The Square

We went to The Square for my husband's 40th birthday. We were quite happy with the restaurant and the food. But we do not believe that there was anything the Square had that was over and above other 1 Michelin Star restaurants and were a bit disappointed with 2 Michelin Star expectation.

We had the 7 course Taster menu which actually was very good - good combination, good running order, good tasting. Course 1 Chicken consumme served in a small cup that one drinks from (thats right, no spoon) which was different, was delicious. Course 2 Salmon with vegetables was nice but blend. Course 3 and 4, Fois Gras and Langoustine was out of this world. Course 5 pan fried fish (white, can't remember which) was excellent, crispy on the outside, soft in the middle. Course 6 spring lamb melted in the mouth. A surprise dessert of Rhubarb mousse then came in and beat the real dessert of a very alcoholic Creme Brulee with cherries, hands down. BTW, we know its a tasting menu but the portion sizes should not be laughable.

The place was ok, not particularly posh as we were expecting something posher with 2 stars. The waiting staff were ok, not as friendly and charming as Ramsay staff. The food was good and in our opinion, satisfies 1 star expectations, not sure about 2.

We'll go to the Square again. No problem with that. But there are better places to eat out there. All our Ramsey experiences, for example, have surpassed the Square.
Comment on this reader review

Rittie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, April 20, 2008

Well, after much anticipation and consideration, I thought I'll chuck my tendencies to stick to the 'Ramsay regime' of restaurants (My wife and I frequent most of the restaurants under his 'control') and try something 'new' for a change so to speak!

I decided on 'The Square' and expected sparks and fireworks seeing as its a 2* institution but to my let down all I found was a watered down versoin of a 1* restaurant in my very very honest opinion. We arrived to what was a very 'bright' dining room (goodness is there no dimmers in this place) with very little atmosphere - maybe it could be a good idea to dim the lights slightly and create a more 'intimate' enviroment to dine in.

The menus and winelist however arrived promptly upon our arrival - BUT we weren't highlighted on the 'specials' of the evening as is the norm in restaurants these days. We were offered bread rolls but we had to prompt the waiter for butter after we waited about 10 minutes after we were offered the bread rolls. On the second time around with the bread the clumsy waiter dropped 2 rolls under my table (to his own embarrasement I may ad) and was scrambling under my table to pick these up. Overall thus the waiting staff just didn't seem up to scratch for a 2* restaurant. Wide choice of menu - I opted for a starter of Crab Lasagne (a signature dish here I believe), brilliantly cooked, well presented and very rich...big thumbs up to this I can absolutely not fault it and it was delicious! My wife had one of the special starters of the evening which was scallops with new season morels and a minted pea puree, this was average by haute cuisine standards and one of the scallops were very much overcooked - how does this happen in a restaurant of this standard...or supposedly 2*...Michellin I prompt you on your methods of rating please!

My wife opted for the assiete of pork, which if done well is always a delight in top restaurants - althought tasty the presentation was a joke, to me it looked like hacked pieces of pork chucked over a leek with a bit of pomme puree on each side - offcourse this is what you pay premium for squire...me dont think so, what a shame!

I opted for the fillet of aged beef which was served with a red whine jus, foie gras, bone marrow, this came at a supplement of £10 which I dont mind paying for a great gastronomic experience, but once again this was just ok - for aged beef the fillet was on the tougher side (more tender than steak but not as I know well aged fillet should be).

Now for dessert - always a highlight for me, but once again what a joke (not really), we both opted for pear with tiramisu...here is what we got, each got a hunk of tiramisu, with what seemslike three different versions of espresso reductions, there was also the espresso ice cream and the salted caramel creme (this was so salted you couldnt eve stomach it)...an honest disaster on a plate - their pastry chef should let his head down in shame, not in my opinion the makings of experimental cooking - I get what he/she was trying to do but it did not come together - the taste of espresso/coffee was so overpowering (and I love coffee used in desert and have a great love for tiramisu) that it totally spoiled it! It couldve done with something very sweet, maybe laced with vanilla to cut through all this 'coffee'.

We each had a glass of Kir Royale as an apertif, and bottle of red at a reasonable £95. The total bill came to £309. Now - i honestly dont mind in parting with my £ but this price for what was on offer, I feel very ripped off to say the least!

Restaurants like, Petrus ,which honestly deserves 2* rating put The Square to shame! Even though saying that my last visit to Petrus was a slight let down too...however its still a strong favourite of mine. Maybe we just dine out too much and we are too fussy, however, at premium you expect premium and the best of the best in return - thats how it should be, a good honest price for good honest real haute cuisine!

Anyhow, I am going to rest my case now - I was considering visiting The Ledbury but if 'mom' (The Square) acts like this, dear oh dear what is daughter (Ledbury) going to act like, no thanks! Sometimes its better with sticking to what you enjoy and what is known to you!

Amen!
View/Add comments (1)

G. Norval
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Saturday, April 12, 2008

It is an early Friday evening, just 6:30 p.m., and I get to the restaurant a few minutes before they are ready to seat guests.

A smiling blonde hostess offers a chair opposite the wooden bar, and brings me something to drink while I wait.

It is a modern yet soothing space, with a fresh spray of orchids and pussy willows reflected in the mirror. Cream colored faux-stone flooring inlaid with black marble is underfoot.

The dining room has perhaps twenty generously sized tables, nicely spaced apart. There is a dark herringbone wood floor, and the room will be fashionably noisy later on as well-heeled couples drift in to fill the space.

Recessed halogen lights provide light and leave a feeling of pristine space. They subtly set off cream colored side walls hung with abstract modern paintings, interspersed with dramatic framed beveled mirrors on the back wall.

Gilt silk curtains and sheer shades are by the windows. Decorated half screens cleverly block the sight of the cars passing by, while allowing a demure peek at the building across the street.

The heavy, floor length, gray, square pleated tablecloths are topped by white linen. Wooden upholstered armchairs are more comfortable than they look.

Pink rosebuds in a vase are discreetly placed on each table. The pepper grinder and salt shaker are polished silver. The 'charger' plate has a beautifully decorated modern design on it, flanked by Christofle silverware.

The serving staff is dressed formally in black, wearing ties, and they all seem to have french accents, which may be a prerequisite for a Michelin 2 star restaurant in town.

The sommelier shakes his head in polite dismay as I decline wine, and brings a bottle of Speyside Glenlivet still natural mineral water to the table.

Large rounds of both unsalted and salted butter are brought on glass teardrop shaped dishes. From among four types of warm freshly baked bread that are offered, I choose walnut-raisin (sweet enough to have at breakfast)and a sourdough baguette. Both are light in texture, a nice intimation of things to come.

An amuse bouche is brought, five cunningly shaped, delicious, light, just crunchy enough, morsels of intriguing flavors I cannot identify.

As usual, I am a finicky eater. I have called ahead and begged the Master Chef, Philip Howard, to indulge me. He graciously complies, and we agree on a tasting meal . Let the pleasure begin :)

Each course is brought on a silver platter, a lovely formal presentation of the goodness to follow.

(It is actually beyond good. Read on, and I must warn you that you will be drooling before you are through.)

The first course is white asparagus veloute with cauliflower.

The second course is Scottish smoked salmon offset by tiny potato rounds garnished with chives. The plainness of the potato is a perfect offset for the delicate saltiness of the fish.

The third course is large, fresh green asparagus tips, lightly garnished with Parmesan and watercress, and accompanied by a lightly poached egg cunningly set in a delicate pastry shell. The rich flavor of the egg is an excellent offset against the cool vegetable.

(At this point, I already want to marry the chef, but the waiter regretfully informs me that he already has a wife.)

The fourth course is a garden salad. A tiny, fresh mound of leek hearts, charlotte potatoes, swisschard, artichokes with pickled beetroot, microherbs and dandelion. I squeeze the juice of a half of a lemon over it, and am in heaven.

The fifth course is a single, large poached rock oyster holding in its shell a light curry veloute, coriander, mousseline, and a pomegranate, caper and raisin dressing.

The sixth course is hand rolled farfalle pasta with an emulsion of winter vegetables (cauliflower, onion and green beans) garnished with Parmesan in an amazingly delicious butter sauce.

Once again, the blend of flavors and textures are exquisite. I shamelessly use the rest of my baguette to soak up some of the sauce.

Someone approaches the table, and my hand tightens on my fork, ready to poke anyone who dares to touch the plate. Mine, I think, too delicious, unwilling to give up a single bite to an overly ready busboy. Instead, it is another party of three diners -their hands are safe :)

Steaming hot, fresh mint leaf tea arrives, leaves steeping in the now familiar glass pot. A light golden sugar is in a frosted glass bowl.

The first of a series of desserts is brought.

Vanilla yogurt like none I've ever had (no aftertaste) is layered in a shot glass with rhubarb compote and blood orange foam. Incredibly light, the sour mixes perfectly with the sweet. A donut hole, dusted lightly with cinnamon, again contrasts perfectly with the yogurt. Warm versus cool, airy versus creamy.

The there is the airiest of passion fruit souffles, dusted with powdered sugar. Lime ice cream brings just the right hint of tartness. A coconut dusted meringue adds a hint of texture to offset the light-as-air creaminess of the souffle

Incredibly, there is more, and another small plate is brought.

Chocolate covered orange sticks are the best I've ever tasted, with each flavor distinct and perfect. There are also tiny truffles of some sort, perhaps coffee.

I ask now for hot jasmine tea - it is also perfect. (I'm not overusing the word - it is accurate each and every time)

Then as a finale, 5 lollipops of fresh fruit gellee are served, orange, strawberry, apple, passion fruit and Turkish delight.

The bill comes, and for a meal this extrordinary, at 111 pounds inclusive of everything, it is very reasonable.

I ponder how soon I can return.
Comment on this reader review

Loving Annie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 03, 2008

My husband and I dined at The Square on Saturday 16th February to celebrate my birthday.

It suited us to book an early table as we knew we were going to have the tasting menu. We were seated immediately and received welcoming smiles from the waiting staff.

The decor of the restaurant was impeccable, modern and stylish.

We have dined at The Fat Duck, The Waterside and Gordon Ramsey's and the price tag for the tasting menu with a different wine for each course was absolutely in line with these.

We asked if we could change one of the courses and this request was superbly handled and we were offered something wonderful instead.

The presentation of the dishes was superb and creative.

I can not praise the Sommelier highly enough, the choice of wines, his knowledge and warmth were superb.

Do have the optional cheese course, the cheese trolley was fantastic.

The highlight for me on the tasting menu were the desserts, they were so fresh, cool, delicious and inventive.

The service was perfection.

We were not rushed at any stage and from what I could see, there was only one sitting not two.

I would say this restaurant could be heading for three stars, we will definitely be returning.
Comment on this reader review

Julie Moyle
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

i went on a friday night at 8pm so probably at their most busy time and got the feeling that they weren't coping very well. when you're full of expectation and are paying alot for the experience of being there, i think the experience should be faultless. whilst it wasn't poor by any means we found it hard to get served, the somelier was overworked but still refused to let us pour our own wine, and, personally i found the service very formal and a bit stuffy with not many smiles. that's clearly their bag but not mine.

the food was obviously lovely but i couldn't help feeling that £120 a head inc wine would have gone further elsewhere.
Comment on this reader review

family jules
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, December 18, 2007

My husband and I went to The Square for our anniversary last night. We were both severely disappointed. The atmosphere was non-existent and we got to soak it up for a while as nobody came to take our order despite us having our menus closed for at least 20 minutes. We also got offered a semi-empty bread basket with two of the choices missing which was not out right until half-way through our meal. In the end I had to call a waitress over and complain that people who were seated after us had already been given their amuse bouche 9Cauliflour mousse with truffle jelly) before our order was even taken. My husband ordered a beef starter which was distinctly average and I had langoustine which I have to admit was excellent. I did find it slightly odd that I only got three pieces when the gentleman on the next table got four. This was followed by our main courses; pork which was very tender and tasty and sea Bass which again was nothing imaginative or amazing. Then came a display of the some of the worst service I have ever received in this calibre of restaurant. As my husband was holding my hand and we were having a romantic moment we were rudely interrupted by a smarmy French gentleman who proceeded to 'sweep' our completely clean table. Then came the cheese course which again was interrupted in the middle of my selection as the waitress had to run off and help at another table leaving me slightly bewildered (she also forgot my grapes). The cheese selection was fine but there was nothing in the desert menu which did not contain nuts or alcohol so we swiftly moved on to the petite fours which were ok and a doughnut will vanilla sauce which was complementary to everyone in the restaurant. I certainly would not have paid for it as it was soggy and the sauce was completely without flavour. All this came to a bill of £202 with no wine but 2 glasses of champagne. We will not be going again; the food is good but certainly not good enough to outshine the other shortcomings of this restaurant.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Friday, November 16, 2007

The trouble with 2-star restaurants at this price is that when they come up short it is a great disappointment. We came to the Square for our 10-year anniversary so this was a special occasion for us. These were our disappointments:

The wines by the glass are vastly overpriced. I chose a Spanish Casa Viejas, at more than 10 pounds a glass. It was average to say the least - you could pick up a better wine in Oddbins for about 8 pounds a bottle! A Californian Syrah at 12 pounds was much better but still marked up far too much.

The staff let my wife choose a main course that was covered in pretty much exactly the same tasting sauce as her starter. And I mean covered - buttery, fishyness completely drowing out the flavours of crab and turbot respectively.

The food is too rich. OK, this one's subjective - we don't go out to these kind of restaurants all of the time but we've been to Gordon Ramsey, Maze, Mirabelle, Le Gavroche and not had anything like the same problem. I could barely get halfway through my main course - glad I didn't choose the tasting menu!

The food is too salty.

The dessert wine didn't turn up with the dessert. I had to ask for it again. This is not good enough. Mind you, it was excellent dessert wine.
Comment on this reader review

Chris Marshall
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Monday, September 10, 2007

My partner and I ate at the Square a couple of weeks ago. It had to be one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Started well with a quirky little box of canapes and an amuse bouche of sardine mousse. I had the foie gras, which was a beautiful combination of the unctous and the caramelised, followed by a stupendous slice of the tenderest beef imaginable. If I have one criticism, it would be that the balsamic reduction served with the beef had become oversalted. Portions were substantial, so to finish (after a lovely pre-dessert of cherry cream) I ordered the rather dull sounding english summer sorbets as it was all I could manage. It was outstanding. Perfect flavourful sorbet scattered with tiny balls of some kind of jelly and a mystery herb. My partner is still talking about her creme brulee. it wasn't over yet . We were finished off, in almost every sense, with hand made chocolates and nougat and a fan of tangy fruit petit fours.

The service was attentive and pleasant, though there was one arsey waitress who seemed to think a compliment about the food beneath her notice. We appreciated the one sitting policy, so we didn't have a nagging feeling we should hurry up.

It's eating food of this standard which makes you realise what two michelin stars are about. The damage was £210 with aperitifs, a bottle of nice Chablis and service. Worth every penny.

The Manoir au Quat'Saisons beats the Square on service, but I think the Square outclasses on food.
Comment on this reader review

rosyrose
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, August 07, 2007

A colleague and I had the tasting menu with matching wine last Sunday night. The ballotine of foie gras with beetroot was exquisite. Possibly the best foie gras dish I've ever tasted. The halibut was also outstanding. With so many delicious courses, it was a little daunting to recieve the dessert - an enormous peach melba souffle with almond ice cream. A smaller version would have felt more appropriate. It is also too sweet, and not peachy enough. Despite that small disappointment, it was a lovely meal. The wines were also well-matched to the dishes. Highly recommended.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 18, 2007

I took my wife to the square for the first time today for lunch.We chose from the set lunch menu and found the food well presented and proportioned with excellent quality ingredients. The staff are attentive but not over fussy and the meal was served in appoximately 1hour 30 minutes, which ,if you are there for a business lunch, is just about right.

There is a wondeful attention to detail which is understated but helps to make the overall experience a pleasurable one.

There is always an expectation when you enter a 1 2 or 3* restaurant. We think the square delivers and is rightly ranked as one of the very best in London.
Comment on this reader review

Paul Ellis
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, March 30, 2007