Petrus by Marcus Wareing is now open

[VivreManger]

Interesting menu - fairly brave on the starters, I bet there are quite a few people who wouldn't fancy any of them (The mains sound a bit more crowd pleasing).

Actually I was thinking I would graze on starters and punt the mains which seem rather dull by comparison. But I love sweetbreads.

I just posted an eating itinerary in which I was asking about dining suggestions for lunch, Sketch versus RHR. As a result of this thread and other thinking, I should add Petrus and Aikens to the list. Any feedback?

Edited September 22, 2003 by VivreManger (log)

[Andy Lynes]

I think it would be a great opportunity to try Petrus at what I'm sure will turn out ot be a bargin price. I was considering returning to RHR soon, but having seen the new Petrus restaurant and read the menu, I am now planning to try there instead.

[VivreManger]

How long will the launch menu last?

I will be getting to London in about a month. Do you think the menu will last until the 17th or 18th of October?

[Andy Lynes]

Its so difficult to tell, Ramsay has upped his prices quite swiftly at The Savoy and before that at The Connaught. but its only a couple of weeks away so you may well be lucky.

[Carlovski]

fairly brave on the starters, I bet there are quite a few people who wouldn't fancy any of them

i don't get that at all. i'm not a St john man - can't get my mind round quails' heads and fried tripe - but how can anyone who likes food not go for lobster, caviar, scallops or foie gras???????????????

Well, there are plenty of people who don't 'Do' seafood (And yes, some of them do frequent high end restaurants). If they then also don't like offal, there isn't a lot left for them.

Most menu's always have at least one 'Safe' (Or light - not a lot there for ladies who lunch either!) starter - a salad, pasta, soup or maybe a slightly less threatening terrine! etc.

I personally think all starters sound good (And I am a sucker for a decent omelette Arnold bennett, even a mucked around with version!)

[Scottf]

I think it would be a great opportunity to try Petrus at what I'm sure will turn out ot be a bargin price.

A friend's been, and the menu is £55 for the 3 courses, the same as at the old site.

Enjoyed it very much btw.

[Andy Lynes]

I just get a feeling that it won't be £55.00 for long, given Ramsay's (and just about every other London restaurateur) track record for raising prices soon after opening. Tom Aikens is a good example, rising from £39.00 to £49.00 in the matter of a few weeks.

[Scottf]

Well, I don't think £55 is particularly good value now let alone if it goes up, when you can go to Ramsay for £65!

[Andy Lynes]

I agree. All I am saying is that £55.00 may look like a bargin in 6 weeks time if the prices rise to say £60.00 a head. Also, you have a good chance of Marcus Wareing having cooked your dinner at Petrus, for the moment at least, whereas you have little or no chance of that happeing at RHR I would guess.

[Andy Lynes]

Petrus restaurant interiors :

Petrus bar

[sandra]

Going tonight - can't wait!

[Andy Lynes]

We'll look forward to hearing all about it.

[tony h]

Fay M slated it in Wednesday's Evening Standard (I tried to get the link but I have not registered). Only the freebies seemed good.

Have now cancelled & am going to Tom Aikens instead.

[Andy Lynes]

Reviews have been fairly poor so far, apart from Circeplum's. Maschler was hard on Wareing wasn't she, going so far as to question his talent, which seemed pretty extreme.

[tony h]

who do you trust more Mashler or Wareing? One of them, at least, knows what they're doing.

[sandra]

Well, I for one am NOT questioning Wareing's talent!

Dinner was outstanding on Friday night -

First they come with the champagne trolley and you have your choice for a glass, including a rose Grande Dame and Dom Perignon.

The amuses: A croquette of mash and black truffle, golden and warm, a little toast with dilled salmon mousse and roasted red pepper, a little toast with herbed cream cheese and a fresh anchovy. Then, a gazpacho with pineapple bits and watermelon, in the little shot glasses - sounded odd but was delicious.

The starters: We both had the Lobster Arnold Bennet, the light omelet, just perfectly runny, stuffed with lobster pieces, smoked haddock, cheese and all surrounded by a lobster bisque - I could have eaten that alone all night it was so good.

The mains: My husband had the special of grouse, roasted and served with pork belly, croutons, fondant potatoes and a lovely sage cream bread sauce - I had the veal fillet served with roasted root vegetables (cut into little rondels) and all served on top of a potato rosti, which was crispy and caramelized to perfection. The sauce was a creamy grain mustard sauce.

We skipped desserts and went for the cheese selection - as always, very complete and great choices, there was maybe 6-7 varieties of goat, 8-10 varieties of cow in varying strengths and textures and 3-4 blues. Oh, and the epoisses...always the epoisses!

Then came the trolley with the sweets, Turkish Delight, salted caramels (meltingly good) some truffles and pate de fruits. No coffees, but my husband did have a glass of port.

The wine was a 1966 Margaux which is the subject of it's own little post here: Wine Shock

The room was beautiful, all dark aubergine and black, comfortable leather chairs (and my feet actually touched the floor!) There is a main room and then there is a smaller, more private alcove in the back, 4 tables, which is a lightly dimmer and more romantic, perfect for ocassions such as an anniversary dinner (ours).

In general a great dinner, great service, great room, we'll definitely be going back, despite the little, erm...surprise described in my wine post.

Having a chat with the maitre d' we discovered that the kitchen now is twice the size of the St. James' location, and the cellar is 3 times as large. I had been in both the kitchen and the cellar at the previous location and they were both rather tight, the cellar was only large enough for one person at a time!

Having dined at both Aikens and Petrus, I would not hesitate to recommend Petrus well over Aikens any day.

Do try it....

[tony h]

The wine was a 1966 Margaux which is the subject of it's own little post here: Wine Shock

Sandra

I hope I don't ruin your punchline from the other post but I think it needs mentioning here.

You pointing to an £160 bottle of wine but them suggesting an alternative at £800 without mentioning the cost is close to criminal if not already fraudulent. A few pounds difference as in the case of the locatelli / truffle rip-off incident I could laugh off but here - frankly - I'd talk to lawyer if I were you.

Yours - a seething BLH - I am not even paying the bill!

[Scottf]

we'll definitely be going back, despite the little, erm...surprise described in my wine post.

I'm amazed anybody mistreated in this way would ever, ever contemplate going back to the restaurant.

[Scott]

what's criminal is that Ch. Margaux were in a terrible stink at the time, and only really became the modern star as we know it from 1978 onwards. The 1960's were a bleak, black period for them, so it's not even like you got sold a great wine.

they are taking the piss, possibly to criminal standards. I'd suggest you had a tacit contract on the understanding of the rough price point you are looking at, they have totally changed the terms of your consent by going 5x over, and I imagine many a magistrate would feel the same.

Hell, how many people can afford £800 cunningly added to the list.

[Jonathan Day]

Now we know how those Barclays Capital bankers (click) managed to pay £44,000 for a meal at Petrus.

Banker: "Give us some red plonk with that."

Waiter: "We've got some superb Chateau Petrus tonight -- I think you'll love it."

Banker: "The house wine, eh? That'll do."

[Jon Tseng]

Now we know how those Barclays Capital bankers (click) managed to pay £44,000 for a meal at Petrus.

Banker: "Give us some red plonk with that."

Waiter: "We've got some superb Chateau Petrus tonight -- I think you'll love it."

Banker: "The house wine, eh? That'll do."

[Clerkenwellian]

The legal position is as you'd imagine it to be: if a price is not explicitly agreed then a contract can only be valid if a term is implied into the contract that a reasonable sum be paid. This of course begs the question whether £800 was a reasonable sum: whilst it's arguable, in comparison with the cost of the meal and the cost of the initial bottle, it seems fairly clear to me that it wasn't.

You would have been entitled to pay a reasonable amount and leave the restaurant, of course providing your name and address and inviting them to sue for the remainder. Given that you did pay the £800, you are strictly speaking entitled to sue to recover the "unreasonable" amount (I believe this would be a "quantum meriut" claim, although I am a little rusty).

[tony h]

Look on the bright side - like the wine the look on your partner's face must have been priceless

[jamesmarsh]

Sandra, I had a look at the Petrus wine list and couldn't see a '66 Margaux.

Sandra Levine also posted this on the wine thread:

I'm a little puzzled. A friend just called Petrus and was told that the restaurant does not carry and has never carried the wine is question. The sommelier says they do not and have never stocked tha 66 Ch. Margaux. They stock the 97,83,82 47. The 97 is £325 and the 82 is £1100.

What gives?

[sandra]

There is also no bottle listed for £795, yet I have the receipt right here in front of me....

What do you mean, "what gives?"

Edited October 6, 2003 by sandra (log)