34 Grosvenor Square Mayfair - addendum

Having favourably reviewed 34 Grosvenor Square with Mr Oil in late November 2011, Mr Vinegar took his wife there in early January 2012 to celebrate her birthday – and wasn’t quite so impressed.

MrO: So, what was the problem?
MrV: There was more than one. In the first place, I’d asked for a table at the other end of the room from the piano player but we were put virtually next to him. In the second place, we were put next to three very drunken, loud, swearing men who were there purely to drink. The three of them, two of whom were very fat, were squeezed round a table for two on the banquette, which made things even worse. I cannot understand why they weren’t at the bar. If they hadn’t left when they did, we would have walked out. Thirdly, the quality was inconsistent. Our steaks were excellent but the chips were chewy and my sloe gin jelly had a very rubbery texture, which happens to jelly when it dehydrates – for instance, if it’s been made some days beforehand. And fourthly, the service was inattentive at best, distracted at worst. I sat with my hand up, like a schoolboy wanting permission to go to the lavatory, for ten minutes before someone came and took my wife’s drinks order. And later, when I explicitly asked for coffee to be brought after my pudding, they just brought the coffee and had to be reminded about the pudding.
MrO: Do you have anything good to say about it?
MrV: Well, the room remains very pleasant, the food was generally very good and it is clearly a big hit, being full on a Monday evening in early January. But perhaps its popularity is the problem. I got the feeling that, having realised that it is a success, everyone has relaxed. This is a crucial moment for any restaurant. Do you remember what happened when Christopher’s in Covent Garden became an overnight success 20-odd years ago? The waiters thought they ran the place and they almost destroyed it. I hope 34 doesn’t go the same way.

Mr Vinegar and his wife consumed two first courses, two main courses and one pudding, one glass of champagne, two glasses of white wine and a 500ml carafe of red, two cups of coffee and mineral water, at a total cost of £232.

34
34 Grosvenor Square
London W1K 2HD

+44 (o) 203 350 3434

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