Devonshire Terrace
our comments
New York Brasserie style dining eh? Or is that New York Style Brasserie dining? These subtle differences can make a difference, not that I’m entirely sure what either appellation actually means to be honest. This new restaurant in the newly refurbished spice warehouses that make up Devonshire Square, or DSQ as it likes to be known, has copped itself a nice bit of space whatever its concept. Outside you can sit in an area between the old buildings protected from the weather by a modern glass roof and eye up the Gherkin as it looms over this part of London. On the other ‘terrace’ you can smoke and people watch. Inside it’s a bit more Japanese than New York I’d say, but the clean crisp lines suit a restaurant primarily aimed at Suits and the open kitchen says ‘Hey, we’re busy here!’
The booths are the best seats, although designed for six people. The two-seater tables are a bit tiny to my reckoning and too close together for people who want to talk finance or just plain dirty. A large bit of wood, like an oversized jigsaw piece, sits on each diner’s spot but I never did find out its purpose. Perhaps they are each different and if the whole room puts all their bits together they form a picture of Tony Soprano?
The staff are chic in black and have that buzz you get when they have been chosen for professional peppiness. The menu is all busy grub too, meals for deals. You’ve got everyone’s gastro hit list with things like calves liver and bacon, sausages and mash, ruddy great steaks and chips, burgers, tiger prawns, club sandwiches and salads. Something for everyone and nothing poncey.
My starter salad of octopus, confit tomatoes and chorizo was a bit leaf-heavy which made the octopus and chorizo, tasty as they were, no complaints there, get a bit lost in the vegetation. My mate, who is just the man they are looking for; an HR director of a local big legal firm, had the duck, watercress, chilli and sesame seed salad and liked it a lot, but cursed the watercress which had a lot of stem and threatened to climb out the bowl and attack him like a Triffid.
I like calves liver and this was advertised as Dutch, which adds a further frisson of naughty pleasure to eating it. It was cooked just the way I like it, a bit seared and sticky on the outside and rare in the middle. I would have enjoyed a bit more bacon with it though and not quite so crisply cooked next time. The ‘purple mash’ was indeed that, a colour you would not expect in nature but that is exactly how the spud grows. Mash has to be good with this kind of dish and this was excellent and had me scraping the bowl out. I wasn’t too convinced of the merit of being offered eight choices of sauce with the liver though. I just wanted good old Madeira gravy please, but the one I picked, a red and green peppercorn wasn’t a bad substitute. HR man, fresh from a morning culling staff, was after more blood and had a rare Limousin Veal chop which he said was very good especially with the French beans, garlic and shallots.
Lemon posset with strawberries was sharp and tart and just the job to cleanse the pallet, the bottle of decent Malbec being long gone. I don’t know what New Yorkers normally eat, perhaps each other if the rumours are to be believed, but Devonshire Terrace is just right for its target market this side of the pond. Yes, I had a nice day.
N.H. - August 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
I really enjoyed dining at Devonshire Terrace from the moment I entered. The receptionist was very accommodating offering us either a table inside the restaurant, on the terrace or the balcony. I found the service slick and helpful without being intrusive and my crab starter was light and tasty and the calf’s liver cooked to perfection. A reasonably priced bill and good location defiantly means I will return.
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Claude
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, September 05, 2008
The service was terrible - we waited half an hour just to get a drinks menu and then another half an hour for our cocktails to arrive. The staff were unattentive from start to finish and the place wasn't even busy! Because it was pretty empty the atmosphere was very dull. The waitress read off a whole long list of things that weren't available which was disappointing for early on a friday night. Food was ok but not worth the money.
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Megan
Overall rating 
Food 6 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Although this restaurant is not easy to find, it is worth the trip, maybe for lunch or workday evenings rather than weekends. The service is excellent, the setting is very stylish, and the food is very good indeed at very reasonable prices for the location. A place I shall certainly return to.
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dukandak
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I dined at Devonshire Terrace a while ago and unfortunately it will be the last time. The evening started with a very friendly receptionist greeting me and my wife at the door of the restaurant and introduced herself.
She asked us do we have a preference where we would like to sit, which seemed strange until I looked around and noticed the restaurant was completely empty - pretty odd for a weekday evening?! Ok fair enough it's in a out-of-the-way location maybe it hasn't taken off yet.
We sat down and she disappeared, I waited 5 mins before going over to the bar and ordering our drinks I was greeted by the barman who introduced himself and took our order and offered to bring it over to our table, I had only been sat down 30 seconds and the drinks were delivered by the young man with a smile and apology that the drink order wasn't taken.
I asked him if there was a reason why the restaurant was so empty and he replied that they had only been open for a few weeks and that it would 'take-off' in the coming weeks. I admired his enthusiasm considering there didn't seem much to do, or many customers to serve.
I asked if we would have to order our food at the kitchen pass or would a waiter be along, and he replied that someone would be over to take our order. Couple of minutes later a waitress came over and took our order for food, we ordered and 15mins later we had food in front of us!
I ordered the Devonshire Terrace Sausages with purple mash potato which i'm sure belonged on a children's menu somewhere! While my wife ordered pan fried wild halibut with fresh herb and lemon oil and jersey royals. Both dishes were brilliant and the Indaba Savuignon Blanc that was recommended by the barman was well suited.
We were too full for dessert but opted for an after dinner cocktail and the young man recommended 2 devonshire-tini's - a signature cocktail for Devonshire Terrace I assume, he described it as a fruity cocktail perfect for after dinner, he wasn't wrong!
After the cocktails we paid the bill which was a reasonable £70 although we were just stopping in i'm sure for a proper meal it would be around the £100 mark. Although I thought £7.75 was a bit steep for 3 sausages. I bid farewell to the barman and we took our leave.
All in all I was impressed by the staff and service but feel they would have been more at home in a busier more homely restaurant. Devonshire Terrace i'm sure will suit the clientele in this area who are used to office-like environments, in my eyes it is still only a greasy spoon with a nice interior.
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Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 3
Sunday, August 17, 2008
