Brinkleys

Came here on a lazy Sunday for Brunch with a friend. I had never been down Hollywood Road before and was pleased to find such a cute, relatively hidden street. The restaurant is very pretty and has a relaxed but classy vibe. Not the biggest selection on the brunch menu but I enjoyed my goat cheese and eggplant salad very much. It was a bit overpriced for the size but was tasty nonetheless.
Side note-Brinkley’s allows patrons to bring their dogs in with them which makes for a fun atmosphere.

Verdict: YAY when in wine mood!
Pros:
— Surprisingly good selection of AFFORDABLE wine!
— Bang for the buck cocktails on Happy Hour.
— Being Scandinavian it’s nice to find a watering hole where you might run to others speaking familiar gibberish.
— The Pavement.
— I get along very well with Frenchies especially when they are this knowledgeable and accommodating.
Cons:
— A little on the small side: can get very loud and crowded.
— Can be a little of sports bar.
— Hard to be an incognito Scandinavian!

Great atmosphere! Perfect place to go with friends before a night out.
The food isn’t heavenly but OK for the price and it’s anyways not the reason you go there.
To Brinkleys you go to have fun! Early in the evening it might come across as a bit stiff, but by the end you’ll see people dancing on tables, letting loose and really having a great time. After a hough week at work it’s the best place to start the weekend!

I find myself at Brinkleys more and more often…
Hadn’t really tried Brinkleys for more than a quick bloody until a super casual local Valentine’s day dinner — and both my boyfriend and i were fans, despite the cramped seating! I got the tuna, we got a tuna tartare app, oysters, and my boyfriend got the foie gras, and a steak. All received great reviews (well, the tartare was average, but i generally find tartare to be neither spectacular nor poor). Also, they have a great wine list, with super cheap options (~20 pounds, some even a bit less!).
Now what I’ve really been back for multiple times is the happy hour! 5 – 7, every day of the week, cocktals are 5.50! While this isn’t per se the cheapest happy hour i’ve found, I do love the passion fruit martini (they also have espresso martinis, cosmos, mojitos, french martinis, etc), and the staff are pretty much ALL french, which is obviously a plus in my book!
Crowd is often very local, with many older gentlemen, especially when a rugby game is playing (probably not my preferred time to visit)…

I love and loathe Brinkleys in equal measures. There’s the braying, sharking, ageing hoorays who circle the bar for succulent prey. And the prey itself: a permatanned, botoxed breed of glossy-​haired slightly faded fillies. I exclude myself from this description, naturally.
There’s an intimate bar at the front with some cosy, booth-​style seating you can book. Further back, there’s a spacious restaurant which serves excellent roasts and one of the best Thai chicken curries I’ve had in London (although it’s best to order two as they are a bit small).
The menu — like the clientele — never changes, but it’s always pretty good. Another reason I love this place is that I have always had a riotous time whenever I’ve visited. It has a bit of a high-​rolling eighties feel to it, where punters seem to exist in a bubble, untouched by the economic gloom and doom. Perhaps for them though it’s just meant a couple less million in the bank, or having to sell a residence or two… no biggie.
Despite the well-​heeled clientele the wines are surprisingly affordable which is perhaps what makes the place perenially popular; come on a Friday or Saturday night and it’s buzzing. It’s also virtually impossible not to pull here if that is your goal. There’s a unique intimacy here that encourages interaction among strangers. Just watch out for those sharks!

Great service, nice indoor and outdoor seating, I expected a bit of a better wine selection since they’re associated with the wine bar next door. Overall a wonderful neighborhood find.

Very pleasant atmospere. I can imagine it being even better on a nice summer evening, as they have good seating outdoors. The food was nicely made, except the pasta didn’t feel 100% fresh.

A friend texted to meet at this Chelsea local restaurant/​bar to watch the FA Cup final. It was then that I realized I had never really ventured to the Chelsea area and for no good reason.
After a lovely 10 minute walk from Fulham Broadway station and a short jaunt down the one way side street that is Hollywood, I had met up with my friend and a couple of his other friends. Fortunately, his friend lived around the corner and seemed to know everyone that works here.
This is a French restaurant that serves a variety of food. All the staff our French and have great personalities. They really make you feel welcomed and make this place easy to enjoy. This is a great place to get a couple of drinks or a bite to eat. I would suggest drinking wine as they have a wide variety and seem very knowledgeable as well.

Definitely below par restaurant with not very exciting menu options. However, this still makes it popular with locals and it is often very busy and I have always gone with people who have booked, and even then, it always seems a long time until we are seated. The bar is usually full of slightly licentious older men, and can be slightly intimidating if you’re having a girlie dinner. The service isn’t anything mind-​blowing and I would definitely prefer to go to its sister restaurants the Wine Gallery next door or Joe’s brasserie on the Wandsworth Bridge Road. Also seems to be the place of choice for the Scandinavian population of London to hang out — not as fun as it sounds.

I had visited the sister restaurant Union Café in Marleybone lane prior to this so knew what to expect. The menu is quite run of the mill hum drum but tasty enough if the portions are a bit small.
The main reason to visit is the wine list with all wines sold at retail price. We had booked a table for four in the garden were seated immediately, our orders were taken, our bottle of amarone brought and thats when it all went down hill.
After about 45 minutes we were all starving and there was no sign of our food which being 1 medium steak, 1 medium lamb, 1 medium burger and 1 seared tuna you would imagine would not take that long.
I also noticed that 2 people who had been seated half an hour after us had received their food already. We had also run out of wine. when we finally succeeded in getting hold of our waitress she brought us our wine (after another 15 minutes) but told us our food would be a few minutes longer.
She asked if we would like some bread to which the three ravenous men said yes as they were on the verge of fainting. When this was brought and devoured in minutes she came back with an offering of 4 dim sum (1 each!) and admitted she had forgotten to put our order on.
This was of course greeted with derision by the menfolk but she took the ribbng in her stride. Eventually the food arrived and as usual was tasty but not enough.
we bravely ordered desserts and coffees and after dinner drinks which came on time. Our waitress took the after dinner drinks off the bill but kept the 12.5 per cent discretionary charge on! As it was i felt £180 between 4 was a bit much to pay to be ignored!