Motcombs St John's Wood

I absolutely loved Chucs which was previously in this space and was so excited to see Motcombs move in which has a similar ambiance and menu. However, I left completely disappointed and do not plan to go again, despite being a local and having been a regular and the previous establishment in its place. The menu itself is quite expensive - even for St. John's Wood. Comparable things could be found at its predecessor or nearby The Ivy for less. Once we ordered we had several mishaps: we were brought bottled water which was opened and poured when we specifically asked for tap, we were brought bread & butter we didn't order (which we later found out was charged to us), and we had a considerable wait for our food despite the restaurant not being very busy. The wait staff first served my friend his pizza then realized another table had ordered the same thing and took it away from him and brought it to the other table without much of an apology. We explained the situation with the water as another issue and we were not ultimate charged for it. However, when we received the bill we saw there was a £3.50 per person cover charge in addition to the service charge that we were not informed of in advance. When we asked the server about it she said "everywhere in London does this" (NOT TRUE - this is the ONLY place my friend or I had ever come across that did this without providing entertainment or some additional service) and that it "covers the bread and butter" (what a slap in the face if you're gluten free). The food was small portions and really mediocre especially for the upped prices. My friend and I got only 3 items: 1 margherita pizza, 1 salmon, and 1 diet coke (I just drank tap water) and the bill was well over £70 after the mandatory cover charge and service charge! We didn't even have a starter, cocktail/wine, or dessert.

I absolutely loved Chucs which was previously in this space and was so excited to see Motcombs move in which has a similar ambiance and menu. However, I left completely disappointed and do not plan to go again, despite being a local and having been a regular and the previous establishment in its pla... Show full »