Gatwick Oriental Restaurant in Mole Valley

A decent restaurant in the North Terminal at Gatwick. The service was efficient and friendly. The servings were quite big so be careful about how much you order. All the dishes we had were really tasty and nicely presented. We ate here on a mid-week evening in the shoulder season and it was very busy. We saw quite a lot of people who turned up on spec being turned away. So if you want to be sure of a table at a specific time, it would be best to make a reservation.

Staying at the hotel before a flight home the next day, I tried Vanda for dinner. I made a reservation for 6:00 as I was told that was when they opened and I wanted to eat before it got too busy. The woman that greeted me at the door took my name and sat me at a table. There was no smile or pleasantness about her and you really felt like she was annoyed. For some reason, the restaurant was pretty full when I arrived and the acoustics are so bad that it sounds like you are at a football match with everyone yelling. I was served by a waitress who was not any more pleasant than the one that sat me and I could barely hear her due to the noise level. I ordered the Duck Spring Rolls and the Singapore Noodles. The Spring Rolls came and they were not cut. There was no knife at the table and when I tried to get one, all of the servers kept flying by and I ended up trying to cut them with my spoon and fork. By the time I got my main dish, the spring rolls were finished so I no longer needed the knife. Despite the noise and the lackluster service, the food was phenomenal. By the time I left the restaurant, I was well satisfied with my meal. but had a headache. A different server brought me my bill after I tried to flag someone down and she smiled.

The restaurant was fantastic. Wonderful food and service. Kookai and Elena were incredibly good waitresses and went above and beyond make our dining experience memorable . It isn’t very often a hotel restaurant in an airport is as good as this. Well done girls. And a big mention to the chefs. 10/10

c£17 for an egg cup portion. Tiny bowls, tiny portions. Nothing special about the food. £100 for a few dishes… Staff were friendly and attentive

Situated within Sofitel at Gatwick Airport open to residents and non residents. Superb Pan-Asian food in a delightful restaurant. The food is delicious but even with a reservation you have to queue for your table along with those without a reservation. Once seated, drinks order was taken quickly, food order less so. Without doubt the food is worthy of a 5/5 rating but the service let it down. Once we had ordered and the food arrived, we felt very hurried to finish and leave. For that reason I have rated this place 4/5.

What a diamond this place was. We came here, purely because we staying at the hotel. There are 3 restaurants and this one stood out for us. Our waitress was Elena, she was a star, had a lovely smile and very pleasant. We had a starter each. I had Vegetarian spring roll they were amazing. My main meal was Pad Thai Jay this was yummy and first time having tofu. My husband’s stater was Hot spicy soup he said this was WOW! And main meal was Singapore noodles. He loved every minute of it, lush he words were. Great service, fantastic atmosphere. Will definitely come again.

Had to return the egg fried rice. It was not fried and there was no egg. First waiter was very stroppy. After he was changed service was good and although the meal was pleasant it was very average.

We booked two months ahead but on arrival they didn’t have our reservation. Fortunately they still gave us a table but it wasn’t a great start. When we asked for a kids menu, as advertised on the website, we were told to go next door, order food and wait for it to then bring it into Vanda. A shocking experience for a family trying to eat together.

Both the welcome and the service at Vanda were perfunctory. We have been coming to this restaurant, and its predecessors, for over 30 years and never before has there been such a performance over signing the bill to our room. We were the only people in the restaurant using chopsticks – we had to ask for them and there were no rests for the chopsticks. The Sweet and Sour Prawns and the Pad Thai were good but we can't honestly say it was an enjoyable evening.

Excellent Chinese restaurant. Food cooked to a high standard and generous portions. Unusual to have such a good quality restaurant in an airport. We always try to eat there when using Gatwick.

Just the most appalling food . The main courses were full of gluten and slime, chicken was disgusting , service like fast food restaurant ,

Excellent dinner. The three curry taster dish was delicious as was the duck and pancakes. Food is served really fast and the team also rushed to take your order quickly. The drinks selection was good. The place is extremely busy and I believe this could be why the staff might appear to rush diners, it's not a place where you can relax as it feels more like a place where they want a quick turnaround. It was busy all evening. That said the food was delicious and the duck was incredible. One of the best we've had.

Black bean chicken tasted nice, veg were still crunchy however Vanda loses points for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the food and drink were ordered at the same time, the food came out immediately after the drinks so I can only assume a microwave was used and the food heated, rather than cooked fresh. Secondly, the prices are a bit on the high side for food not freshly prepared. Certainly seemed more expensive than other restaurants onsite.

We ate here on our stopover and whilst the food was hot and the vegetables were crunchy, it came out in less than 3 minutes after ordering. I didn't even have time to pay my dart charge. Expensive too

We checked out all of the restaurant options at Sofitel London-Gatwick North Terminal. We liked the look of the menu so made a reservation. We were not disappointed. The service was excellent and food very good.

Had a great meal here the night before a flight. The three curry taster dish - prawn, chicken and lamb- was delicious and a really good recommendation from the waiter. Excellent friendly service. Would highly recommend & would definitely return

Three dishes out of four were very good but the duck spring rolls were overcooked and might as well have come out of a supermarket frozen pack.

We ate whilst staying at the Sofitel. Service was very quick - probably too quick for the prices and they were very keen to whisk dishes away after service. I think we were in and out within an hour. Food is very expensive for what is comparable to a tasty Chinese takeaway in quality. We were a group of 9 so lots of things on the bill. Luckily I checked as they added two bottles of £50 wine on the bill which we did not have. This may have been an innocent mistake but I'm not convinced. Especially as they were not at all apologetic....

We felt this was a strong menu and we weren't disappointed. We chose only from the starters selection and filled our tummies with the delicious Vanda platter for 2 with all the sauces and shredded crispy duck. The service was warm and friendly and well paced. Next time we will try a main! Highly recommended

Two adults, one teenager ate at Vanda this evening with the added expectation of a coeliac diner being catered for. All three cleared their plates completely and whilst the GF options were limited, they were perfect. Very impressed all round and we leave very satisfied with service and food and wine. Thank you

Food was really nice but so over priced. £32 for a buffet starter for 2 people and wasn’t that big and £15 for rice! The food was good, but nothing better than other chinese/ Thai’s been too. Lots of lovely tastes to the food and can’t complain about the quality .. just the price. Service felt really rushed too.. only a few minutes between starter and main arriving.

Just been to Vanda for the second visit. I came here the same time last year and I was impressed by the food, so much so I was looking forward to dining here again. We'll I have just eaten here again and I can honestly say the starter was OK, but the two main courses were awful. Sizzling beef, was not Sizzling and the beef was submerged in a stoggy, sweet , tepid kind of sauce which was pretty grimm, why I ate it I can only blame on my hunger from the long drive down the M 25 to Gatwick. The Sweet and sour chicken was presented with chicken chopped into the Size of diced carrots, which were cooked rock hard. For a meal I was really looking forward to, I was really disappointed, it was way below the standard expected of a Sofitel hotel and for £ 65 for two, it was an insult.

Although the food tasted okay, the stock pot type jelly that was used in both my beef and my wife’s chicken dishes had not dissolved fully. The service was slow and disorganised, with someone else’s meal being brought to us after we had eaten our main course. We were told charging the meal to the Sofitel hotel room would take five minutes (so we paid separately) and a total bill of £130 for two people (3 courses, one beer and one soft drink) was high for the food and service provided.

We ate here as we stayed at the hotel the night before an early flight the next day. We were DELIGHTED and so pleasantly suprised that such a gem was available at an airport hotel. The service was quick, friendly and efficient, and really added to the experience. The FOOD - was just incredible. We ordered the set menu which came with a glass of Prosecco each for a very reasonable £55pp All I can say is, bring your appetite and pace yourself if you order this! Every course was full sized and so unbelievably fresh and delicious - we couldn’t believe our luck. Highlights included the salt & chilli king prawns, duck pancakes and a lamb curry that just fell apart - all the flavours were distinct and so well balanced. The noodles with bean sprouts were the freshest and most delicious I’ve had in a long time. My wife is Australian so has very high standards when it comes to Asian food, but she declared it was the best she has ever had in the U.K.. Seriously considering going back to Gatwick just for dinner at some point, absolutely wonderful.

This has a good menu and the qaulity of food is excellent. Howver, be prepared to pay as it is very expensive. Also the price illustrated does not indicate the 12.5% service charge they place on your bill

We had eaten at this restaurant a few times before while staying at Sofitel Gatwick and remembered we liked it but can’t remember if it was the same name then. It was every bit as good as we remembered, maybe even better. I often feel that food while travelling is such a disappointment but not in this case. It was very tasty and good portions. Staff were attentive. I think you can take out to your room too. I would recommend eating in Vanda if looking for tasty food in a relaxed atmosphere.

This is a lovely restaurant with good food. Excellent range of Asian food. Much better than expected. We will go again. Great noodles and starter platter excellent

Great Staff Especially the Thai waitresses Food was also very nice and generous portions were served nice and hot

It is a necessity to eat in Airport hotels on occasion, Vanda rates as the best we have ever eaten in. Yes, it's not the cheapest, but get past that and the food is actually good. Well presented, tasty and served with a smile. Enough choice to satisfy even the pickiest diner. We enjoyed our time here.

Vanda presents a civilised and pleasant dining experience at the Sofitel Hotel at London Gatwick Airport. It's well before COVID times that we last had dinner here, 2017 I think, so we were pleased to see that the restaurant is still operating. The doing space is contemporary and sophisticated, yet casual and welcoming. We had dinner here whilst staying at the hotel, prior to an early morning flight to New York. We did not have a reservation, but were welcomed warmly and offered a choice of tables. The menu is Pan-Asian, with classic dishes from China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The menu isn't vast, but there are plenty of choices, with options for those with specific dietary requirements. We ordered the following: a one-quarter portion of crispy aromatic duck, with the usual accompaniments (how sin sauce, pancakes and spring onions (£22); the chicken with cashew nuts (£15:50); and the pad Thai with chicken (£15.50). The portion of duck was more than ample for two. The other dishes were slightly on the small size, but they were delicious. Service was attentive without being intrusive. The restaurant was busy but we had a relaxed meal, and were not hurried. It's a restaurant to which we would return, when we stay at the Sofitel Gatwick Airport again.

A first class experience. Food and wine excellent. Good atmosphere. Service friendly, efficient. An enjoyable evening. Previous reviewers have criticised costs. Paying for restaurant food and drinks is a choice before entering the restaurant. There is a menu online and outside the restaurant clearly stating prices. It was not expensive based on being in the Sofitel, location, quality and service. There is a budget hotel restaurant opposite the Sofitel, if it is too expensive. Vanda is excellent.

This restaurant is in the Sofitel, Gatwick north. We have eaten here on a number of occasions when flying early the next day and staying at the hotel. The food quality is good as is the service, however, the food is on the expensive side...

We invariably eat here pre-flight and did so again last week. Food is of good quality and the menu is varied but I wish the portions were just a wee bit bigger. We travel as a group and to share dishes around creates a great...

We went there because we were disappointed by the choice at the Brasserie. Enjoyable meal with good service

Stayed at the Sofitel before flying out and booked a table for two at the Vanda. Food was great but the service did not match.

I have just looked at the reviews for this restaurant. I agree the food is lovely, but it really wouldn't be hard to make the portions bigger as the price is so high anyway. The reviews would be a lot better and they would be...

Once again we enjoyed a very good meal at Vanda. The service was fairly prompt although not too fast. The menu has changed often over the years and we found some interesting dishes on this current menu.

The food at Vanda is exceptional - almost worth selecting Gatwick as your departure airport simply for the chance to eat here before heading off on holiday. The service is always faultless and the ambiance is exactly what you want as you head off on...

This is not a Chinese. More Thai and Malaysian. Good food but not great. Random portion sizes between the different dishes. All 24 of us enjoyed our meals but most were maybe a bit underwhelmed? Ended up £60 a head with a few drinks. Not...

We ordered the sharing starter platter and thought it was £16.50 for two which was twice the price of a single starter. We did not see it was per person. How they can justify asking £33 for two mini ribs, two prawns, two small chicken...

We had a pleasant enough meal here, though it's on the expensive side. Service was good and reasonably efficient. Some nice flavours.

Well prepared Asian, primarily Chinese, food. A single serving of what amounts to Peking Duck was a treat. Their fried rice was especially good. They could improve their drink menu so you don't have to leave the restaurant to get a drink you want.

Food excellent, soo tasty. Service good. Only problem was portions very small,too small, we left not feeling full,and with the price we should off. Such a shame as would of highly recommended if we left full. Bigger portions please.

Ridiculously overpriced. Food was nice, but you leave feeling completely ripped off. £83 for a starter for 2 and 1/4 duck course, one beer and one medium wine. Couldn’t bring ourselves to pay for anymore even with the airline picking up the bill due to...

The experience and the food are very nice but don't quite justify the high price. We thought the rice was too sticky/clumpy and the squid was inedible, too rubbery. All the rest was lovely though and it did feel like a fine-dining experience with very...

Food is good but totally ruined by small portions at ridiculous prices. Please be prepared for an expensive start to your holiday . We had good service but people around us were ignored and were complaining. This used to be our go to place but...

Far too expensive for what you have in the plate. We took 4 starters and 4 glass of wine = 111£ - it was actually worth than Swiss prices... Staff was nice

We shared 4 starters and had a main course each with shared rice. Food was absolutely delicious, every plate was fantastic, the service was also very good. Between us we had prawn crackers, edamame peas, salt and pepper prawns crispy squid to start followed by...

Booked a table we were seated at 8.20 didn’t receive any service for 40 min not even a drinks order. food was nice but very small portions and very over priced even for London. When the problems were brought to the staffs attention they really...

Great night , Mary was fabulous, lovely food, and the service, with Mary was amazing. Black cod was also amazing. How refreshing to com e across such a vibrant jolly waitress with such a professional attitude towards her work

As we were staying at the Sofitel, we needed to eat, and admittedly there was a nice choice. After reading the menu for Vanda, and the fact we have travelled in China, it seemed the most obvious choice. Our server (Lara) was a nice, pleasant...

Stayed at the softel nice stay but only let down was the vanda restaurant very expensive 102 pounds for 2 people for a starter and main and 1 drink each

Located in the Sofitel hotel this Asian cuisine restaurant serves some excellent authentic dishes. Have visited a couple of times and though this time service was a little slow the food remained very good.

This restaurant is conveniently located in the Sofitel hotel. Service is very slow and not friendly - except one waiter (a Latino). Food is pretty good. Price is reasonable for a fine donning Asian restaurant.

We had high hopes for our visit here. It started badly with the poor way we were handled on arrival despite the fact we had a reservation and it didn’t get any better. Service was poor throughout and the manager acknowledged this, fully accepting that...

The restaurant has a great variety of dishes on their menu. This combined with an acceptable price for the location and a relatively good ambiance makes this a worthy place to dine.

Was staying at Sofitel and had dinner here. Very nice restaurant and need to book table as it is small dinning room . The food is very good and the Asian choices are very good. Staff is nice and professional . Good wine list too.

Had an unplanned meal here due to a delay with our car being delivered on arrival at Gatwick. Although the kitchen was almost shut, this didn’t affect the quality of the food which was outstanding. We had the mixed starter followed by Thai Green Curry...

Wow!!! Exceptional food...we had the three tasting curry’s with Sambal prawns & noodles. Four totally different dishes, totally different tastes & absolutely delicious. The flavours in each dish was unique. Service was exceptional...I forgot I was in an airport hotel!

We had a gorgeous meal!!!! Beautiful wine. The staff were really friendly and chatty even though the restaurant was very busy. All in all a great experience. Definitely recommend.

Read some poor reviews but glad we tried it. Food was very good, restaurant is beautiful inside. Worth trying.

Visited here whilst staying before a flight abroad. Service was absutely superb with very attentive staff. Food was very very good and the Thai green chicken curry was possibly the best I have had with hints of tarragon running through. Would thoroughly recommend this to anyone.

This is a little Pan Asian gem in the back of the hotel lobby by La Brasserie. Lovely contemporary decor. Prices in line with hotel and airport area. Food, wine and service were good and would recommend and return.

The dishes are so much more well presented than your typical Chinese restaurant! I will be back, thank you to the staff for such great service and the chefs for such fantastic food!

We ate here because we had flown in from Rome and were staying at the Gatwick Sofitel overnight for our early morning back to Seattle. When we entered Vanda we were impressed with the ambiance, the way the servers were dressed and friendly service. There were three of us and we started with Vegetarian Spring rolls which were very good. The food went downhill very rapidly after the Spring rolls. The service continued to be excellent but we all three agreed that the food was not properly seasoned and tasted like it was left over from the previous day. Very disappointed.

This restaurant looks lovely and the menu inviting and appetising and seemed reasonable value given your a captive customer in an airport hotel! The food is awful! A sizzling dish that didn’t sizzle! Thia fish cakes that were tasteless and like plastic and a waiter who didn’t know his job! Then my wife was ill overnight!

Noticeably quieter than when we previously visited last year, I think these guys need to look at their prices and quality of meat to draw back the punters. We visited it’s previous incarnation (name escapes me) many times and it was invariably packed.

Stayed overnight at the Sofitel before an early flight. The restaurant was extremely busy so I was pleased that we had made reservation when we checked in. Food and service was great although a little expensive. An enjoyable start to our holidays. Would certainly stay at the Sofitel and visit Vanda again.

Totally agree with one of the earlier reviews. Great to find a restaurant at an airport as good as this, you can tell when a kitchen cares about what it's sending out. Really well presented food, fresh and authentic. Would certainly recommend!

We had our evening meal here early September, been watching reviews for a year and it had new owners in that time and some reviews weren't so good but we decided to give it a try anyway.

We ate here on Friday evening. The service was fantastic and friendly. The food was beautiful. Highly recommend eating here. It was also my husbands Birthday and the staff went out of their way to make it special for him. Thank you 🙏 💓👌

This is their second time we have dined at Vanda – excellent Thai food, with numerous vegetarian items, and the service is amazingly fast.

Lovely room and service and nice Peking duck. But appetizers all deep fried. Main courses and vegeys and noodles all drowning in oil! Way too much money for food court style Chinese.

Great choice of food - including Vegan! Freshly cooked. We went early evening for a meal. Glad we did as it got very busy towards the end. Waiter was very helpful.

We arrived at the hotel and chose to dine here and what a great choice. The staff are lovely and very attentive and the food was incredible. Its not cheap but we had a lovey evening and couldnt fault the food. You wont be disappointed if you decide on this for an evening.

Great food, reasonably priced and lovely staff. This is a busy restaurant but the staff are always friendly and welcoming

We had a lovely lunch here and had such great service and food. We really appreciated the calm and quiet which diminished stress levels during a 24 hour delay due to fog on the Channel Islands.

Had dinner before flying out of Gatwick North Terminal. Really fresh, tasty dishes. A little of on the pricey side but the taste was great and the service fast and efficient. Perfect start to a holiday!

Having been somewhat disappointed on recent visits we were delighted to see a great improvement this time. We understand that this restaurant is under new management. The staff are very friendly and efficient, the menu is varied and the quality of the food exceptionally good.

We always pre-book the Vanda restaurant when staying at the North Terminal Sofitel Hotel before fly out on holiday the following morning. Excellent service and oriental food. Ensure you e-mail your booking request and then you will not be disappointed as it is a very popular restaurant.

We have seen this restaurant before but never been in. So this time we decided to have the set meal. It is 4 course's and there was plenty of it. The main course was sweet and sour, lamb curry and a sizzerling seafood. The sweet and sour and the lamb did need more of a sauce. The lamb was a bit bland as it seemed that the flavour was cooked out of it. We were so full that we had the desert packed up and had it in our room later. I would recommend that you don't have the set menu and just choose a few dishes as it fills you up.

Having travelled from Crawley to try this restaurant we were underwhelmed from the start to the finish. The place was full, unbelievably so when we discovered the food to be tasteless under seasoned, bland. We questioned the lack of tofu in the vegetarian pad Thai, the chef passed on through the waiter that it is very small so small it appeared to be invisible to the naked eye. The starter spring rolls had bean shoots, nothing else along with what appeared to be a ready made chilli sauce. Duck fried rice had he same lack of flavour, lack of seasoning and only had taste when they bought out a bottle of soy sauce and chilli flakes. How this place attracts a 4/5 rating I have no idea, it is possibly the worst I have eaten at and the staff appear oblivious to the food they serve. Certainly a definite no return from us. High Hopes diminished within minutes of the food arriving.

I stay at the Sofitel hotel 2 or 3 times a month for work. I usually grab dinner at the Vanda restaurant when I'm there. The staff are always very friendly and the food is always made fresh, served promptly, and tastes delicious. Portions could be a little larger for the price but I'd say they're on par for the U.K.. I'm just coming from North America and used to getting a little more bang for my buck. More beer selection would be nice too!

We stayed for one night at the Sofitel before flying out the next day. Vanda kept coming up on reviews so we gave it a try. What a pleasant surprise. We checked in at the hotel at 4pm and they recommended reserving so they made a reservation for 7pm. We were seated promptly when we arrived, ordered everything to share -- 1 appetizer (squid) and 2 mains (sea bass and cashew chicken, plus a bowl of rice), and some wine by the glass. Super nice servers (who had the juggle a number of families with kids on summer break) and delicious food. Came away full and satisfied, not stuffed.

It's good, but not great. We haad the mixed started and the chicken satay was very overcooked. All the other dishes were OK. The mains were good. Another irritation is that as it is obviously a franchise, they cannot serve drinks that are available outside the restaurant so if you want something not on the menu, you have to go out and get it yourself.

Nice looking restaurant Great service However we felt very rushed We had 2 courses which were very good but too fast and for the price I came away feeling dissatisfied.

Walked in with the hope of a table but were told we would have to wait an hour which was not an issue as we went to get a drink.

We stayed at the Sofitel due to an overnight connection. Vanda's menu looked great and the food did not disappoint. We had a shareable platter (-2 veggie spring rolls, 2 Thai fish cakes, 2 salt and pepper prawn, 2 duck egg rolls, and 2 skewers of chicken satay), hot and sour soup, crab and corn soup, and the Thai beer. Food came out in a timely manner, however the table service was not up to par. We received half of our ordered drinks almost immediately, yet had to ask for the rest. After our meal we waited for 20 minutes to pay our bill and no one came to our table. Ended up going to hostess counter to request bill and pay.

We were in Gatwick in between flights and booked a table here for lunch to while away a couple of hours. Our inbound flight was delayed but the restaurant were happy for us to turn up at any time prior to the kitchen closing at 14:15. We arrived around 13:45 and we were the only diners! Service was brisk - appetisers were brought at the same time as the main courses due to the kitchen closing. The food was really nice - I would recommend the sizzling beef as the sauce is to die for.

I use a wheelchair. Access is via bar. Every route blocked by chairs, then two steps. Had sharing starter platter. Then I had a three curry taster. Not cheap, but filling and flavoursome. The lamb was particularly good.

We visited at the start of June as we was staying in the sofitel.

this Pan asian restaurant is excellent and offers fresh, cooked from scratch food. The setting is lovely and the service fast.... is unusual to find such a gem in an airport environment but this is the best!

Decided to try this restaurent and was not disappointed, very nice food good service even though they were very busy and good value food, wine a bit pricey.

We eat at this restaurant (Vanda) every time we stay at Sofitel Gatwick, probably 10-12 times, and never been disappointed. Our waitress, Kate, was ever so efficient and charming, always smiling. The atmosphere was good, the Singh beer ice-cold, and the food excellent as always. We will certainly return. This is a perfect way to start your holiday. Well done Katie!

I've stayed at the Sofitel Gatwick many times and i've never succeeded in getting a table at the Vanda. This time, i got in!

We were staying at the hotel & eating here again seemed the easiest option. Food was very averages & a fairly high point. Service wasn't Great either, so won’t be rushing back here!

The Sofitel is my hotel of choice at Gatwick, and Vanda is always my restaurant of choice.

Had dinner in Vanda restaurant on April 30th. This had all the charm and appeal of a car plant without the good canteen food. There were a good number of staff on duty in relation to the table numbers but they were in a huge (almost frantic) rush. Not engaging with us in any way beyond taking our order. Slow drinks service, average food. Service was nothing that could not have been achieved by robots. However the staff here and ourselves did have one thing in common. We couldnt wait to get us out of there.

A wide range of options from across Asia on the menu and the dished we tried were very authentic in flavour. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere inside and provides good service.

Authentic chinese food served promptly by friendly staff. Lovely setting on same site as hotel. Will use again.