The Cavendish - Hertsmere

I have dined at this restaurant twice before and really enjoyed the food and service, but my experience last night was completely different! It was obvious when we arrived that there was a private event happening, but we were seated in an empty dining room. Water was served, but the server did not even ask if we wanted any drinks. The menu selection was okay, but it took at least 20 minutes before our order was taken and once again, we were not asked about drinks. I requested a glass of sparkling rose wine and my partner asked for a non-alcoholic beer, to which the server replied that they were not sure if they had that. Around 10-15 minutes later, the beer arrived for my partner, but there was no sign of my wine. It took another 10 minutes for our appetizers to arrive along with my wine. Throughout the evening, we saw three different servers attending to the other tables, but none of them stayed in the restaurant. At one point, a bottle of red wine that we did not order was brought to our table. When I pointed this out and asked for another glass of wine, the server took the bottle away. The table next to us then claimed that they had actually ordered the red wine, but the server left with the bottle anyway. It took about 45 minutes after finishing our starters for my friend to ask a server when our main courses would be served. We were extremely disappointed with the service and ended up refusing to pay the service charge on the bill. We will not be returning to this restaurant.

My review is slightly bias as we were guests of the hotel. My wife and friends had a disastrous afternoon tea experience and the hotel wanted to “right” the situation and that they did. Would I we go back and pay full price for the...food and service absolutely. The food was absolutely 100% and first class. Starters of Fois Gras, crab and ham hock all were hits. The quality and presentation was exemplary. We then had 2 fillet steaks, halibut and a cod, with extra sides and again the presentation was amazing and the food was sublime. Desert options, we asked the waiter regarding cheese selections and he brought out Perry the Chef who gave us a cheese board for 3 that probably was the best ever. We were not expecting complimentary wine but they provided 2 bottles and water and then waived the entire bill. They very generously rectified the issues the ladies had and are rightfully awarded a review like this because it was all over and above any expectations we had. All 10/10 oh and where do you get a quenelle of butter, here it was just out of this world. The service matches the high quality food!’ Be happy to return and pay full price, and we will!’

This is the best food we have tasted for some time. We stayed overnight on Friday and booked a table at The Cavendish. As overnight guests I had the included set menu, and my wife ordered from the a la carte. The ham hock was...delicious (and a good portion, unlike what other reviewers have said). The pork was cooked in an Asian style, again superb. Both courses were just a totally different taste sensation. Dessert, again, was mouth-watering. This is Masterchef quality, and to those that have commented on portion sizes we did not agree. If you want a plate piled high with food, go elsewhere this is about a fantastic chef creating incredible flavours and artwork on the plate. I noted the set menu was £25 for 3 courses if we were not staying overnight (and included in our package) this is what we would have paid, which is amazing value considering the level of cuisine this restaurant offers. If we lived locally we would dine here every month, without fail.

The Manor is beautiful! Like something out of a fairy tale, I would be back to spend a night as we only visited for Dinner. We ordered from the set menu. The bread for the table was wonderful, the bread was light, no large air...pockets visible, the crust was well seasoned and crisp. The butter had a sprinkle of salt and was annoyingly like many restaurants, hard, which tore the bread. Between a part of 8 we had around 2 pieces of bread. I ordered the Ham Hock croquette, which was wonderful, but extremely small. Other guests ordered the goats cheese, which was a mere mouthful. Mains, i ordered the venison belly, which was around an inch thick and rolled into a circle, about the size of a teacake. Served with a lovely sauce, a pump of mashed potato, which was not seasoned at all, had a gummy texture from most likely being overworked, and two pieces of kale, and a quarter of a pear. Myself and my partner found the portion sizes, again quite funny, you could have finished the venison in one bite. Other quests who ordered skate, mentioned the fish had little flavour. For the money, I'd say the venue is up to par, but not the food. I've had of food equal calibre for half the price and treble the portion sizes in many gastro pubs in the country side of Hertfordshire. the starter took around 35 minutes to arrive from point of order then main took 42 minutes to arrive after the starters. Why they took so long to prepare such little food, when there was only 4 other tables of parties no more than 4 from what we could see, is concerning. The waiters were lovely, we felt very welcome and they kept us topped up on table water and wine.

Living locally this isn't somewhere I've thought about coming before despite having visited and stayed at the hotel several times before as a guest for functions. It's now definitely on the list of restaurants I'll be visiting again. I came here with two friends just...for an evening out. Our waiter, Tom, knew who we were when we arrived (having looked at the bookings) and sat us at our table. The restaurant itself it very well maintained, tastefully decorated and has fantastic views over London. It was quiet when we visited, but not so that it made you uncomfortable as there was background music being played. We all ordered from the set menu. I enjoyed the pork cheek with lentils to start and the herb gnocchi for main. We ordered a side of roast potatoes and a side of broccoli and peas to share between the three of us, which was plenty to go with the veg already with the dishes. Dessert was the chocolate tart. The wine menu offered a good selection. All three courses for all three of us not only looked good, but tasted great. As other reviewers have said, the portions are smaller than you would get at other restaurants, but they are large enough that you feel comfortably satisfied at the end of your meal. The service we received from Tom was outstanding he was on hand to get us everything we needed, but did not hang around the table or push us into ordering or finishing quickly. He even managed to arrange some entertainment for us! One of us happened to mention magic, so Bennie (who was looking after the bar next door) came through and performed some rather impressive card tricks at the table. We had drinks in the bar after dinner and took the time to take in the night view from the terrace. We had the opportunity to talk to Will, the duty manager, who made sure we had enjoyed our evening and recommended that we come back for afternoon tea, which we intend to do soon. Tom, Bennie and Will made sure we had a great evening. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Manor and The Cavendish to family and friends.