The Savoy Grill

My wife and I were staying in town celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary and were looking forward to a special evening. We have eaten at a number of "celebrity chefs" restaurants and had in the past been mostly disappointed but expected this to be different. How wrong we were. The tables were crammed in (unlike the picture on the website which is particularly misleading) and so close together we could not hear ourselves speak. The service was so rapid clearly the staff were instructed to get customers in and out as quickly as possible, it is hard to enjoy the ambience when being rushed and the temperature in the 90's. The food was average, the presentation the same, only the price was exceptional. It seems the Savoy is keen to recover the refurbishment expenditure as quickly as possible without a thought for the customers enjoyment. The old Grill was a place of exceptional atmosphere and truly somewhere to celebrate a special event the new Grill clearly has the mark of Mr Ramsay on it and that is not a good thing. Tea at the Ritz now that is an experience.
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2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Took my partner (whose birthday it was) and 2 friends for drinks and dinner.

We had cocktails in the American Bar prior to dining at The Grill. Enjoyed the cocktails immensely. They are as potent, varied and excellent as they ever were. Pianist was rather too showy and self-absorbed for my taste, but perhaps he felt the need to put on a show rather than just provide background music. The nibbles which accompany the cocktails are almost a starter in themselves. Queen olives, almonds and various other snacks soak up the alcohol while you soak up the atmosphere.

There have been some changes to the overall decor in The Grill since the days I used to frequent the establishment on a regular basis. The style of greeting and old world 'heavy' service has also changed - not for better or worse, just different. Lots of young hosts have replaced the stalwarts who had functioned in that environment for what seemed like decades.

Menu didn't 'feel' as comprehensive as it used to, but there remains a good selection. However, it seems less 'Grill' and more 'generic modern London restaurant', nowadays... which somewhat defeats the purpose for me. The crab starter was especially beautiful in presentation, light and subtle of flavour. Desserts a tad disappointing. I had told my companions of the wonders of the old dessert trolley which was not only a feast for the eyes, but a delight for most of the other senses. Wines potentially crippling to the bank account, but there are some very reasonably priced bins if you know what you are about. Having a considerable cellar of my own, I have always resented paying heavy mark-up on red wines which rarely reach their full potential in a restaurant environment given the time constraints for breathing. Some great crisp whites and sweeties at the end of the meal made amends for our abstention from claret.

The Savoy Grill was always expensive, and remains so. You pay a substantial premium for the hotel environment. Whether or not you believe it is justified, is a matter of opinion and personal taste. The place was packed, hotter than I remember (most men had removed their jackets and were perspiring) and certainly the atmosphere was a lot noisier. It appeared to me that there were considerably more diners than I ever remember, but I am prepared to accept that this may simply be due to a different lay-out, however I suspect a space planner has earned his stripes/fee by incorporating more tables.

Booking time is quite regimented. Service generally efficient and main courses still appear under cloches en masse - more about show than for any practicle reason. On a later sitting, you are likely to find yourself feeling it is time to move on - encouraged to do so by perceptibly unoccupied, silently hovering waiting staff who are in stark contrast to the old chaps who used to engage in chit-chat and jovial banter as coffee was served.

Overall a grand experience. Good food. Good service. Buzz. But, at these prices, woe betide the team who delivers a poor night to a discerning client. I for one am unabashed by the surroundings and would comfortably bring any major failings to their attention. Happily on this occasion, all was well and I was pleased in my decision to frequent this grand old hospitality palace once more.
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Stuart King
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, August 30, 2011

It was my girlfriend's birthday and I wanted to take her somewhere nice for a dinner. So I thought Ramsay's Savoy Grill would be a top place to go to...And WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT it was. The service was actually fine and the restaurant environment was nice. But the food was awful! It was tasteless and cold..we ordered mussels for a starter and half of them were closed and not properly cooked. They had to take my fish back as it was undercooked and when they brought this back everything was cold. Would not recommend going there. Plenty of nice places in London and not worth wasting money at this place.
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4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Sunday, August 28, 2011

Amazing food!
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Aaliyah Rathore-Rayi
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, June 26, 2011

My wife and I were genuinely excited about the prospect of going to Ramsay's new venture and looking at what the Savoy have done to upgrade the interiors. We walked into the foyer with great anticipation. We were there 45 minutes before the reservation as we wanted to check out the bar as we had been regular visitors to Mustafa's lobby bar before the upgrade. Looking around at the fabulous deco styling that has been enhanced including new flooring and copies of Singer Sargent paintings. I checked my coat and bag into the cloakroom and we proceeded to the American Bar, unfortunately there was a queue down the hallway to get in so we didnt even see the bar itself, we thought therefore we should go and try the champagne bar instead, however, there was a 30 minute wait also. So rather frustratingly i suggested to my wife that maybe our table was available and we should try the restaurant.

We were greeted very well when we arrived at about 6.50, 40 minutes before we were due, despite the restaurant being half empty at that time, we were told our table wasn't ready (i assume we were allocated a specific table as there were tables for two available). So we perched on a bench seat to the side of the entrance and ordered a couple of glasses of champagne. The decor of the room is very inviting and a very warm atmosphere so we were pretty happy sitting there. We finished our glasses fairly quickly, but the lady at the door filing her nails didnt notice that we could be a customer for a couple more if asked. At 7.30 we were taken to our tables, at this point despite being there for 40 minutes we hadn't seen a menu, much to the surprise of the waiter who approached us for our orders about 5 minutes after we had been seated. Once in possession of the menu i have to say it was a very masculine menu, lots of meat as you would expect for a grill, but really other than a few very dull fish dishes there really wasnt much else, lots of ways to have beef, veal or mutton, but not especially new or exciting ways.

We surveyed the wine list, which i have to say is very good lots of high quality and diverse wines from various countries and regions, and we were very happy with an old favorite, a Cervaro Della Sella, an Umbrian Chardonnay, the Sommelier was very good and we had met him before at Koffman's, he was very engaging and attentive. Although the Cervaro was £105, normally only found in Italian restaurants, but in comparison is about £80 in Locanda Locatelli.

We chose the standard starter my wife had scallops and i had the foie gras and brioche bread. Both were well presented, both were pretty standard, bordering on disappointment due to high expectations. For mains, surprisingly we were given the wrong cutlery, so my wife and i switched them over. I ordered the Veal Grill looking to see what they would do, and my wife order a grilled fillet. When the orders came, my wife asked for the fish to be taken off the bone, i assume the waiter depite asking had not done this many times before as it was a complete hack job. I had the veal grill, which i have to say whilst okay was nothing that i could not have done myself in throwing various veal parts on a barbecue and slightly overcooking them. The sauce that i had ordered with it didnt arrive until i have asked a couple of times at which point once i had waited and the time it took to fillet my wife's fish, parts of my meal were cool which may have added to the general disatisfaction with the meal. We did try and drown our disappointment with a second bottle of wine, the Sommelier duly obliged, however, he bucketed the wine after taking the cork out, at which point the waitress just decided to go ahead and pour it without checking with us and on top of the existing wine. I know this is picky, but generally i like to taste the wine first as i've had a few off wines in the past. The sommelier on noticing this was very apologetic, but it just added to the amateur nature of the waiting staff in our area, there seemed to be lots of help, but none really on top of their game with the exception of the Sommelier.

I asked for the bill, three times, eventually it came via the maitre d' i think, as he seemed to be parading around the room surveying the staff, although it was hard to tell as his general look was Seattle Grunge meets Gucci, im sure that haircut isnt hygenic and i generally dont trust people if i cant see their face.

So overall a disappointment, we have been fans of Royal Hospital Road and the Claridges restaurant before it became a theme park for tourists, we liked the Boxwood Cafe, it was a good and relaxing affair with nice food. For those that travel stateside i would pitch the Savoy Grill around the chain of restaurants called Quality Meats NYC in New York, i would not rank it in the top 30 or so restaurants, and i wouldnt go back anytime soon unless the food and service were upgraded.
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Nick Roe
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, January 12, 2011

I ate at the River Restaurant last week and had a disastrous meal in ever way; inept service and some of the worst food I've eaten in a five star hotel EVER.

Yesterday I went to the Grill. Let me start by saying that booking in the River Restaurant, took an age, as it was like trying to get through to BT, and sadly persistence paid off ! I rang through to the Grill and was answered by a polite young (French) lady who was incredibly pleasant.

The Grill itself retains much of the charm of yesteryear, and has been excellently updated. It is incredibly cosy and warm. There was a really good atmosphere and we were greeted by an host of friendly young receptionists.

The food was EXCELLENT. Hot and full of flavour. The Omelette Arnold Bennett was excellent and my beef tender and well aged.

The staff were attentive, friendly, and not intrusive.

Overall an excellent experience.

Ramsay has had a bad time recently but this restaurant has got off to a flying start in my eyes and we will be back very soon.
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Ivan Daniel
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, December 16, 2010

At first I wasn’t sure of the décor but the new Savoy has really impressed me. Both the food and service were superb and actually when I think about it there haven’t been places that have hit the same standard. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and plan to return with my husband in February to celebrate our anniversary.
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Charlotte Thomsen
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, December 09, 2010