London - The Square
Winter 07/08
Frank's view 
'excellent, but not quite the best'
Located in the heart of Mayfair in Bruton Street, this restaurant attracts a sophisticated, soberly dressed clientele. It is midweek lunch time in January and all of the well spaced tables are occupied. The décor is dull, livened by splashes of contemporary art. It’s bordering on sterile. The feel is very much in the vein of Ramsay’s Hospital Road.
The cuisine is very good, almost on a par with Ramsay, but not quite. The prices reflect the comparison with Ramsay - almost on a par, but not quite.
- 3 courses at The Square £ 65
- 3 courses at Hospital Road £ 85
- The Square Tasting menu £ 90
- 7 course Menu Prestige (Hospital Road) £110
My Foie Gras arrived in an orange rubber sealed jar – the same jars in which Foie Gras is sold in French supermarkets. It was excellent, but unusually topped with splintered peanuts.
This was followed by an equally excellent sea bass main course.
I opted for cheese, rather than a dessert.
It was all very good but not an exceptional dining experience.
This is the problem with The Square.
Chef and proprietor Philip Howard is apparently highly respected by his fellow chefs in London. In a marketplace where foul mouthed, fiercely competitive cooks consistently (allegedly) abuse staff and peers alike, is it a compliment to be named the chef’s chef?
Perhaps, if one is a ‘Two Star’ Michelin Chef, who hasn't set out to upset one’s peers by competing for television viewers, one becomes everyone’s friend.
The Square is a very good restaurant but, sadly, it just doesn’t have that extra X Factor.
The Square
6 – 10 Bruton Street
London
W1J 6PU
020 7495 7100
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
