We went here for my partners birthday and were very disappointed. Two of the starters were not available. When the main courses arrived they brought my partner fish instead of the chicken he had ordered! I had finished my meal by the time my partners meal eventually arrived! By thie time it came to pay the bill the Live Music still hadn’t started (probably because we saw them take the unwanted fish meal over to a member of the band). We asked them not to include the cover charge onto our bill because we had not seen any live music. The waitress 'rolled’ her eyes at this request. When the bill arrived they had added a 12.5% service charge which we elected not to pay (since the service we had received was appaling - and the restaurant wasn’t busy) - more 'rolled’ eyes from the waitress. After paying the bill we retired to the bar area and waited for the live music to start - and yes, we were again disappointed. We left early. A very disappointing evening.

Located in the heart of Covent Garden, Octave is a bar and restaurant venue that also offers funky jazz music usually with a live band and a small dance floor. The crowd is quite trendy, but the atmosphere is laid back, probably thanks to the music. I would advise getting there early before they charge at the door. It's unfair to compare Octave to somewhere like Ronnie Scotts who are totally geared up as a serious music venue, but I've had a couple of good nights here and the live music gives it an extra edge.