Wareing At The Savoy Grill

[macrosan]

I just read that the Savoy Grill is being taken over by Marcus Wareing. Did I miss this somewhere ?

The report in today's Telegraph says that they closed after lunch yesterday for a total refurbishment. They're abandoning the "jacket and tie" rule, and going for an altogether less stuffy and more modern atmosphere.

I look forward to this

[Matthew Grant]

So who is taking over at the Berkeley Hotel ?

[Scottf]

I gathered his role at Savoy Grill was to be on a consultancy basis only, and that Petrus is definitely moving to The Berkeley.

[Matthew Grant]

This makes sense, I thought I read that GR was taking over at the Savoy, Marcus is probably going to be a front man for Gordon as he attempts to keep himself out of the media spotlight

[Gavin Baxter]

Here's Simon Hattenstone's take on the Savoy Grill, pre-makeover, from today's Guardian:

Click Here

Gavin

[Gavin Convery]

According to the Savoy website, the Grill is open again. Interestingly, there is a chef's table.

Here's the sample menu off the website:

A Sample Menu

The new menu reflects Marcus' fondness for modern European dishes and Savoy Grill classics.

Dinner Menu: £35 for three courses

Starters

King prawn tortellini with lime and chervil, vegetable ribbons and white aspargus, served with a celery emulsion

Roasted hand-dived scallops with fresh pea puree, tomato confit and a mint-infused veloute

Caramelised calves' sweetbreads on pancetta and onion marmalade, grilled asparagus with apple and endive salad

Fish and Shellfish

Pan-fried fillet of John Dory, sauteed romaine lettuce, parsnip puree, field mushrooms and deep fried parsley, matelote sauce

Crispy pave of Salmon, crushed new potatoes with lobster and chervil, leeks braised with thyme, light lobster bisque

Braised fillet of brill, braised fennel hearts, sauteed baby squid with chervill vinaigrette, fennel veloute

Fillet of sea bass steamed with basil and rock salt, paysanne of vegetables with cos lettuce, chopped chervil in olive oil and clams, shellfish and basil broth

Meat and Poultry

Braised Wiltshire pork belly, sauteed Jerusalem artichoke, braised red onions, artichoke puree and apple sauce, sauce Banyuls

Roast Anjou pigeon, sauteed cepes with baby spinach, pommes Anna, pan-fried foie gras, Madeira jus

Rump of Cornish lamb, fondant potatoes, baby artichokes, cherry tomatoes and black olives, lamb jus scented with rosemary

Roast veal cutlet, caramelised root vegetables, creamed truffle pomme puree, veal jus

Fish and Shellfish

Pan-fried fillet of John Dory, sauteed romaine lettuce, parsnip puree, field mushrooms and deep fried parsley, matelote sauce

Crispy pave of Salmon, crushed new potatoes with lobster and chervil, leeks braised with thyme, light lobster bisque

Braised fillet of brill, braised fennel hearts, sauteed baby squid with chervill vinaigrette, fennel veloute

Fillet of sea bass steamed with basil and rock salt, paysanne of vegetables with cos lettuce, chopped chervil in olive oil and clams, shellfish and basil broth

Meat and Poultry

Braised Wiltshire pork belly, sauteed Jerusalem artichoke, braised red onions, artichoke puree and apple sauce, sauce Banyuls

Roast Anjou pigeon, sauteed cepes with baby spinach, pommes Anna, pan-fried foie gras, Madeira jus

Rump of Cornish lamb, fondant potatoes, baby artichokes, cherry tomatoes and black olives, lamb jus scented with rosemary

Roast veal cutlet, caramelised root vegetables, creamed truffle pomme puree, veal jus

[Andy Lynes]

Fay Maschler gave it 2 stars in the Standard this week. The review will be online at www.thisislondon.co.uk but you will have to pay to read it, although I think they are still offering a 30 day free trial.

I believe one or even two of our regular contributors is either going very soon or has already been so hopefully we can get their opinion soon

[circeplum]

would that be me, then?

liked it very much, though you'll have to get your (free!) copy of the paper to find out just how much.

what i didn't say is that i was sitting tete a tete (the arrangements of the booths mean that you're surprisingly close to the people at the next table) with alan coren who was pretty unscintillating conversation-wise in the flesh. (had given up attempting to listen to date by this time).

also, was corralled into a journo ghetto with chrissie iley (big kisses from marcus wareing; so much for journalistic anonymity) and our own mr rayner whom i accused of stealing my sausage. (it's a long story.)

otherwise it was suits-a-go-go.

previous atmosphere remains, though brushed up and burnished. altogether an improvement. plus a truly reasonably priced lunch menu, the dishes on which, to be honest, i'd have preferred. call me reactionary.

m

[Andy Lynes]

also, was corralled into a journo ghetto with chrissie iley (big kisses from marcus wareing; so much for journalistic anonymity) and our own mr rayner whom i accused of stealing my sausage.  (it's a long story.)

Who is Chrissie Iley?

Also, feel free to tell the long story, although I get the feeling that it would be more interesting we're it the other way around i.e. you were trying to get your hands on Mr Rayners sausage (I'm sorry. It's Friday afternoon and I'm a tad bored) .

[Gavin Convery]

circeplum,

Which paper would that be then? Or could you give us a quick resume of what you ate.....?

Did you get to see the Chef's table and where it was in relation to the actual cooking?

[Andy Lynes]

Gavin, I assume you missed this thread when circeplum revealed her true identity.

[Bapi]

Damm, I missed that thread as well.

Circeplum was apologising since I had asked whether she was the reviewer for the Metro her after the egullet Chez Bruce meal last year. If I am not mistaken, we discussed the fact that she was dining at Pharmacy that same night, after the lunch. Lone behold the next Wednesday, she used the phrase "tired and emotional" that had been banded about on this site to explain our certain level of intoxication, in her review of Pharmacy and I noted the name she had used was also suspiciously similar. When quizzed, she flatly denied it was her and only came clean at the Fat Duck meal a mere six months later! Tut tut

I hope you are still feeling sufficiently guilty Circe, but I am a pleasant(ish) chap and I am therefore, willing to help you to alleviate this great burden by graciously agreeing to accompany you on a future work outing.

[mrshugget]

Why should chrissey illey be anonymous, she's not a food writer or a critic, is she? Is she? And if Circeplum etc were all sitting in BOOTHS in the Savoy Grill, isn't it there anonymity - or lack of it - that is being compromised?

[jayrayner]

Sorry. Don't understand. 60% of the savoy grill is booths. How can sitting in one compromise your anonymity? (though it has to be said the wareing/ramsay axis knows what we all fahrking look like anway; trying to be anonymous in this business is akin to a hooker trying to regain her virginity)

[mrshugget]

I wasn't really writing about you. Monsieur Rayner, I was writing about the odd slur about non food critic Chrissey iIlley. And the point about the Savoy booths is that they are much coveted; did y'all request one when you booked? Or were you whisked into them magically when you anonymously arrived?

You make no claims to being anonymous - but by remarking about another journalist, Cicreplum did.

Please understand this: The Savoy Grill is not 60% booths , it is exactly 25%.

[Andy Lynes]

Mrs Hugget, you do know that the Savoy Grill has recently been completely refurbished and is now "run" by Marcus Wareing which the reason is why all these journo types were there don't you?

[mrshugget]

Yes.

[Andy Lynes]

OK.

(And you still say 25%?).

[Gavin Baxter]

As a poor humble punter who is lunching there on Saturday, should I be offended if a booth is not offered?

[circeplum]

I wasn't really writing about you. Monsieur Rayner, I was writing about the odd slur about non food critic Chrissey iIlley.

ms illey (sp?) does write restaurant reviews for publications like in-flight magazines. and nobody in the business (with the possible exception now of jay) knows what i look like. and i always book under an assumed name.

also, it wasn't intended as a slur, simply an observation.

m

oh yeah, and there are lots and lots of booths!

[Basildog]

How can you say that no one knows what you look like, when your likeness is there to see on your every post?

[circeplum]

How can you say that no one knows what you look like, when your likeness is there to see on your every post?

sheesh...

[mrshugget]

Miss C Plum; adjust your gorgeous spectacles and look at the Savoy Grill again; there are 32 tables and only eight of them are booths. Not lots and lots. But certainly a few. However, I stand corrected about missey illllley or whatever her name is. I've never seen a restaurant review of hers, in an inflight magazine or otherwise. i just thought she interviewed people.

[Andy Lynes]

Here's a picture of the Grill Room. You can't tell from it exactly how many booths there are so it gets us no futher with proving the arguement either way, but its pretty isn't it?

[AnnyBaxter]

We had lunch at the Savoy Grill on Saturday (booking on the Thursday before)

And no, we didn’t get a booth. As you enter the room these are on the right hand side and are actually quite low – unimposing and not very private. There are as many ordinary tables and chairs which make up at least 50% of the remainder of the room.

The three course lunch was 25-00 GBP and the menu (excluding accents, circumflexes and graves) was:

Starters

Omelette Arnold Bennett

Tian of potted shrimps with Shiso cress, cocktail sauce and Melba toast.

Chilled vine tomato and red pepper gazpacho with crab and avocado toast.

Asparagus veloute with fresh asparagus and poached quail’s eggs

Ballottine of foie gras on potato and spring onion salad with toasted Polane crips and creamed truffle dressing.

Ravioli of confit duck, baby spinach, foie gras veloute.

Mains

Roasted rack of lamb with Provencale herb crust and rosemary jus.

Braised Wiltshire pork belly, sautéed Jerusalem artichoke, braised red onions, artichoke puree and apple sauce, sauce Banyuls.

Roast breast of corn-fed chicken, root vegetables, summer truffles, morel veloute.

Braised fillet of halibut with baby gem lettuce salsify and asparagus, Sauternes sauce

Crispy pave of salmon, crushed new potatoes with lobster and chervil, leeks braised with thyme, light lobster bisque.

Pan-fried dorade with lightly braise fennel, tomato confit, feves, fennel veloute.

Afters

Apple tarte Tatin with vanilla ice cream and a caramel sauce (for two)

Selection of desserts from the trolley

Selection of English and French cheeses

A sort of cut-down version of the dinner menu in Gavin C‘s earlier post.

Being a day ending in a y, naturally, we had an aperitif of Laurent Perrier.

We had a wild mushroom veloute with truffle oil as an amusee. (to satisfy the veloute law).

To start, Gavin had the Omelette Arnold Bennett with a Qupe VS – this was nice and runny with a few, small pieces of smoked haddock and I had the Ballottine of foie gras with a Riesling.SP – the foie gras was cooler than room temperature but soon warmed up in the palate with the Riesling and tasted delicious

For mains Gavin had the Pave of salmon with Seghisio 99 – the salmon was cooked perfectly to translucence.

I had the pork belly with Pernand Vergelesses – the pork was good altho’ a little salty for my tase and not as good as my favourite pork belly ever at Chez Bruce.

I succumbed to the chocolate tart thingy and Gavin had the cheeses (which he felt were a bit dry).

We then pushed the boat out and had coffee with Casterede Calvados 1967 and R Groult Doyen D’auge Armagnac

The bill was about 160-00 GBP that is 110-00 GBP on water, coffee, service and, ehm, drink!

We enjoyed the food, the selection of wines, the service and the very unstuffy atmosphere (we’d never have dreamt of dining there under the old regime). I recognised the sommelier but couldn’t recall if

it’d been at Amaryllis or Claridges.

The staff kindly gave us a copy of the menu (as above) and a tour of the kitchen. This is bigger than the kitchen at Claridges and the chef’s table is separate in a raised. air and sound conditioned booth over the main cooking area. The table is black and shaped like a piano top and can take up to 8-10 people at 100-00 GBP per head excluding drink.

We’d definitely go back as we rated it good value for lunch.