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Alfred on Shaftesbury Ave. - open or shut?


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What is the final word on Alfred on Shaftesbury Avenue? Is it closed for good?

Unfortuntely, my employer has always used Alfred for staff dinners, taking visitors/clients to lunch, etc. We have decamped to Mela, which is great but we'd like to have other options available as well.

We are based on Bloomsbury Place (aka the far end of Great Russell Street) and have found NOTHING decent within walking distance. Budget cuts have also just been announced so the QC Restaurant might be pushing it a bit. 3 times a year we have a large staff-faculty dinner which involves roughly 20 - 35 people. Last week we were disappointed to find Mela unable to accomodate us and ended up at Pizza Express! Oh woeful day!!

It would be great to find somewhere that also offers a bit of privacy (perhaps a private room - or is that asking too much?) Alfred, though not always the best quality, generally bent over backwards for us and tolerated our noise levels.

Any suggestions for other venues?

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You could also try Bond (ex, Empie, Myna Bird). For a group of your size you could take the place over and the owner chef will do a menu to suit. Although they do some weird fusion (chef/owner ex Archipalaego) he will do mod euro or more nmain stream fusion. About £30 a head.

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You could also try Bond (ex, Empie, Myna Bird). For a group of your size you could take the place over and the owner chef will do a menu to suit. Although they do some weird fusion (chef/owner ex Archipalaego) he will do mod euro or more nmain stream fusion. About £30 a head.

walked past on saturday. seems to have closed down (sign saying lease for sale on window was a bit of a giveaway).

m

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I had heard (I think from Simon M of this parish) that it's becoming an S&M Café.

:blink:

'The leather was like steak'

It has been closed for a few months now

I was pondering on how quickly a place can go from fashionable to out of business, then realised that it had been there for nearly 10 years. Not a bad run, I guess. I have not been for years but used to rather like it. I imagine there were lots of people who said that. hence the closure

If it is becoming a sausage & Mash cafe it will be ironic as the guys who ran Alfreds opened that RK Stanley's which ( I don't know if it is still around ) was a sausage cafe.

S

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I had heard (I think from Simon M of this parish) that it's becoming an S&M Café.

:blink:

'The leather was like steak'

It has been closed for a few months now

I was pondering on how quickly a place can go from fashionable to out of business, then realised that it had been there for nearly 10 years. Not a bad run, I guess. I have not been for years but used to rather like it. I imagine there were lots of people who said that. hence the closure

If it is becoming a sausage & Mash cafe it will be ironic as the guys who ran Alfreds opened that RK Stanley's which ( I don't know if it is still around ) was a sausage cafe.

S

Oh, sausage and mash, ah...... Moderator! Can I delete my last post, please? :biggrin:

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Budget cuts have also just been announced so the QC Restaurant might be pushing it a bit.

QC is quite good value for lunch or the early evening dinner menu (last orders 7pm, but in my experience you can then linger for hours...

Otherwise, how about the Punjab on Neal St as an alternative to Mela. It's good (if a bit more old school) and they've got a private dining room.

Abeno on Museum Street (where the late lamented Museum Street Cafe used to be) is also great for an informal meal. Beats Pizza Express hands down and is probably cheaper.

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You could switch to Mon Plaisir. Similar price range to Alfred's and close by.I'd guess clients would love the whole classic French schtick and the food is actually very good-as good if not better than Alfred's I'd say.

Edited by Tonyfinch (log)
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