Restaurant
Name: | Cinnamon Tree | |
Area: | Clerkenwell | |
Address: | 14 Exmouth Market | |
London EC1R 4QE | ||
Phone: | 020 7837 6000 | |
Website: | www.cinnamontreeislington.com |
Visits to this restaurant ...
1. 25 Aug 2016 | | | 2. 29 Nov 2018 |
Visit Report
Visit Number: | 196 (visit 1 of 2 for this restaurant) | |
Date of visit: | 25 Aug 2016 | |
Cost per head: | £18.00 (1.5 beers) |
Serv | Amb | Beer | Start | Nan | Rice | Main | Veg | VFM | Score | Comments | |
Overall | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 8.3 | 6.87 | |
Jon | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 8.0 | See Jon's comments |
Neil | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7.1 | See Neil's comments |
Graeme | 7 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5.6 | See Graeme's comments | |
Mark | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6.6 | See Mark's comments | |
Dominic | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6.4 | See Dominic's comments |
Tim | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7.4 | See Tim's comments |
All Comments
Jon - A little off the beaten track, perhaps, but the Cinnamon Tree was a great find, even if I do say so myself. A varied menu, excellent food and, thanks to Mark's Taste Card, unbeatable value for money. I went for my tried and tested tandoori mixed starter and lamb dansak and neither disappointed with the dansak being particularly good. The sag aloo was very good and all the other accompaniments were up to scratch, as was the conversation – only six attendees but it made for a more inclusive conversation although Tim may have felt a little excluded with the football trivia!
Neil - Off to somewhere very new to us, Exmouth Market. We started by having a beer with the trendies in the Exmouth Arms which had a good selection of unusual beers even if slightly expensive. At the restaurant, across the road, we realised that given our small number this month we could have sat outside in the sun. I have therefore upgraded the ambience mark even though we elected to sit inside being the traditionalists that we are. Food was mostly average, although the stuffed paratha was fantastic and I'd go back just for that. Final bill was also very reasonable given Mark's discount card giving us 50% off food.
Graeme - This was our second trip to Clerkenwell in recent months. It's quite a lively area w.r.t. pubs & restaurants. It was nice to see lots of young people out enjoying themselves. We enjoyed ourselves too and, as is often the case with a smaller gathering, we benefitted from all of us being able to join in the same conversations rather than splitting into separate groups. The restaurant itself was unremarkable other than the price which (with El Pres's discount card) was remarkably cheap. My King Prawn (yes, King Prawn) Puri was very nice but a bit short of prawns. My main of Chicken Green Masala (I think) was bland. Everything else was OK. A top night out and thanks to Wanty for organising but I wouldn't rush back to this place.
Mark - A refreshing change of location selected by Jon. Bit of a student pub to start and watch out for the pavement police. Lovely warm evening which allowed some restaurant patrons to sit outside although no room for us despite low attendeé numbers. This led to a good airy feel with a gentle breeze through the open patio doors. Starter of garlic chicken tikka was good although some of the garlic was burnt rather than just roasted. My lamb main meal was tasty, not too hot but the rice was not as fluffy as I would prefer. Late acceptance of TasteCard was a bonus adding to low cost. I was tired after several nights out so left promptly and missed finding out how many Frenchman played football for the flat earth society on the moon.
Dominic - Our first visit to this rather modern eatery saw us as the only table inside at first before quickly filling up to provide a more lively backdrop. My overriding impression of the night was that it was just ok overall with nothing really standing out except for the well priced wine and discounted final bill. My starter of the Tandoori Mixed Platter was fine as was my main of the Lamb Jalfrezi. though nothing to really shout about. All the sides, rice and bread were equally ok. But still another enjoyable evening if somewhat more intimate a meal than most, given we were just the six, followed by a "moonlit stroll" back to the station with my "date"!!!
Tim - It was nice to come to a different area of London. It was a warm night, and there was a lively crowd outside the pub, and on the street generally. When we arrived at the restaurant is was initially empty, but filled up later. The restaurant was quite spacious, though maybe because they had moved some of their tables outside. The decor was fairly plain, and the lighting subdued. The spicy poppadom was a bit burnt on one side (why do they always burn the spicy ones?). Starter of duck tikka was pleasant and the main of salmon mach bhaja was good. The rest of the accompaniments were all fine, though nothing stood out. The final bill was a bit of a surprise, even with the Tastecard discount; the lowest I can remember for some time, and excellent value for money.