Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley

Service - was good not great.

Food - starters were good, mains were bland, dessert was ok.

Decor - ok.

Set lunch - good value for money
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Mitch
7 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 31, 2009

Loved this restaurant! Food was excellent and the service was really friendly. It was my friend's birthday and they even gave her a birthday dessert . Will definitely be coming back again. The set lunch menu we had was very good value for money given it was 3 course with 2 pre starters and 1 pre dessert together with chocolate truffles
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 17, 2009

Pretty good. We left somewhat disappointed because the food was too heavy and plentiful to enjoy - especially on a summer evening (there was no evidence of the season on the menu). Most dishes on the menu gourmand would have benefited from being half the size and perhaps an ingredient less. That said, the lobster and quail were outstanding.

Service was pleasant and efficient. Agree that the room was 'clubby' - and strangely full of birthday diners and people who couldn't believe their 'luck' at being given a tour of the kitchen. On a similar note, we found it bizarre that a restaurant like this prints 'amuse bouche' and 'pre-dessert' on the menu. I'd go again, but only if The Square, Pied a Terre and Le Gavroche were fully booked.
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Tom
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Saturday, August 15, 2009

First visit here since it was Petrus, and I guess we were wondering whether it would live up to the reviews. The answer, for us at least and based on today's meal, is that it does. And whilst I may not feel that its better than Gordon Ramsay at RHR then it's pretty close and I suspect that for many the choice between them may rest on their particular selection and individual dishes rather than an overall clear advantage one way or the other.

My wife and daughter chose the set lunch and came away with the impression that their meal (£35/3 courses) was a fair reflection of what the restaurant was capable of. This is becoming something of a rarity for many "lunchtime menus" we've had in the last year have borne little relation to the style and quality of the main menu. The food? well every single item they brought to us -(and with two amuses bouches, a pre-dessert, and chocolates there were in effect seven items for each person) was positively enjoyed by each of us. No misses. No "okays" No "fines" One simply can't take issue with the quality of ingredients or cooking. The breads are good, the coffee's decent; there really wasn't anything to whine about at all.

The premises look different from most of the other highly rated restaurants we've eaten at in London. Darker, clubby, more male than the current fashion I think. The staff were pleasant and attentive and the meal was timed pretty perfectly. A couple of timy comments concerning the wine list . The list itself is a big heavy book. Its like choosing wallpaper-not comfortable to use. The second is that the wines themselves are a bit expensive- little under £40 . But the overwhelming feelings here are positive and they can be sure that we'll be back
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David Henderson - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 12, 2009

We ate at Marcus Wareing’s restaurant on the evening of Friday 24th July and both thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The food on the “Menu Prestige” was wonderful and matched perfectly by the suggested selection of wines. It was expensive, but it was value for money for what we ate and drank.

The staff were extremely professional and were genuinely interested in the food they were serving and the fact that we were enjoying ourselves.

The highlight of the evening was a visit to the kitchen, where we saw Marcus & the team cooking and assembling the meals. The atmosphere in the kitchen was calm and professional.

Definitely one of the best meals we have eaten.
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Ian & Vanessa - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I always tend to ignore reviews that start "we went to x restaurant for ....'insert your special occasion here'.... ". There is nothing wrong with going out for a special occasion, I like to do it as often as possible. It's just that with so many factors coming into play on the big night (apart from is the restaurant up to scratch) that perhaps this is not the time to consider writing a review. Just a thought....

So on to the restaurant, this is a sure bet for 3 Michelin stars in the very near future. The food is the equal of his mentor's at Royal Hospital Road, the staff nearly as polished, the whole experience one of luxury and refinement. The room is a bit "clubby" but without being stuffy. Try and avoid being seated in "Siberia", an annex at the back where you will miss the full buzz of the dining room. Food is first class, from the foie gras amuse bouche through to the "great british" custard tart. Although not cheap, with careful ordering and a bit of self control you can eat as well here as you can anywhere in London, and get change from £100 a head. This is one of the best meals we have had, and I will go again as soon as I can! p.s. my wife and I ate here on friday...the special occasion was lunch!
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Shappo - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, July 27, 2009

I couldn't disagree more with H Daly - we had dinner at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley on Saturday 18th July and had the most amazing experience from start to finish.

OK, so we did have to book 7 months in advance but it was well worth the wait. We opted for the £90 per head Menu Prestige and were treated to 10 perfectly balanced and perfectly executed courses. The highlights for us were the stunning foie gras canapes, the most succulent scallops with chorizo, pigeon which I have never tasted before and a melt in the mouth seabass (which replaced the halibut which was unavailable). I have an allergy to cream which was accommodated without a fuss and without affecting the culinary experience at all.

Just when I thought that the evening couldn't get any better, we were invited to make a tour of the kitchen where we were lucky enough to meet Marcus Wareing, the man himself! He took time to speak to us and for me it was the icing on the cake. I can't compliment the staff enough, I think that they realise that not everybody dines out on company expenses and that some people have to save to pay for a such a special night out. I felt like the most important diner in the restaurant that night and loved the fact that there was no table turning - in fact we stayed for 4 hours and missed the last train home from Waterloo!

The bill came to £370 for two which is mainly because we drank pink Champagne. It's not cheap but the experience is worth every penny. We went home with some chocolate truffles in little bags vowing to make a return visit someday!
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H Chan
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Visited for a mid-week lunch. The decor is a bit gentleman's club and the atmosphere is bit lacking to start with, but once the dining room had filled up, things improved. Had the set lunch menu. Mackerel starter was a bit disappointing, but the rest was superb. The pork belly was delicious and Marcus' baked custard tart lived up to expectations. The tart was served with a strawberry ice-cream, which didn't seem to go with the tart that well, but who cares, both tart and ice cream were delicious. We were served 4 amuse-bouches. I've been avoiding fois-gras all my life, but given I was in Marcus', I thought I might as well give it a go - didn't taste of anything really - could have been a chunk of butter! Service was excellent. Avoid the trolleys that come along (champagne, brandy, cheese) if you don't want to double your bill.
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- View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Saturday, June 27, 2009

Four of us went to Marcus Wareing for lunch the other day and our high expections were disappointed. Elements of most dishes were excellent but, as a whole, the food was merely good and not of the standard we were expecting.

The atmosphere of the place and the restaurant's decor are something special but the excellent staff were let down by one very brusque and disinterested waiter. We were told that Marcus was briefing his brigade after service so I hope a gee-up was administered.

We left with the distinct impression that choosing the set lunch option relegates you to the safe and unexciting dishes, and that the big money gets you the big flavours. I might add that that is certainly not the case at The Square.
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7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, June 08, 2009