The Word on The Wolseley

[Hallie]

The other week I passed by the building that used to be the China House restaurant on Picadilly. It seems as though the place has been gutted of its oriental fittings and kitted out in a 'grand cafe' style. I couldn't stop for long and only glanced at the menu, but things seemed reasonably priced.

Fill me in - what is this place? It looks interesting. Is this a restaurant or a tarty tea shop?

By the way - happy new year everyone. Its still not too late to say that I hope?

[Suzi Edwards]

that's the wolesley, it's the new place from chris corbin and jeremy king.

haven't been yet, but the celebrity buzz is strong. i hear the neologists say it's the new ivy.

there is probably a review on here....

[Andy Lynes]

I don't think we've had any first hand reports as yet but there are links to press reviews in the UK Media update on the Food Media and News board. I have spoken to several people who ate there just after it had opened and were less than thrilled by their experience, but its a hell of a team and things may well have improved by now. Interestingly however, restaurant managing director David Loewi has quit after just 3 months and returned to the Conran fold from whence he came : full story here.

[MobyP]

Unfortunately - A A Gill really, but really loves it.

[Jonathan Day]

I had dinner at the Wolseley the week before last. I had expected the large space, which was once a car showroom, then became a branch of Barclays Bank and then a Chinese restuarant, to be unpleasant and noisy. Surprisingly, it wasn't, even though the restaurant was full. We had a table somewhat off to the side: probably not a "good" table, but perfect for a quiet business discussion.

I can only describe the menu as a hodgepodge. There were Viennese dishes, Jewish dishes, French dishes, oysters and other shellfish, grills, American dishes (burgers!). A daily specials list had cassoulet, Irish Stew, and, for the day we were there, suckling pig. Although the menu is long, the wine list is very short. We had an Italian red -- a Barolo, I think.

The service was friendly and accommodating. My food wasn't bad. Dressed crab was fresh and well presented with crisp toasts. I had the suckling pig; the meat was flavourful, though a bit overdone and accompanied by pieces of skin that were as tough as old leather. Cheese for pudding -- no selection, but what they served was acceptable.

"Not bad" is about the best I can say for this place, after one visit. The prices were more than reasonable, especially for this location and the service was very good. Worth a repeat visit, just to try a few more of the dishes on the far-ranging menu.

[circeplum]

the food at the wolseley, though not at all bad, isn't the point. it's all about the buzz and the people watching. call me shallow, but i loved it too.

and the celebrity count is satisfyingly high, though if you're a mere likes-of-us punter you'll probably be sat on the outer fringes and not in the holy-of-holies central corral.

[Jamsie]

I had dinner there before christmas and have to say i was disappointed, i have eaten at the Orrery before and think Chris Galvin is excellent and was fully aware that is was brasserie style food but my dishes were both over salted and a bit poor.

The room definitely has a buzz about it though.

My wife likes the sleb rubbish and felt short changed by getting that ginger bloke out of love actually and Kilroy

[Suzi Edwards]

I can only describe the menu as a hodgepodge. There were Viennese dishes, Jewish dishes, French dishes, oysters and other shellfish, grills, American dishes (burgers!). A daily specials list had cassoulet, Irish Stew, and, for the day we were there, suckling pig. Although the menu is long, the wine list is very short. We had an Italian red -- a Barolo, I think.

just like the ivy then :-)

[Hallie]

that's the wolesley....

Auch! Worsley, Wolesley, Ivy....its all the same! ;-)

Sounds worth a try.

[curlywurlyfi]

My boss has just come back from lunch there and is now stomping about the office fulminating about the dreadful and churlish service. Can expand, but since it would be reportage rather than direct experience it may not be strictly eGullet policy.

[Suzi Edwards]

other than circe's suggestion to wear colour, i am unsure of the dress code here. any ideas? i want to wear my denim clamdiggers. is that too casual do you think?

[Andy Lynes]

Note from fashion-challenged Site Manager - You tell us what clamdiggers are, we'll tell you if they are too casual. Deal?

[slacker]

I had a really really good, but poorly described Croissant aux Amandes (filled with hazelnuts) there on Tues morning. With four good Cappucinos the bill was £11. Anyone care to price the same from Starbucks/Cafe Nero? I loved the style of the place and the theatrical route to the bogs down the spiral staircase. Pricing looked very reasonable. I'm going again for breakfast.

Also, everyone stared at me, but I don't think that's because I'm a celeb.

[Suzi Edwards]

clamdiggers: three quarter length trousers. i have created my own by turning up my jeans so they sit mid calf (actually typed mid thigh first of all - *so* not a good look for me) and have deep turn-ups.

i have found some clamdiggers here

i am wearing them with lots of pink, thus "dressing up" the look.

am slightly worried about a spiral staircase in these shoes though.

[circeplum]

Also, everyone stared at me, but I don't think that's because I'm a celeb.

everyone stares at you in the wolsely in case you're a celeb...

x

[Gary Marshall]

Also, everyone stared at me, but I don't think that's because I'm a celeb.

everyone stares at you in the wolsely in case you're a celeb...

x

that's the fun thing about the ivy walk stridently through the place and watch the necks crane to see if you're somebody.

like a restaurant full of meercats

unfortunately unlike slacker who resembles many debonair english actors i most closely resemble martin clunes not really a claim to fame.

gary

[slacker]

Also, everyone stared at me, but I don't think that's because I'm a celeb.

everyone stares at you in the wolsely in case you're a celeb...

x

that's the fun thing about the ivy walk stridently through the place and watch the necks crane to see if you're somebody.

like a restaurant full of meercats

unfortunately unlike slacker who resembles many debonair english actors i most closely resemble martin clunes not really a claim to fame.

gary

Kindly remove that tongue from your cheek you charming, self-effacing Yorkshireman.

[Morfudd]

Hello e gulleteers I am new to these boards in terms of contributions but I have been actively "passive" (as it were) for some time and always enjoy reading the diversity of opinions written here (even if I dont agree with them!)

I am a great fan of the Wolesley and I think the point of the restaurant is not about the food per se but about the whole dining experience. I think we go to restaurants for different reasons according to the whim or occasion. Chris and Jeremy were always good at creating restaurants designed to appeal to all sorts of occasions (or non occasions, like simply wanting a risotto) and this is one of the reasons the restaurants they created have been so successful. The Wolesley will succeed because of the way our eating habits have been changing - we "graze" much more than we ever used to, hence the popularity of all day dining places like the W. plus the appearance of lots of new restaurants serving European "tapas" etc etc.

Its a great place to just turn up, even at 4pm when it is still packed and has lots of atmosphere. The kitchen have found their feet too and there is some decent grub being produced....

[Suzi Edwards]

so, i went to the wolesley. clamdiggers and a poncho were very suitable :-)

the room is lovely; great high ceilings, black chandeliers and lots and lots of light. the high ceilings are a good thing, there were lots of smokers there and i can imagine it could get real smoky. the service is great too. jack was held up (thank you london transport) and one of the waiters spotted me alone and come over with a paper. which was a good thing as there was "no-one" there to people watch. it wasn't a very glam crowd. it was a bit provincial to be honest (and i'm not trying to be mean) but it just struck me it was fully of people who couldn't get into the ivy.

anyway, onto the food. we had almost no time there, so i had a burger and jack had boudin blanc with caramel apples and mash. he won. the burger was made with good quality meat and had good flavour but the meat was hard. it came exactly as i ordered, but it was only the blood from the meat that made it juicy. the bun was quite sweet and nicely seeded and it was served with a pickle, tomato and onion on the side. jack's sauasages were delish, especially the sauce/gravy which i had great fun dipping my (slightly anemic) fries into.

i'd like to go back because the room is great and the have that butter which moby loves (i can't work out how to spell it - echire?)

[MobyP]

Hmmm - butter....

I'd love to go there, but I just feel as if I need a glam companion (and absence of diet). Did anyone keep their platform shoes?

Welcome Morfudd. I hope you'll stick around.

[Andy Lynes]

clamdiggers: three quarter length trousers.

Oh yes, I know what you mean. My wife wears those actually. I still wouldn't have been in a position to tell you if they were appropriate for the Wolseley or not. But then I expect you guessed that.

[Suzi Edwards]

Hmmm - butter....

don't worry mobes, i took one for the team and had a double portion *especially* for you.

all this talk of clamdiggers has made me buy some palourdes clams for supper tonight.

[Hallie]

Yes, I finally managed to eat at the Wolseley. I not only had dinner at the Wolseley but the weekend before I had tea there too. It was a good weekend for getting into places that have been turning me away at the door - I even dined at Yauatacha.

I have to say, I really like the Wolseley. I like the food and the ambiance. As most people on this thread have agreed, the food is basic stuff - but its good. Its easy to forget the virtues of dishes that don't include coulis, confit and nage in the description. My starter was a beautiful and simple plate of steamed asparagus with a moussiline sauce. My main course was the one dish I had been eyeing-up for weeks as I passed the menu outside; roast suckling pig with roast root vegetables. Both were excellent choices, tender and crispy in the right places.

What I really admire about the Wolseley however is the 'grand cafe' like feel of the place. I've been moaning for the past year or so that London has nothing like the lovely people watching hives of Vienna and Paris. This is the closest I've found and it doesn't fail to disappoint. I'm not interested in B-list celeb spotting, just the aquarium like environment, the hustle and bustle, the well-turned out wait-staff - something quiet old fashioned and romantic about it.

If you can't get in for lunch or dinner, I'd recommend tea. They do set teas and lots of little froo-froo cakes and biscuits at the front of the restaurant where you can watch people stroll by on Piccadilly . Everything arrives on silver and feels just that wee bit special.

[Winot]

Went there tonight post-extremely unsuccessful Christmas shopping (one gift and...errr...two CDs for me).

What a great place.

Turned up in jeans and t-shirt and left feeling slightly guilty as I'd definitely let the place down, but charmingly there wasn't a hint of this from the front of house who were warmth incarnate.

Only had to wait 15mins for a table at 8pm so had a martini in the bar and a soda water for the other half then we were shown to a table overlooking the entrance -- not the best in the house but great for people watching.

Kicked off with steak tartare and poilane toast. The porttion of steak was far too big (or there was insufficient toast depending on your point of view) and was slightly under-seasoned for my liking but this was soon rectified with a dab of mustard. Forgot to ask the provenance of the egg yolk on top as it looked too small for a hen and too big for a quail. This was washed down with a glass of Morgon from a newly opened bottle which could have had more time to breathe but opened up as time went on. Not your usual problem with wine by the glass.

We then both had the fish of the day which was sea bass fillet with puy lentils and mushrooms. Nice bit of fish, again a decent size, and lovely 'shrooms but the lentils were underdone. A side of (perfect) mash and OK buttered spinach completed the picture and a very nice glass of gruner veltliner was the perfect accompaniment.

Finished off with a shared vanilla cheesecake (which wasn't bad but not quite cloying enough) and a joltingly good espresso for me and mint tea for her which was impressively made with fresh mint but unfortunately not enough of it (if you're going to do it, do it properly and fill the pot with the leaves).

£83 plus service all-in for a decent bit of grub though no fireworks. As noted above, however, the food isn't really the point here; it's the fin de siecle glamour of the room and the shameless people watching, the crowd being a bizarre mix of the Mayfair un-self-consciously rich and the self-conscious overdressed wannabees. The management are to be congratulated though on creating a warm, buzzy atmosphere that belies the restaurant's relative youth, and especially the designers for giving the impression that the Wolseley, despite being wet behind the ears, has somehow been there forever.

[Jon Tseng]

Was there this time last week, hungry, after the Friday Night Skate

Turned up at half ten in street clothes and rollerblades. Staff were very gracious; got a table after fifteen minutes mulching in the bar drinking tap water and reading the papers (much quicker than royal china!). Service notaceably good all evening (even let me keep my skates on!), although NB they had received a kicking in the national press that week for snotty service, so everyone was probably drilled to be on best behaviour.

Spit-Roast Pork belly with quince, notably soft, yielding, melting. Two inch-thick slices on the place. A bit short on crackling (only a thin half cm strip put on seperately - but the strip itself was good). The skin on the pork itself was tender, but not crisp

Served with apples and quince paste. Very good flavour and fabulous texture - just the right mix between fattiness and meatiness. Only complaint a little under-salted.

I was very impressed by the quality of the food considering I came in late at the arse-end of what must be one of the busiest services of the year (fri night in christmas season). On skates. Highly recommended!

cheers

J