Bill’s

I’m usually a huge Bill’s fan, but this one proved disappointing.
I went with 3 friends, and ordered the fish pie (which I’d had before at the Covent Garden branch and was great). After about 20 minutes they brought everyone else’s food out but forgot the pie, and it turned out it had been missed off the list and wasn’t cooked yet. Booo.
When it eventually turned up the top was burnt (I’m guessing the panic shoved it under the grill to heat it up quickly). I sent it back and when it arrived again the top had been scrapped off and replaced with fresh potato with burnt bits still lurking round the side. Hungover and very hungry by this stage, I ate it but was not overly happy.
Would have been less than 3 stars but I’ve been to other Bill’s branches and had a great experience, so I like to think that this was an exception.

This had a feel of a small Italian village café when we first walked in. Then it seemed like we were going into someone’s basement in a nice way. We really liked the décor and look of the restaurant. Our waitress was very nice and helpful. She gave us the guest wi-​fi password so we could post our photos for the day. She gave us a carafe of water with lemon slices which was important as we drank through two. I had the sage, lemon and broad bean risotto. It was delicious. You could really taste the lemon, the risotto was cooked just right and the portion size was perfect.
My husband had the burger with guacamole added and skinny fries. He said the burger was delicious, juicy and flavorful and the fries were hot and stayed nice and warm in their metal cup.
We passed on dessert but was very tempted as it all sounded good.

(this is where the tired old Slug & Lettuce used to be, on Putney High Street)
What a delight! Having had afternoon teas in many places (mainly posh hotels and tea rooms), paying exorbitant prices too most of the time, I cannot tell you how happy I am to have a very reasonably priced Afternoon Tea shop around the corner in Bill’s Restaurant.
I have to say it is just as good as any I have had elsewhere, as far as the tea, scones, sandwiches and pastries go. Obviously the environment is not the same — it is a restaurant after all — but the staff could not have been more welcoming or accommodating (helping my wheelchair bound mother get to her seat), and they gave us such a warm welcome, we could easily have been old friends.
The tea is £9.95 per person, and they added the 12.5% service charge onto the bill, so for two, the total was £22.39. The full afternoon Tea (for two) included two scones (one each) with jam and fabulous clotted cream (I think they initially only gave enough for one person, but when I asked for more, it was brought quickly with a smile — no problem at all), four pastries including some fruit loaf, key lime/​lemon curd (not sure which) tartlet, strawberry tartlet and the only failing of the day, a tiny TINY slice of chocolate cake (how are two people supposed to share that I wonder? Everything else was easy to divide, but not this — they should have given two small slices.), finger sandwiches, and of course our choice of tea.
Sugar lumps were provided in a small sealed glass canister which meant we had to fish around with a teaspoon or grab them with our hands (possibly they should provide a utensil that you can easily grasp a sugar lump?), so that wasn’t the easiest task of the day but if that’s the hardest chore in a day, then life is good!
We did have one small complaint, but it’s so easily rectified that I don’t even know if I should mention it — the music was pretty awful and very loud — my mother and I found it hard to talk — and a lot of it was headbanging/​rock — but I know if we’d asked them to turn it down at all, they would have — we just couldn’t be bothered and were more interested in our tea. I think the acoustics are a little tricky because there is the sound of traffic, plus the sound of people talking, and with the music as loud as it was, they talk louder — so it was a bit of a combination of things. Still, it was a tiny issue and one that is so easily resolved — next time we’ll just ask them to turn it down a little, simple! Problem solved.
Nadia (I think the manager?) was delightful and as I said, made us so welcome — an absolute pleasure. I told her she should put a noticeboard up outside between 2.30 and 5 pm with a sign «FULL AFTERNOON TEA» or something like that, and they would be absolutely swamped, because I don’t know how many people know they offer such a wonderful afternoon tea. You don’t HAVE to have the full afternoon tea of course — you can have hot chocolate, or a single scone, or something else — but as a special treat, mum and I had the works, the full Afternoon Tea, and let me say, it was absolutely WONDERFUL. If you don’t need the swanky hotel lobby atmosphere and just want a good afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream and jam etc., where you can relax, right on Putney High Street, then this is the place to come. WE WILL BE BACK!

Good breakfast at Bill’s, relatively cheap and a healthy selection and options. Would particular recommend there yellow scrambled egg with smoked salmon

I was excited to see a new restaurant opening in Putney, and headed here almost as soon as it opened. Unfortunately, this place seems to be in the same realm as Wallace & Co. nice idea, poor execution. The best aspect about Bill’s is the fab décor which I would describe as industrial bistro; they also sell some cool, quirky food and home items. I’ve been twice now, and the food the first time was so immemorable I can’t remember what I had; and I have an elephantine memory. I do, though, remember that the service was dour, brusque, inattentive and cold. The second time, the service was exactly the same added to the fact that the staff mainly stood/​sat about in a group chatting and laughing loudly. Also, when my plate was collected I wasn’t asked how the food had been. I forced my opinion on the waitress, since one item was extremely unsatisfactory (I was amazed it ever reached the plate, since it was blatantly well past its sell by date), and the sole response was ‘Oh really’, as she walked off. Nice. I finished with green tea, which I was disappointed was a tea-​bag. Also, when I enquired about the password for their wi-​fi, I was told it wasn’t working. Strange then that it showed up in the list of networks, and the staff were talking about emailing. What a shame another big, fat disappointment for Putney; and if it’s this below average upon opening it can only get worse. We deserve better.

Ooh a new restaurant in Putney! I haven’t heard of Bill’s before — I try not to hate on chains and always willing to give it a try.
I came here for dinner last night. The décor probably looks the same everywhere but it is kind of cute in a quirky way. It feels like a bit of a maze but also kinda hides the amount of space it has. Luckily we booked a reservation for dinner as the couple ahead of me would have to wait about 30 minutes.
My friend and I ordered a bottle of the Rose fizz. It was nice to have strawberries wedged into the side of the glass and have a huge tin as a chiller. I likey.
I ordered the chicken skewers with a side of sweet potato fries. The chicken was deliciously cooked and seasoned and really liked the tzaziki dip. The pita was a bit tough but didn’t really have much of that. I really liked the sweet potato fries. This is exactly how I like it.
I usually don’t order dessert but feel that I’ve been working out pretty hard and the warm mini doughnuts just had to be done. It comes with a side of melted dark chocolate and fresh strawberries. Dangerous… I might have to come here once a week for this. They came out freshly fried and the chocolate was oozing with goodness. Semi-​sweet so I would cut my doughnut in half and slather the chocolate around it. Only 2 small strawberries to dip into the chocolate but none the less really enjoyed it.
The service was really good. Attentive and not too stuffy. I’ll definitely be coming back regularly.