Savoy Grill – Review

With its re-opening, Simpson’s In-The-Strand at The Savoy, might have been grabbing all the recent food column inches, but the Savoy Grill, its next-door neighbour, also opened over a century ago in 1904 and remains a stalwart of London’s dining scene. For the last quarter of a century, Gordon Ramsay has been running the institution along with the hotel’s two other restaurants (The River Restaurant) and the Michelin-starred 1890) and shows no signs of giving up this prestigious gig any time soon.

If the idea of a square-shaped restaurant with little depth or spatial segregation sounds flat, Savoy Grill proves otherwise with its thrilling Art Deco interior. Large Swarovski chandeliers glitter with hundreds of glass segments and hang like inverted tumblers. Pillars are squared off by fluted glass panelling and glow with ambient charm. The ceiling is coated with a golden sheen which contrasts the space’s older-fashioned carpet. Comfortable booths line half the walls, white table cloths sparkle and twenties style jazz music soundtracks the whole night for what feels like the height of sophistication with a bit of time travel thrown in for good measure. 

As we peruse the menu’s outer limits, we consume light and breezy Palmer & Co champagne and Louie Fesser oysters. We eschew the American Rockefeller spinach oyster mix and keep it pure. Served on a bed of sea salt and seaweed, the oysters are meaty and fresh with a subtle reminder of their oceanic origins. Shallot mignonette is added in the kitchen but there’s no tabasco should you want to spice things up.  Malted sourdough is especially moreish, pleasingly crunchy on the outside and fluffy and light on the inside. Served with Marmite butter shaped like an exotic sea anemone, I ask my American friend if he’s tried or even heard of Marmite. Negative. I was hoping for that marmite reaction, but it’s a subtle spread, and he neither loves nor hates it which means I consume the majority.

Starters offers a greatest hits package of luxury food choices – Caviar, Foie gras, Cornish crab etc – so that every choice seems a guaranteed winner. Our waitress for the night is Tamsee, whose cheeriness is infectious and who is having the time of her life. We’re struggling to choose, so ask her advice, which she gladly offers. My friend takes the Steak tartare, which comes crowned in green leaves and is centred by a confit St Ewes egg yolk. Hand-cut small chunks of steak are tender and flavoursome and Worcester sauce and capers add to the mix. 

I’m not so sure what to expect from my Arnold Bennett soufflé. Bennett was a novelist and journalist from the 1800s who dined regularly at the Savoy and, for breakfast, always insisted on haddock omelette. Ramsay loved the idea of honouring the man and his dish, but not in the heavier omelette form, hence his soufflé was born. The contrarian, topsy turvy breakfast as starters at dinner conceit pays off and is a revelation. The egg white is light and fluffy, the Montgomery cheddar sauce hearty whilst the haddock errs on the right side of flavoursome without overpowering the rest.  

Chris our sommelier, has a different style to Tamsee but is just as effective and knowledgeable and when you’re least expecting it, he pops up with another suggestion for another drink so we never even open the wine menu, thus making him, surely, the perfect sommelier. We take Viña Alberdi Rioja, which is fruity with a hint of spice and accompanies our Beef Wellington. 

Much like the Arnold Bennett, this dish bridges history; not only is it one of Ramsay’s signatures but it was also one of August Escoffier’s, generally considered one of the greatest chefs ever and who was gainfully employed at the Savoy in the late 18000s. The beef has been massaged in mustard and salt and seared, a parsley pancake surrounds the duxelles and red wine jus sits on top. It’s opulent, extravagant, indulgent and although we order sides, works more than well without them. 

Santosh is the general manager and finishes off the excellent service triumvirate. He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere and checks in from time to time to make sure all is fine which of course it is.  Suddenly and unexpectedly, we’re surrounded by bronze pans, portable stoves and blue gas flames; yep, it’s that Crepe Suzette time of the night. We confer with Tamsee and Chris on how to progress and end up with a surprising G.D. Vajra Moscato D’Asti which is a light, refreshing, sparkling sweet desert wine. 

My Sticky toffee pudding is pure and simple which is exactly how it should be. If the toffee flavour is more subtle than some, the honey ice cream is also a nice alternative to the more traditional vanilla. My friend’s Dark chocolate fondant arrives with exactly the same colour scheme, darker brown and a lighter beige, but more of an architectural balancing act with layers of sea buckthorne ice cream and a tuile on top of that. The sea buckthorne berry tastes somewhere between mango and pineapple and adds a surprisingly exotic tang to the burnt chocolate and caramel dominant flavourings. Even more surprisingly, the fondant is riddled with space dust so expect the odd pop or crackle as you’re eating. 

With Ramsay very much in the ascendant again after the successful launch of his 22 Bishopsgate site, sometimes it’s good to know that if some things aren’t broken, they don’t need fixing. Keep up the good work, Ramsay and team!