of choice is not say, sardines served whole, then the bones should be removed. A rogue one or two is acceptable but 2 or more in every bite is off putting.
From the set lunch menu, I had a really tasty mushroom and asiago cheese bruscetta. Sadly, my disappointing fish overshadowed my appetizer. I ate my side dishes and left hungry. Really a shame as the experience was otherwise pleasant.
Very busy at lunch time, Balfour is a nice little eatery. Nearly every table was occupied but we got served within a timely fashion and enjoyed the atmosphere.

This is one of those places I never quite know what to call. Is Balfour a restaurant or an eatery? In truth they are the same thing really aren’t they? My distinction comes from whether I would come here at night. Places I would dine at night, that can give that romantic tilt to my evening — restaurant. Place I would pop into for a decent business lunch — eatery. Balfour is a fabulous lunch time place for an upmarket meal. With a £6.95 lunch menu including two courses of delightful gastro style dishes, It is worth checking out after a troublesome morning in the office. Surprisingly to my uncultured mind, Italian doesn’t automatically mean pizza. There isn’t a margarita in sight, only good wholesome dishes of reasonably priced Italian/​British food.

I’d walked past this cozy Italian a number of times, but when looking for a lunch venue with friends, the £6.95 two course menu caught our eye.
The restaurant is a little ‘intimate’, tables are close together and often parties have to share, however this only adds to the authentic Italian nature of the place!
Our two course lunch was outstanding
Starter and main course options were varied with fish, meat and a couple of vegetarian dishes to choose from.
I had the vegetable roulade, (delicious salty aubergine, cheeses and other vegetables) followed by the cannelloni.
The portions were extremely generous and service was speedy. Even if there were delays with service, the complimentary basket of bread with oils would have kept us satistfied!
Finding a two course lunch in central london with a glass of wine, that comes in under ten pounds is definately something. On top of that, the quality of food was outstanding and with extremely filling dishes.
Speaking to the staff, we discovered that the lunch menu changes daily depending on seasons and th efresh ingredients available — just what you would expect from a great Italian joint (be it in Italy, or London!).
In conclusion, well worth a visit!