Thompson St Albans

On Saturday we enjoyed an amazing tasting menu lunch at Thompson’s in St Albans. The food from chef Phil Thompson and his team was fabulous and we were well looked after by our superb waitress Nicole. It had been a few years since our last visit but this more than made up for it. The restaurant is located at the top of Hatfield Road at the end of the high street. We arrived to a friendly welcome from Nicole before she escorted us to our table. We ordered a drink while we looked at the menu. Here you had the choice of A la Carte or a selection of tasting menu’s (ie the 5 , 7 or 9 course with an addition of a special dish from the chef. We opted for the seven course plus the chef’s choice dish. The afternoon started with a couple of delicious snacks that came along with the sourdough bread and butter. We then moved onto our first course of Heirloom Tomatoes which brought a delightful freshness to your palate. This was followed by the Maitake Mushroom , the Birds Liver Parfait and the chef’s choice which was a heavenly Squid ink Tortellini. We followed this with the Roast Noisette of Cod before moving onto our first to the main course where you had an option of either the Lamb or the Tamworth Pork so we ordered one of each and the were both fantastic. Our palate was the cleansed with a Pineapple Sorbet before finishing with a delicious White Chocolate Parfait dessert. While enjoying a coffee and petit fours we had a nice chat with Phil where we could personally thank him and his team for a fabulous afternoon. We also payed credit to Nicole who was a delight all afternoon and a credit to the industry. We then thanked the team as we headed back home to Essex and hope we would see them all again soon.

This was our first time visiting this amazing restaurant in St Alburns! We were served by Nick and he gave us the best service ever, even put my jacket around my shoulders for me! Personal touch and massive attention to detail! The food was exquisite!! Huge commitment to the chefs the gnocchi I had - was the BEST I have ever had - and I used to be a chef myself. We can’t wait to come back here and experience the tasting menu! We had cheese board as pudding and it was off the dial. We LOVED everything about our first visit here ! Well done all.

The food we had was exceptional and so was the wine. Works of art with excellent attention to detail. Ingredients top quality. Great attentive service but not rushed. So glad we have this gem of a place on our doorstep. Highly recommend.

Going to Thompson is a full experience and not just a basic dinner with some banality courses that don't say anything to your night. It's a full experience where the wine and food blend together in such a manner that couldn't be anything else that a good night. The chef deserves a full compliment, and the friendly team will take care of you in such a manner that you'll feel important fr9m the first step in the restaurant. Thank you so much for a lovely evening! We will come back with the first occasion!

Went to Thompson to celebrate my birthday. The whole evening and experience cannot be faulted. 10 of us dined and they accommodated us beautifully. . Thank you Phil and your entire team, front and back of house, for an amazing experience. Our group will be back, both as a group and individually too.

Second visit to Thompson, couldn’t resist the 10 course and wine pairing option. It was the perfect location for a celebration, fine dining done with perfection. The food is outstanding and exploring different wines per course is a wonderful compliment alongside outstanding food

Came here for lunch to celebrate a special occasion with a friend. Great service and friendly staff. The food was nice but unsure if it’s worth the ££££ price tag - perhaps dinner would have been more appropriate? Overall a pleasant experience and would revisit for the full tasting menu!

It's good but not amazing! I've been here twice now for the taster menu. The restaurant is mentioned in the Michelin Guide but I don't think most of these dishes are Michelin quality... The service is good and the waiters are very friendly and informative, but the food could really be better. Some of the dishes are just a bit boring. There are a lot of hidden gems outside of London which really are up there in terms of taste, creativity and attention to detail. but unfortunately I wouldn't rate this as one of them. Maybe I'll come again in a few months time and see if things have changed. I want to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's definitely the best in St Albans but I don't feel like the town generally has much to offer. I go by the idea that if I can only take a decent picture of 4 out of 7 courses then the other 3 need some work. I'm also not a big fan of carpets in restaurants but the ceilings are quite low so I understand why it was done.