Although we are not gay, as we work nearby we sometimes go to Balans in Earls Court as a post work venue, most recently this week. The venue is friendly, confortable, and the waiting staff are always helpful, welcoming you as thgough you were old friends. The happy hour cocktails make them good value and there is a wide range, although it is a shame mojito's are no longer included :(. We all had dinner and the food was lovely as always. The burgers are huge, with giant chips, and the tuna was perfect (I love mine 'blue'), although it would have benefitted from a side, such as rice or a salad being included. For once we also had desert and all picked the brownie, with pistachio ice cream which was delish! There was also a live band, which we havent had before, so were looking forward to the extra entertainment, but sadly they left a lot to be desired and what was billed as jazz sounded more like untuneful noise. However, the band were not loud and did not detract from a very enjoyable evening.
Will continue to visit and enjoy this venue

Good value for £ food, pleasant surroundings and excellent service. Eggs Benedict were great!

We've been going to Balans West for Sunday Brunch for many years and they do an excellent eggs benedict. The service is friendly but efficient and it had a nice atmosphere.

However, I get the feeling that whoever buys the tea for the Balans group is a coffee drinker - the so-called "English Breakfast" tea is as weak as dishwater and while it is served in an infuser with a filter, you could leave it there all day and it still wouldn't taste of anything.

My tip - take you're own tea bags and ask for some boiling water.

This place is a gem! We stumbled across it for a late lunch and it was amazing! Breakfast until 1700 and amazing salads and food! I had the falafel wrap which was fantastic and my partner Bacon and Spinach salad which was also fantastic! Prices are really good too!

We used to be regulars of both Balans on High Street Kensington and on Earls Court and loved the atmosphere of the Earls Court restaurant, and always quite happy with the food served there. However this time I was really disappointed with the food and the service.

I ordered gnocchi pomodoro and when it came the mushrooms were burnt. As most of them tasted like charcoal I complained about it. I was however told that it was the way they should be but that they would kindly replace them by less cooked mushrooms.

When the waitress brought the plate back she said she had confirmation from the cook that it was the way the mushrooms had to be cooked, i.e. dried as much as possible. My remark that they were not dried but burnt got ignored. The new mushrooms were undercooked and the tomato sauce had a marked burnt taste to it but I did not complain any further.

I find baffling to be basically told that I don't know anything about (supposedly good) food and how things are done when a simple 'sorry the mushrooms remained 30 seconds too long in the pan' would have been great. Also going from one extreme (overcooked) to the other (undercooked) took me slightly aback.

I hope that I was just unlucky this time but quite surprised about the way the situation was handled.