Thyme - Croydon

Three of us. Sirloin steak cooked to perfection. Chicken fillet with bacon and cheese so 'delicioso '. But chicken curry just so so, of course one should go to a South Asian restaurant for curry, shouldn 't you? Drinks good value Villa Maria S.B. a real find. And a French Coffee at the end of the evening was sublime. The young staff were a cosmopolitan mix who really took great care and attention over us even on a busy night. The real reason I 've done this reveiw is to congratulate the staff on their rare honesty. Back in the room, there was a knock on the door and one of the waitresses was there with my wallet! Stupid silly me had left it on my chair on the restaurant. You never expect to get it back in London! All intact! What a lovely young team at Thyme!

So it was Sunday evening and not very busy so maybe service could have been a little quicker, but all courses were well cooked and well presented. I chose the Dinner and Breakfast Meal Deal. They had a new summer menu, so I had the Potted Crab, followed by the Sea Bass. The main course was cooked properly, whereas earlier in the year, the main (Grilled salmon) had taken an hour to be served and was burnt, hence the title of the review. The only strange thing was that when I came to pay, by credit card, the waitress said she wasn't allowed to add a tip. Strange, as that has happed in Thyme hotels I have visited previously. Breakfast the following was the standard Premier Inn fare, although their usual toaster had broken down the day before and a temporary, domestic one, which could only cope with 2 slices at a time, was in use and very slow. Nothing wrong with the food itself or the service, f course, although it was unusually busy.

Used the restaurant for breakfast as staying in the Premier Inn and usual standard self service buffet style breakfast. Good food for a good price as expected.

Went here for a late dinner since we were living on a hotel nearby The steaks were superb! The wine had perfect temperatur! The staff was VERY nice and helpful!! If we had had more time in London we have returned here!!!

I was staying in the hotel which is in the same building as the restaurant, which is also open to the general public, although the restaurant does not open until 6pm every day, the time I arrived for my meal, so was almost the first to be seated. I ordered one of their Meal Deals (Starter, Main, Drink and Breakfast at a set price, with an upgrade of a dessert, charged extra, but at a discount. There seemed to be only 2 young waiting staff available for more than ½ an hour and the restaurant was busier at that time than I 've seen here before. the extra staff member did not seem to stay for very long ! My starter, which was perfect but was brought to my table by the chef. which I thought was unusual but by then then the 2 waiting staff were running around doing everything at a busy time . After that I then had to wait 30 40 minutes for the main course to arrive. I had changed the chips to mash and the fish was laid on top. When I lifted it up, the skin was burnt, some bits being charcoal, which had dropped onto the white mash discoloring it. As the fish looked OK, if a little dry on top, I accepted it, deciding that, as I had been waiting for almost an hour, I didn 't want to wait for another hour to get an acceptable meal. I suspect that the fish had been cooked properly and then kept under a lamp until someone was free to bring it to the table but I did comment on what I thought of it when the waitress cleared the plate. (I think she was new to the restaurant as a male colleague was explaining everything to her. She apologised (but it wasn 't her fault ! and I asked her to let the Duty Manager know. Did they come and apologise ? Of course not !!! The waitress came back and said that I was to be offered an extra, free, glass of wine, but as I had already had enough alcohol, I turned that down. She went away again, returning with an offer that I would not be charged for the dessert a reduction of £2 on a bill of £25.99. As it was that or nothing, I accepted On my way back to my room, the hotel receptionist asked how my meal was so she got the full details, poor lady ! She apologised again and said she would inform the hotel management, but nothing came of that. Maybe someone in authority will read this review and make contact ? Fortunately, breakfast went smoothly !