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London,
Fay Maschler's rating
Reader rating
Phone: 020 33717777
Open: Open daily for dinner 5.30pm-late. (Open for lunch from 1 September).
Not enough enlightenment: a waitress at the dimly-lit and extremely loud Buddha Bar
What unconfined joy there must be in restaurateur heaven when concept and address turn out to be perfectly matched. Buddha Bar in London — following on from Paris, Las Vegas, Sharm el-Sheikh, Beirut, New York, São Paulo, Dubai and soon Jakarta — has been located on the north bank of the Thames under the arches of Waterloo Bridge. Bridge and Tunnel, B&T, the appropriate crowd already attracted, how serendipitous is that?
A confession here. I have never been to a Buddha Bar, not even the original in Rue Boissy d’Anglais in Paris. But for reasons I won’t go into here, I once attended a meeting at the Ministry of Sound where key staff, brought together to discuss possible new ventures, kept saying, “We should do it like Buddha Bar.” Or sometimes they said, “We mustn’t be too much like Buddha Bar.”
It whetted my appetite, as did the claim, which I either read or heard, that Buddha Bar is for those who have grown out of clubbing. That group includes me. I’ve even stopped clubbing seals.
For those as ignorant of the ways of the world as I am, Buddha Bar was conceived by entrepreneur Raymond Visan, now CEO of the George V portfolio of music, resorts, hotels and spas, who before he became a restaurateur was a parfumeur.
His first giant Buddha made its appearance in 1996 and 12 years later another one, more silvery in hue, is looking down from a great height on diners in the ground-floor restaurant on Victoria Embankment. “This restaurant is a bit like Quaglino’s with Asian food,” said Reg and then I looked up at the Buddha and spookily he morphed into Sir Terence Conran.
That small smile of amusement playing about his lips was so terribly familiar.
Maybe the French still think that a menu featuring pan-Asian food is excitingly alluring. That we have moved on here in London can be neatly illustrated by the recent opening of the excellent Japanese Aaya by Gary Yau, who previously failed to thrill with his pan-Asian Taman Gang.
Why go somewhere with a sprinkling of clichéd Chinese dishes when you could eat at Hakkasan, or choose an Indian curry when you could go to Amaya, or pick Vietnamese spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce at £8.50 as a starter — as they are at Buddha Bar — when twice that price would buy you a whole meal in Kingsland Road?
I am not unaware that I am being wilfully naive with these rhetorical questions. The motive for going to Buddha Bar is presumably not primarily the food. Only a sad restaurant critic might mind too much about that.
It is, one is led to understand, the groove — if that is not too hopelessly dated a word. Sexy staff, low lighting, high ceiling, chill-out music, spicy, feisty dishes; does the formula deliver down by the Thames?
The welcome was warm. The waiter dealing with us seemed to be a chap pretty much in charge of things. Not being able to read the menu in the dim light provided by enormous chandeliers composed of brothel lamps was a bit of a hiccup but a few more tea lights were brought and if you held one up it was just possible to decipher the choice of dishes.
The loud music struck me as completely vacuous, some of it reminiscent of awards ceremonies or reality TV competitions, designed to convey drama and tension but signalling nothing. Can’t see, can’t hear each other speak, where is the delight in that?
We are encouraged to order “family style”, which is apparently the Buddha way, but it only works if the table agrees to stick to a particular cuisine. In the event, the various items are put down in front of he or she who ordered them and the miserly portions mean that sharing doesn’t seem much of an option.
Thai green papaya salad and Peking- style duck salad are hands-across-the-sea similar in the base salad and dressing and both are also notable for a skimpy amount of the title ingredient. An assortment of steamed dumplings at £11 are a joke.
As we are eating the first courses, a waitress suddenly rushes up and asks “Do you like your food, would you like more to drink?” and then, without waiting for an answer, turns tail and leaves, never to be seen again.
In our efforts to obey the family-style eating edict, we have scattered beansprouts and other bits on the table. Our main courses are plonked down on a mess that would be OK in Chinatown but grates at a notional £70 a head.
Galangal duck breast with bok choi and mushrooms is another stir-fry light on the main ingredient. It is a useful cooking method since relatively cheap ingredients can be used to bulk out the whole. A better bet is grilled salmon with stir-fried vegetables and citrus butter where the fish is praised for its juiciness. Because lamb curry wouldn’t mix with the stir-fries I hug it to myself. It is a bit fatty but quite interestingly spiced.
We skip desserts, pay the bill and skip off home.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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My wife kindly took me there on our 5th Wedding Anniversary. The visually impressive cave was well lit and we read the menus easily. Until they turned the lights down, leaving us and others joking about torches. Over attentive staff seemingly intent on introducing themselves gave us a little respite from our rummaging for light sources. They were quite sweet though and a change of table was no problem.
After explaining their 'concept' of 'you get each bit when its ready' which, given the prices, was a jaw dropper, I chose duck with with bok choi and mushroom salad followed by lamb (so unmemorable I cant remember its full title). Portion size was good, we thought, wine was pricey of course.
Floundering in the darkness, a pleasant, dark chap smiled to help illuminate the way to the gents where I was pleasantly surprised to make use of a sort of plasma screen upright facilty. Thought I was going to have to tip the bloke: it was that kind of Gents.
Nothing inspiring on the desert menu, and I usually make room, so we shelled out £125 and pushed off somewhere better. No need to go back.
- Andy, London
I'm very pleased to have been there, had another great experience and i think everybody should try buddha bar london.
Well done to the buddha team!
- J.Paul, london
Dont go here! The biggest waste of money. Average food made even worse by the attitude of waiters, bar staff and management. I was appalled when the waiter, squeezing between tightly packed tables knocked our overpriced main course on the floor. No apology. When the bill arrived they had taken off the cost of my desert (but didnt tell us). I refused to pay the optional service charge given the poor service and real stuck up attitude of the staff. The manager promptly took my bill away - added the costs of the deserts back on and gave it back to me! When I complained he just gave me a smug smile and argued with us - he was right and we were wrong. Unbelievable. Bar staff also unhelpful, after blowing a fortune I wasnt allowed to sit at the bar unless I bought a bottle of champagne or over priced Grey goose. Massive rip off all staff we came into contact with had a huge attitude. Ruined my birthday.
- Neil, London
I had a great time and thought the staff very attentive. The food was delicious and tasty. The decor and music were soothing and found it relaxing. It's so nice to have somewhere like this in London and will be coming again soon. I have eaten in some good places and this would be at the top of my list.
- Juliet, London
The venue was beautiful, the music good, the food of an excellent standard and the staff attentive and enjoyable to talk to.
I could also read the menu without any bother.
- Kevin Walker, London
Sadly I have to agree entirely with Nick's write-up. I've been to Buddha Bar in Paris and was super-keen to go when one opened up here.
Rock and all the other bars that have tried to make this venue work have all failed because while the name changed, the orange-tanned Tiger Tiger crowd at the bar remained the same.
Unfortunately Buddha Bar turned out no different... other than the fact it's the latest in a string of bars/restaurants that thinks charging painful prices will automatically drag it into the top-10.
Save your money, go eat the not-inexpensive but oh-so-good food at Barrafina and then spend the rest of the evening at a bar that makes proper cocktails.... shame.
- Kai, London
I completely disagree with the critisism given to the venue. I have been and thouroughly enjoyed every mouthful of food and drink, I could read the menu, the music was a great volume and the staff were superb. I have eaten all over the world in some of the finest restaurants and this was one of my most favourite experiences. I think you need to be an open minded person who loves good music and good food to really take in this venue and ejoy it to the max.
- Izzy, London
Great article, agree with the bulk of it and I love the way it's written. As always, spot on.
- Chief Anthony Rankin, London
I spent a couple of years working in Paris back in 2001 and practically lived at the Buddha Bar. Though its sister restaurant looks the same (a pleasant sense of deja vu when I walked in) you quickly realise it is the poor relative.
I have to admit I really wanted to like this place but the food is atrocious, the service aggressive, the prices unjustifiable and the clientèle just a bit obvious (read: tacky) for my liking.
And before my fellow commentators start talking of demographics, atmosphere and er...peace and contentment (thanks Jim) I'd like to confirm that I am in my early 30s, understand the concept and have a high enough disposable income to enjoy London and go to bars and restaurants three or four times a week.
Buddha Bar really is a case of style over substance, and when the style is out-dated and done to death elsewhere you have to wonder why anyone would bother.
The fact is there are much better restaurants and better bars in London.
Shame really. Like I said I really wanted to like this place.
- Nick, London
I would much have preferred to read a review from someone who understood the concept of the Buddha Bar and had an open mind about the global chill out style of music and the philosophy and ambience which are so important to the brand. I am very much looking forward to experiencing the Buddha bar in the U.K. and I hope that its opening can stimulate an interest in global sounds in the way its other establishments have done. I also hope it will promote a sense of well-being, peace and contentment in a city which desperately needs it.
- Jim Greer, Hexham, Northumberland
I went to the BB on the opening day and wholeheartedly agree with Fay, it's a pompous joke and the food's average at best. I'm their supposed target audience, just turned 30, and have a fair disposable income.
If this place had opened 5 years ago it would have been alright, at this present moment it's a bit footballers wives, complete with toilet attendants. I would go there for a drink, and to gawp at the interior, nothing else.
- Weemrsbee, London
Invariably it would seem Maschler misses the plot, despite reviewing the food, as we all know sometimes the "experience" of your evening out are critical factors . I suspect, with the lack of openings in the summer months, this is just to keep her busy! She is too much part of what would commonly be referred to as "the old boys club" in the Restaurant industry, she is the establishment and needs to go, as she regularly dines at the homes of the investors and restaurateurs, her reviews are best used to wrap chips.
- Constance Little, London
Another triumph of style over content on the London restaurant/bar scene - thank God the coming recession will sweep all this nonsense away. Buddha is symptomatic of what a complete rip off this city has become. I don't mind paying Paris prices but give me the equivalent or better food and drink. Completely agree with Fay on the music - only a record company executive with a severe cocaine habit would think this was tolerable.
- Tony Mcmahon, London, UK
To Scott - It's called 'Buddha Bar'.
'Next week fay reviews the dry roasted peanuts at the Dog and Duck'.
- Big Andy, London
Went on Sunday night, we were quite early but the place filled up by 8pm. Big airy restaurant with a cool bar up in the gallery, the food is fabulous although overpriced, similar to Nobu in that respect. the Sushi/Sashimi platter (£55) is great to share, very good selection of both sushi and sashimi. The crispy squid and frogs legs was delicious! I had to try the miso cod, it was good but I still prefer the one in Sumosan. Drinks are great but expensive. Waiters are very overpowering, they HAVE to chill out, a bit annoying. No-one would go there if they want value for money, cheap food, but it's a funky place with a nice atmosphere and great cocktails.
- Maria, London
If the food's poorly thought out and executed (which it is) then the review of the 'restaurant' is fair. The bar is a different story, but Fay was reviewing the food, so I would suggest her age is irrelevant.
- Et, London
Perhaps she should stick to promoting her friends restaurants - how else could 'Hix' in Clerkenwell ever get such a rave review - rude staff serving badly cooked food (the bacon chop the worst piece of meat I have ever tried to eat, and I have been to Doncaster!)
- David Walton, London
Big Andy & Joanna,
I appreciate the subtleties may have escaped you, but could you not at least try to notice that this is a restaurant review?
It says so at the top and everything!
To which end, I am more than comfortable with Fay Maschler's credentials. whereas...
- Scott, London
I went to the Buddah Bar in Paris. Once.
- Warren Alexander, London, UK
Perhaps they should have sent somebody to review this place who was more in keeping with the age group it was aimed at. What next Fay Maschler reviews Drum and Bass night at Frisky's nightclub.
I can only agree with Joanna, there comes a point when a reviewer gets pass their sell by date.
- Big Andy, London
For goodness sake when is this woman going to retire?
- Joanna, London
