Livebait, Southwark, London

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So the mother was down in London on the weekend and we were off to the theatre. After a busy day shopping I reckon we deserved some good quality food. An excited idea popped into my head, The Old Vic is on The Cut in Waterloo, home to the famous Anchor & Hope. It’s always transpired through our own misgivings that we fail to time the sittings right. We were to be denied again, not wanting to rush a meal at the Anchor & Hope we decided to book a table at Livebait.

I quickly scrambled around reading slightly indifferent reviews of Livebait but time and patience were wearing thin, so we took the plunge.

We all love fish and on entering the restaurant hopes were lifted by the stylish décor. We were shown to our seats and advised that our waiter would be assigned and over shortly. We arrived at 5 to give ourselves plenty of time. 4pm could have been a better idea; to say the service was slow would be an understatement. We sat for a long while before being offered a drink. I could feel myself staring longingly across the road at the Anchor & Hope. But I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. In good company it wasn’t a big issue.

When our waiter finally arrived he was pleasant and knowledgeable on the specials and menu. We decided on a bottle of La Campagne Viognier, Vin de pays d’Oc, France 2008/9. This wine got a big thumbs up all round.

The starters were a mixed collection from very bad to ok, disappointing were Crab cakes with dill mayonnaise, felt like hey had come out of the school canteen. The Soup, which was lobster bisque, was lacking in substance, more like a fish stock than a soup.

The highlight was the seared King scallops and the whitebait were on par.

The mains were an improvement; Livebait’s famous fish pie was tasty and just like a good fish pie should be, stacked with creamy mash and fish.

Roast fillet of cod with crushed new potatoes and a lobster sauce, had a nice piece of fish although the skin had been cremated and the lobster sauce was well, um, lobster soup… Lobster stock I should say.

Pan-fried smoked haddock fillet and poached free-range egg served with parsley mash and a wholegrain mustard sauce was on the whole enjoyable. Unfortunately the presentation could have been much improved and the poached egg… was a disaster.

It couldn’t get worse so the deserts cheered everyone up.

Dark chocolate fondant with vanilla dairy ice cream, Tangy lemon tart with passion fruit sorbet was lovely.

A chocolate bomb served with an espresso shot. The waiter pouring the espresso added a little theatre. Although on tasting I wish he’d left it on the side.

If you a love fish done well, I’d steer well clear. Rather expensive too.

Total meal cost for 5 with wine - £195

Overall 3/10

www.livebaitrestaurants.co.uk

Great food, Friendly staff Highly recommended if you love seafood.

I went to a Livebait in Oxford (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and came here a few weeks ago thinking it was part of the same chain.... I was wrong. While the fish n' chips here is good, it's ridiculously overpriced. £18 for a main course! Pull the other one.

Quick tip - Get a voucher. I've often seen 25% of meal vouchers being flapped around in here, so the obviously exist. Can't see any on Qype mind....

Overpriced and what a con, order fish and chips and they ask mushy peas or salad, I opted for mushy peas! and then the bills comes and the over priced fish and chips has £4 added for the mushy peas - staff know they ask in a certain way and even when I approached the manager, she said well I should have read the menu better. They got caught and didnt like it and the management have instructed the staff to ask the question as though the standard side dishes with fish and chips sound included and then added at the end. May work with tourist but Londoners suss what's going on. Also when you arrive they put bread on table as you order and then that is automatically charged also. even if you dont touch it.

Excellent all round. We shared their biggest platter and it was worth the money, we also shared a bottle of Champagne that was on offer there. A great evening. The platter contained more than enough for two, the food appeared fresh and was very tastey, the service was very good, attentive staff, fast and efficient. Highly recommended

A good place for a casual seafood dinner. The fish is quite fresh. The atmosphere is quite informal and relaxed… a little toward canteen style dining. For the amount we had, the bill was quite pricey, expect to pay about £30 including drinks per person. I had steamed mussels in fish soup to start and the good old fish and chips as main course… It was fairly enjoyable… I may consider going again is I fancy some fish for dinner.

Bit honky, but I suppose you’re going to get that with a fish restaurant. The loo’s are a 200 mile hike away, and be careful you don’t get stuck in a hoard of tweenagers as they’re shared with the Lion King Theatre. Food’s fine, but absolutely nothing for vegetarians (my friend had to eat a plate of vegetables and then the sauce on them turned out to have meat in it!).

I had heard many good things about Livebait and thought i should try it out for myself and must admit i have had mixed experiences.
The first visit was exceptional, the seafood platter for two kept us going for what seemed like hours. Staff were very helpful throughout and with their reccommendation the platter and was washed down with what i thought was a very reasonably priced good quality champagne.
Unfortunately the second visit wasnt quite so good. We seemed to be left waiting and it was hard to get the attention of staff for simple requests throughout the meal.
Luckily having already experienced how good the restaurant can be, i will definately be back to give it another chance and just hope it was one of those 'off’ days any place can have.

Livebait is a delicious fresh fish and shellfish restaurant on the Cut in between Southwark tube and Waterloo station. They provide a normal al a carté menus, but also between 12pm and 7pm a set menu catering for the pre-theatre crowd. This offers either 2 courses for £14.50 or 3 for £18.50, but you have to choose from a much smaller selection than the a la carte menu.

On our last visit, we shared rock oysters for a starter, and then I had a Mexican Tuna steak with guacamole and sour cream for a main. An unusual combination but one that worked very well. We also had a desert and a bottle of wine and the bill was about £60 for both of us. Not the cheapest of restaurants, but the quality of the food is very good and I would say represents good value for money.

The restaurant is cleanly decorated with tiles and modern fixtures, and has a lively atmosphere. The service was polite and friendly. Note that there is a small cover charge of £1.75 added automatically to your bill, but this does include fresh bread and smoked salmon pâté.

Highly recommended if you like sea food.