Searcy's Champagne - Camden

This restaurant used to be my go-to spot for coffee or lunch in London, as it was very convenient for those coming to meet me. Unfortunately, the prices have increased significantly, which is understandable in the hospitality industry. However, the portion sizes have also decreased, which is not acceptable. The cheese plate, which was priced at £15 and supposedly meant for two people to share, was disappointing. The ravioli main course only had a few pieces, and it seemed like the cost of the food was minimal. Overall, not a good experience. I don't think we will be returning anytime soon.

The restaurant offers a peaceful and sophisticated setting for a meal between getting off the train and heading to Heathrow. The staff are welcoming and attentive. I tried the prix fixe menu which included a delicious heritage beetroot and carrot salad, chicken with sun dried tomato stew, creamy whipped potatoes, and rhubarb Eton mess. The dessert was a standout with crispy sweet/tart rhubarb on meringue and whipped cream. The coffee was also excellent. I couldn't find any faults and highly recommend this restaurant.

We arrived at St. Pancras a little early and enjoyed a delightful lunch at the Champagne Bar. It was a great way to start off before a long journey! The service was excellent.

Went for the Sunday Jazz Feast bottomless brunch. We don’t drink so we enquired about non alcoholic options. Was pleasantly surprised that they offered a just bottomless food option where we could order drinks separately. Felt like this was a good start, but that was probably the only good surprise we experienced. We were quite disappointed that there were no oysters despite all the PR and reviews saying unlimited oysters. All over IG and Tik Tok it’s reviews about oysters, so that was disappointing. Felt that there were not a huge amount of options for seafood and starters/salads. The roasts looked good but found the meat was seasoned very heavily with salt. The gravy/jus was very watery. Must say the carver was very friendly though! Most of the other hot food (sausages with mash, chicken, risotto) were cold and looked unappetising due to looking dry and congealed. I understand it’s difficult on a buffet to keep things looking fresh but the temperature of the hot food was just too cold. Also not sure why they felt the need to slice the sausages in half? Dessert selection was also very limited and the cheese selection placed on the same table which had a very overwhelming smell. Definitely put me off, I didn’t eat any desserts. Service wise I noticed the tables around us were getting a good level of service, having their bottomless drinks topped up regularly. Maybe it was because we were just ordering our drinks separately and were not consuming alcohol I felt like we didn’t get the same attentive service. Waiters were having conversations with other guests and tables and we barely got a sideways glance. Took ages for us to get someone’s attention to order more drinks, get a top up of water etc. I was tempted to try to ask if I could order oysters but couldn’t get the attention of a waiter so just gave up. Even asking for the bill took longer than needed. Being busy we wanted to free up our table promptly for them. On our departure we barely got a thank you for paying nor a goodbye. Overall feel a bit underwhelmed and slightly cheated that one of the star attractions of this brunch buffet was oysters that weren’t even there. But the contrast in service to other tables and us was what really made this a sour experience. Although vastly more expensive, will probably stick to The Ned or even something like Nobu Shoreditch bottomless brunch.

Great buffet starters seafood. Amazing attentive staff with sparkling wine top ups . Just a shame all the hot food was cold.