34 Grosvenor Square Mayfair

Mr Oil and Mr Vinegar have been to the newest star in the Mayfair restaurant firmament – and the Caprice Holdings stable - and been very impressed.

MrV: You wait ages for a new steak restaurant to open up in Mayfair, and then two come along at once.
MrO: It’s doesn’t seem right to compare them – at least, not 34 Grosvenor Square – to a London bus. I thought it was outstanding.
MrV: 34 is an object lesson in how to do things properly, unlike its rival Cut in the old Playboy Club premisesin Park Lane. I must say I disliked that place intensely. The service was very patchy and the food decidedly unimpressive considering the razzmatazz that went with the launch.
MrO: Everyone was very excited that it is Wolfgang Puck’s first restaurant in Europe.
MrV: I’d never heard of him before. But after eating at his restaurant I’m inclined to think that Puck and Cut are typographical errors.
MrO: But you clearly approved of 34.
MrV: A different thing entirely. Richard Caring and Jesus Adorno have excelled themselves here.
MrO: You don’t mind the prices?
MrV: I’m happy to pay top dollar for top quality.
MrO: You certainly didn’t stint, though I am glad you insisted we both have the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. It is quite the most delicious Jamón Ibérico I’ve ever had.
MrV: The pigs are fed only on the tenderest acorns to produce that flavour and texture. Worth every penny of £22.
MrO: There’s a lot of it. When I next go there I’ll be tempted to have one of those between two.
MrV: It is a very comfortable room, particularly if you’re on the separate tables rather than the banquettes. A much nicer space than PucknCut’s flashy, soulless place. It makes one feel terribly prosperous just being there.
MrO: Is that why you ordered a £70 wagyu steak?
MrV: Precisely.
MrO: I was quite happy with my £19 sliced rump steak. It was excellent – although tasting a bit of your wagyu before I’d tasted the rump was mistake, as the rump was rather drowned by the other’s richness. I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten from an indoor charcoal barbecue before.
MrV: It is an incredible contraption, isn’t it? Made specially for them in Argentina. The smoke extraction alone must be some sort of work of art.
MrO: I think it will draw in the rich and the curious. This place looks like it will become very fashionable quite quickly.
MrV: Yes, but it’s probably expensive enough to keep out the hairdressers and secretaries. I hope it doesn’t attract too many Mayfair property spivs. Nothing kills a restaurant’s atmosphere and appeal quicker than a spiv with an entourage, chucking money about the place.
MrO: That tends not to happen in Richard Caring’s restaurants, I would say.
MrV: Not in most of them, I agree, but look at Annabel’s. Ghastly.
MrO: It was a shame you didn’t try a pudding. My sloe gin jelly with lemon sorbet was exceptional.
MrV: Ice cream and jelly – not an original idea.
MrO: No, but brilliantly executed and that’s what counts. What did you think of the wine list?
MrV: It’s a decent list and I guess their customer base won’t quibble at the prices, though I was a little surprised to see Chateau Musar 2003 at £19.75 a glass when you can get a wholeb ottle of the stuff from Majestic for £17.99.
MrO: The Californian Duckhorn Decoy was very good – much more European in style than most California wines.
MrV: Again, quite pricey. I think you can get that for less than a quarter of what 34 charged us – but hey-ho, it’s only money.

Mr Oil and Mr Vinegar consumed two starters, two main courses and one pudding, washed down with two large vodka-and-tonics, two bottles of wine, one large Poire Williams and four further glasses of wine, plus mineral water and coffee, at a total cost of about £500.

34
34 Grosvenor Square
London W1K 2HD

+44 (o) 203 350 3434

reception@34-restaurant.co.uk
http://www.34-restaurant.co.uk