The Cote Brasserie at the Royal Festival Hall has two doors of the push/pull variety; doors which I couldn’t open independently. Neither does it have a button to press to signify I was a disabled customer wanting to come in so if visiting independently I would have no means to signal I needed aid. Luckily, I was visiting with a group of my friends who opened the door for me. The space in between the two sets of doors was also quite tight, but I just about managed to get through and was able to enter the main restaurant.
I did not have to use the disabled toilet for myself on this visit, but I saw that it was of a standard-sized so would only cater to a certain number of disabled customers. I saw other customers dip in and out of the disabled toilet during the time that I was visiting which I think is not good. Due to it having been around the Christmas period the restaurant was very, very busy and this did restrict space inside it and I did find it challenging to get around to my table. Staff members were kind and patient in helping me get to the table and they cleared a path for me to get to and from the table. I still had trouble navigating the restaurant but again this was as expected.
I dined with five other friends; it was a girly early Christmas celebration. I was so glad we had booked prior to our visit as it really was packed! We had a big wide table. It did take a few attempts, but I was able to get close to my table to get underneath which was great and more comfortable while eating. Service was slow and there was a lot of time between when our courses were served. This was to be expected due to the busyness but remained inconvenient to us as we were time watching somewhat. We were able to chat comfortably between ourselves, raising our voices to be heard over the overall atmosphere of the restaurant as needed everyone was in the Christmas spirit and this was obvious. Staff members were included in the Christmas spirit and I admired them for keeping their cool and remaining professional and friendly in the chaos.
Drinks were nice and refreshing and I was grateful to have them with our extensive meal. I enjoyed a garlic bread to start and it was nicely salted and seasoned in the shape of a giant pretzel. I ate three-quarters of it happily, but I wanted to save room for my main meal. I had steak and fries for the main meal which was also tasty. It was a small portion and for this I was grateful, and I finished every bit. I did not have a chance to sample the dessert’s as was too full.
Cote Brasserie Royal Festival Hall was a lovely restaurant and I really do recommend it when you are with a big group of people.
The Life of Sophie 