The Balcon

4 Reviews on “The Balcon”

• Nidhi Arora

  Visited again after a fantastic meal in august, unfortunately the main meal which i had in august which i must say was one of the best meals I’ve ever had was not so this time and was completely different in taste and appearance,Both mains were sent back which was not a problem, we were both offered another meal which we declined. The waiter serving was very efficient and professional in the way that he dealt with this and was very apologetic. This would not deter us from returning and has enforced our decision to not only eat here again but to stay at the hotel in november due to the professionalism of the staff.

  January 6, 2020, 12:19 am

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• Hamda

  I went there with a group of colleagues. It’s s very nice place with a lovely ambience. Nice for groups and meetings over lunch. Ordered a burger, as I was craving one. It tasted good!

  December 22, 2017, 4:08 am

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• ZAK

  This was my first afternoon tea experience and it was a good one by all measures. I got to pick from a wide variety of tea served in what i reckon is an Asian tea pot (ironic for a French named place in London) complimented with salty and sweet bites that were very tasty. For a surcharge you can add a glass of champagne to the formula which i did and found it to be quite good however i didn’t appreciate receiving the tea and champagne at the same time (not sure what the etiquette is in such an event). All in all a great experience.

  February 2, 2017, 11:00 pm

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• Vi Vian Woo

  The Balcon, Pall Mall – walking into a champagne bar exudes the glamour. Big glass windows, high ceiling and flower arangements that set the style, The Balcon is part of the Sofitel London Hotel, with a separate entrance.I love a little poncieness in life. A place like that does not have too many waiters. No one would be seen doing nothing even when the rush hour crowd has thinned out. They will be polishing glass doors, have the tables laid out, interacting with diners and arranging bottles always with a task at hand. Uniforms which have been cleaned and steamed iron immaculately; more so than my finest frock, despite this, it was all very casual and not too intimidating.If The Balcon restaurant is too formal for you, Sofitel London also has a separate wine bar, St James Bar and a lounge for afternoon tea…with a live harpist!We started of lunch with this bread and butter. The butter dish is on proper stoneware. I love the weight and the simplicity of it but I thought that the butter was fairly normal.hand cut beef bavette tartare on toasted hazelnut bread GBP 6.00 – I had to ask what bavette was – which was just another name for flank steak, frequently used in Asian cuisine and often sold as a cut for stir fry. The tartare was slightly tangy on a nice toasty and sweet (raisin) bread. It was quite pleasant.homemade foie gras terrine on toasted country bread GBP 8.00 – a rich, tasty terrine of duck foie gras on toasted bread, a very good starter indeedpork chops GBP 20.00 – this was more of a chickpea with aubergine stew topped with tender suckling pig chops, very rich taste, with a good helping of the baby chops, which included some light crackling. I enjoyed the dish.brown trout with roasted vegetables – the freshness of the fish calls for simple cooking and seasoning. Unfortunately the onions and tian of roasted vegetable left a puddle of water making it very sloppy. It just lacked the finesse that the place exudes. Nonetheless, it was a very nice plate.You have to try their afternoon tea menu which looks amazing! The pastry trolley is just too tempting and it was a little cruel to have to choose ONE from the trolley. So, we went for a proper full on dessert portion.vanilla ice-cream profiteroles, hot chocolate and praline sauce GBP 5.00 – a really good surprise dessert option because profiteroles were not really my kind of thing, but in future, I am going to be ordering them. An ice-cream sandwich of three profiteroles drizzled with chocolate sauce, it is my answer for a dessert treat. The only downside was the chocolate sauce was not hot.chocolate souffl tart with milk ice-cream GBP 5.00 – a very rich chocolate souffl with ginger bits in a tart base, the milk ice-cream did not have any real taste but, considering the richness of the souffl, this was probably a good thing.The Balcon is a restaurant suitable for business and corporate dining and entertaining but on a social level to impress your date or like me, just a comfortable dining atmosphere in splendorous dcor and impeccable service was just right for a lazy Monday afternoon. After all, you should note that desserts were overall a winner!The Balcon is not a cheap place. Drinks, wine by the glass starts around 7 – 8 per glass. Cocktails are at 16.00 and bubbly at 22.00 per glass. You can still eat at a reasonable price at 25.00 for 3 course lunch menu including a glass of wine and coffee. vi-vian.com

  August 17, 2016, 8:47 pm

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