Le Relais de Venise l'Entrecôte 5 Throgmorton Street, London EC2N 2AD

"So I came in with this sort of 3-4 star expectation, given the Time Out review; but always with an open mind and happy to see what was on offer. We were seated right away, closer to 18:30 - started to get really busy around 19:00. I’ll say that the staff, at first, seemed attentive but when it got busy, not so much - they took 10 minutes with the bill sitting at the table to bring the machine.. In terms of food, we started with a mediocre french bread and simple salad - apparently butter did not exist in the restaurant for bread, but olive oil and balsamic did (?) The steak frites were decent (the amount they give you plus also a decent house Bordeaux helped this review maintain a 3 star and not drop it down to 2..) However, with my dining partner having an allergy to tomatoes, they gave a strangely worded cryptic response that the steak sauce did not contain one of the “legal 14 allergens” but they could not guarantee the non inclusion of tomatoes (?) All in all, as others have said, this spot is overpriced but if you want a lot of decent fries, mustard, sauce, and steak (on the rare side mind you), do try it - but do not expect good, attentive service, variety, or anything mind blowing - there are much better French bistros here in London."

"The stand out of this meal was definitely the secret sauce. The portions of the steak were unimpressive; in my second serving I only got 5 thin slices. I didn't love the salad as well, I'm just not a big fan of mustard. The fries were very good, especially with the sauce. I'm not sure if the entire meal was worth £28 considering the small steak portions, but my friend and I both left very full. The restaurant is very nice and the staff were friendly. I recommend going when it opens to avoid the queue."

"Much hyped, and overall was good but not worth the money. Steak frites (£28) was tasty, but the steak wasn’t really mind blowing. The chips were super crunchy and great though, and I like that they come and serve up more (you won’t leave hungry!). Salad at the start was refreshing but nothing too special. Deserts are extra and relatively expensive but there are some good ones - the cheesecake and brownie being my favourite."

"Simple yet brilliant. A tasty dressed salad with French bread to start, then two portions of perfectly cooked steak in a secret sauce and crispy fries. I love the house wines, white and red both go lovely with the meal. Huge range of tasty desserts. We tend to go for lunch at around 12pm, by the time we leave a line has formed out of the door. Staff are attentive and professional no matter how busy it gets, which is why we keep going back despite price increases - it's worth every penny."

"Really amazing place to have steak and chips. The place offers a salad as a starter followed by a steaks and chips as a main with a sauce. On the table you also get given a mustard based sauce to add onto your chips if you want. Main course wise also be aware you get it twice so do not panic when you see the first plate as the second round will be coming later. The only thing I will say is just that the staff seem quite stressed but they are super friendly."