table&candle Avis 57

Our third Table & Candle visit, and sadly not a positive one.

The tone was set on arrival. When we arrived, Manager Marshall tried to seat us at the back of an almost empty restaurant and seemed irritated when a window table was requested. After seating, he tried to move us, deciding to change our table into a three. The impression given was that middle-aged women weren’t suitable ‘window decoration’ for the evening.

We had a lovely waitress, Erica, and although the vegetarian options were quite limited — largely spring rolls and salads — what we had was pleasant enough.

However, the main course was a serious issue. Marshall stepped in to present the dishes, telling us how delicious they were. What should have been a coconut dish was in fact braised oxtail, which became immediately apparent after a mouthful. We were horrified.

Marshall’s reaction was flippant at best, saying he’d ‘sort us out with a drink’ before leaving Erica to deal with the situation. I couldn’t continue eating, and the evening was understandably ruined.

Why go to such lengths to ask about allergies and dietary requirements, only for meat dishes to be added to vegetarian orders? This was a significant error and raises concerns about communication between the kitchen and service staff.

It’s a real shame, as we had previously recommended Table & Candle — but this experience was unacceptable.

I have been going to these pop ups for quite a while now and they’re always top quality. The food is always amazing, the staff friendly and hospitable and the venues always have a nice relaxed ambiance. The guest chef always brings something new and exciting to try and the wine pairings complement each dish perfectly.

The Food was amazing. It was such a wonderful experience exploring food from the chef’s perspective and enjoying every morsel. We were served by Tatiana who was attentive and made the experience memorable. The chef who we had the pleasure of meeting at the end of the meal was very sweet and kind- a very talented chef.

Great food, atmosphere and Andy was fabulous and knowledgeable

Fanny was great everything was as it should be

It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The atmosphere was lovely and the food was amazing. An incredible experience, we would definitely try table and candle again. Our waitress Tatiana was warm, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable about every course. She explained each dish perfectly, and made us feel completely taken care of without ever being intrusive. Her professionalism and kindness elevated the whole experience. Highly recommend!

Lovely to have such a fabulous multi-course dining option so close to home
and to support a local business at the same time. Really great idea. Some of the courses were genuinely special and our waitress, Erika, was super friendly. Would love to have slightly stronger and/or more distinctive flavours in the mains. Will definitely go to more of these.

Lovely evening with beautiful company..delicious food..and Tom looking after us ❤️

Fabulous in every way!! Tom was the most incredible waiter!

Excellent food, great environment and service. Our 3rd time with Tabke and Candle and we always enjoy it.

The food was great and our waitress was superb

We loved our dinner in Harpenden with Marta Sandini.
The food was delicious and interesting and portion sizes perfect - 6 courses and I didnt feel stuffed after 3 as can happen.
The venue looked cosy and it was a nice atmosphere.
Good decent priced wine list.
And service was friendly, efficient and unstuffy - shout out to Lizzie.
Will recommend Table and candle and look out for future events in Harpenden - a refreshing change in a town rather oversupplied with middling Mediterranean restaurants 🤣

Absolutely amazing! What an amazing evening thank you thank you thank you x

Very interesting food with great paired wines. The service was excellent, especially Megan. Would definitely go again

A wonderful evening. Amazing food and perfect atmosphere. And looked after and served so welcomingly and knowledgeably by Tatiana.

Delicious food and service from Joao was friendly and impeccable. Highly recommended.

Delicious food and big shout out to Tom, our waiter, for his incredibly gracious service.

Incredible experience

We had a great experience, and our server Tom was so helpful and friendly. Could not recommend more!!!

First time trying this experience and we were blown away.
Both the service and food were outstanding and we cant wait to try another chef.
The team clearly pick top chefs who are top of their game.
Tom was our server, kudos to him and the team.