Richmond Upon Thames
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170 Great Portland Street
London W1W 5QB
+44 (0) 20 7631 3131
Villandry Foodstore offers a wide range of premium quality foods with an emphasis on Continental products. There is also a restaurant and bar on the premises.
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October 24, 2008
The 1st time we went to Villandry, we sat outside & waited and waited, staff went by & smiled at us, but no-one came over to take offer menus. Maybe they just thought we were a little tired and were having a nice rest. The 2nd time, I went into the foodstore in the evening, and the man serving sort of denied I could get any real food from him. I bought a couple of perfectly fine but not amazing cheesecakes and left.
But the 3rd time, I got it right... I went at 1pm exactly, ordered a falafel wrap & a 'made to order' right in front of you 'stir fry'.
My wife loved the wrap, I loved the stir-fry & the scones we got for pudding where about the best ever.
Since then we've been back plenty of times and the food is usually excellent. Some of the customers are a bit 'Oh look at me, I'm so posh I eat at Villandry' but that's their look-out.
Definitely recommended. The Sunday brunch looks good too, we'll go when it's warmer, as we have to sit outside, as we have a dog.
May 21, 2008
Every workday lunchtime I am faced with an ethical battle. Should I 1. Go to Tescoes and get an apple and yogurt (the cheap healthy option) or 2. Go to Villandry and get a giant club sandwich or fajita (the expensive fattening option)?
And when I say battle, what I actually mean is that I know I'm going with option 2, but it's nice to pretend there was a possibility I wasn't going to spoil myself again.
It's so divinely yummy, and of course the whole place is designed to lure you into a false sense of security. You can get a drink and a sandwich (which is handmade in front of you) for about £6. That doesn't seem too bad. Except I always have a packed lunch beforehand. So basically I am paying £30 a week to eat a second lunch. Pathetic I know, but it's not just the food that has an alarming pull on my waistline and wallet.
I like being in there. It's all like "Olive Oil from this one legged farmer in Italy" and "Balsemic Vinegar made with pressed saffron from intelligent donkeys of the Congo". It makes me feel... good. Which is just another way of saying I'm a giant snob.
