Of all the restaurants I went to in London this past trip, Marcus had the most formal setting, slightly stuffy. But the service was perfect and the food was excellent. I opted for the 5 course lunch menu, a steal at 48 pounds, with a glass of wine and the cheese course. With several amuse and petit four, it was way too much food. But everything was outstanding and a great deal. My favorite was the lamb neck in a mind blowing cumin sauce. The date and pecan mouse was perfect. read more

I had a very nice dinner here for my last night in London. The ambiance is lacking a little bit and the service and originality of the dishes weren't completely there, but the food was very good and the wine list was beautiful. I wouldn't necessarily say that this is on the same level as the other two Michelin star restaurants that I've been to, but I'll definitely give it another chance. read more

I wont drone on and on about the details of the meal and what we ordered (but do try the veal sweetbread) but I will say it was one of the most amazing meals of the my life. You have your choice of a 3 or 4 course meal and each course has 4 selections. Marcus Wareing has really mastered the art of bringing flavors together - even the bread is complex and wonderful. The service is flawless and attentive as you would expect it to be and the clientele is as you would imagine at a $160 a plate restaurant. London has many excellent restaurants but Marcus really stands out for me read more

Officially the poshest restaurant I have ever been too! As we arrived, the waiters took our coats and showed us to our table, before bringing round a champagne trolley (without wanting to seem stingy, I asked for a wine list, not wanting to spend my entire month's wage on one glass of alcohol.) We had opted for the lunch menu, which was around £45 each - still expensive, but definitely the cheap option in this restaurant, where I could see groups of businessment swilling champagne like lemonade!What I loved about Petrus was that the waiters weren't snooty and didn't make us feel out of place even though we were obviously not accustomed to that type of dining. Instead, they seemed really pleased that we'd visited, and tried their best to make it a lovely afternoon. The food was, of course, absolutely amazing. With the lunch menu, you choose your starter, main and pudding, and they also bring you little dishes in between - for example, freshly baked bread to begin with and, later, a trolley of chocolate truffles from which we could each choose 3. The courses we chose were delicious (my favourite dish being the poussin) but it was these extra touches which made it really special. Whilst eating, we noticed groups of people being led into the kitchens, so when we finished, my friend asked if there was any chance we could look round. The head waiter was delighted to give us a tour of the kitchens and introduce the chef which really made our afternoon. This is not just a meal - it's an experience! read more

Great meal. The spring greens were outstanding as a starter. I had the roast duck as the main. It was good, but not spectacular. The real highlight was the dessert: toffee with peanut and chocolate. Absolutely phenomenal. They also treated us to an extra chocolate cake with caramel ice cream to share that was also excellent. On top of the very nice meal, the service was also top notch. read more

Fantastic place for a special evening, quiet celebration or romantic occasion. The service is impeccable, and the food is superb. I had the £80 tasting menu, which is worth every pence. The atmosphere is lovely, subdued and all of the tables are spacious and feel relatively private. If you are coming by taxi, make sure you come via Hyde Park Corner down via Park Lane as the restaurant is not only difficult to get to if you care coming from the Knightsbridge/Kensington direction, but the traffic around Knightsbridge from the construction is not to be believed, fyi. read more

Gotta love this place. Yes, its expensive, but for a special occasion, makes you feel special. went with my wife and we loved pretty much everything they brought out, including the amuse bouche mini dishes between courses. The setting is rich and subdued, and service attentive but measured, and you get that 'something special' feeling. My only minor gripe was that the large leather chairs are actually pretty uncomfortable. Mentioned this to our waitress (who had asked how everything was) and we were whisked to the kitchen for a little back room tour - a very nice touch. Nice little differentiator, and once there, a visual reminder that Michelin quality restaurants are all about high quality preparation and production line organization, not just star chef's inspiration. If you can forget about the price/value ratio for an evening, its just delightful. read more

What can anyone say about this place that hasn't already been said? Gerry and I went here on Thursday night for her Birthday, and it was everything you would expect it to be. We went for the 8-course 'Tasting Menu', which started with an astonishing Jerusalem Artichoke soup and then took us through Foie Gras, Turbot with Liquorice, Saddle of Venison and many more. The food was just beautiful, however the most amazing thing about the restaurant wasn't the food - it was the service! It seemed that there were individual waiters not for each table, but for each activity - so one waiter would remove our plates, another our glasses, a third would bring the fresh wine glasses, the sommelier bring the next glass of wine, then a runner would appear with your dish on a tray, and he would wait for the Head Waiter, who would then place your plate in front of you with a theatrical flourish. It made for great entertainment. One word of warning - normally when you have a tasting menu, there are 'matched wines' and you get a small amount of the Sommelier's recommended wine with each course. While this isn't something that is specifically offered at Petrus, they will happily match wines for you - however they give a full, large glass of each wine with each course, which meant that by dessert our tastebuds were more than a little blunted by the quantity of alcohol! As we were Petrus virgins, we were thoughtfully given a copy of the Menu, signed by Marcus Wareing himself, which is a lovely touch and will no doubt bring back memories in the future. All told, then, an absolutely stunning meal and experience - but equally stunning was the final bill, which came to a heart-stopping (if not sobering) £396 including service! My bank account will be feeling dinner at Petrus long after my stomach has forgotten it So - a beautiful place, wonderful food, fantastic service. But definitely, given the cost, a once-in-a-lifetime meal. read more

Now we're talking. Gordon Ransey's protege, Marcus Wareing, has put his stamp on this splendid restaurant, where everything is of the finest order. It is by no means cheap, but worth every herd-earned penny. The service is exactly how you want it, unobtrusive but immediate. The somellier knows exactly the wine to complement your meal perfectly. And the food - well, for once, words almost fail me. Every time we have eaten here, it has been sublime. Save your money up and go here at least once. It will be worth it. read more

2 Michelin Stars One of the best experiences I've had at a restaurant. At the end of dinner I got a tour of the kitchen and met the man himself Chef Marcus Wareing. The service here is intense. Once during dinner my friend got up to use the restroom and while she was gone they took away her dirty silverware and replaced it with new ones. And every time one of us left the table they wouldn't just fold our napkins, they would bring out a fresh one! Got there early so had drinks at The Blue Bar first: I forgot the name, but it was basically a lychee martini Amuse Bouche - mushroom soup in a shot glass. Best mushroom soup I've ever had. I could have pounded down 10 of those. Lobster with squash - It was good, nothing amazingly special about it. Foie Gras with prunes and walnuts - Great variation, especially if you are new to it and need to be weened onto that foie gras taste. Personally I thought the walnut overpowered it and wasn't able to taste the foie gras. Crab with Heirloom tomatoes, some razor clams, and crunchy potato bread in an herb sauce - Refreshing Quail with corn and onion rings - The onion rings were the best and the quail wasn't bad either. Seabass with 7 textures of cauliflower - It was interesting to see different ways cauliflower could be prepared. The skin on the seabass was perfectly crisp. Suckling pig with barbecue and ranch dressing - Best dish of the night! I was so full (like food baby twins) by the time this came out and I still finished it. Cheese - biggest portion of cheeses I've ever been offered. Pre dessert - couldn't understand what it was when they brought it out and couldn't figure it out by taste. It was okay. Basil parfait, lemon caramel, sherbet - such a different taste! It was a nice change from the super sweet deserts I've been eating. Out of all the tasting menu's I've done, this place has the largest portions. Everything was good, but there were only a few items that I really enjoyed here. www.anitaeat.com read more

Went for a late, late supper in mid-December. Basically, felt that the restaurant accomodated our last minute reservation request due to probable relationship with Quintessentially. Despite a 10:30 PM start time, we never felt rushed. The food was truly amazing -- the vegetarian tasting menu was inventive and delicious. The thoughtfulness that went into conceiving that menu was apparent. The regular tasting menu (for my non-vegetarian friend) also got high, high marks. Highly recommend this place as a place where omnivores and vegetarians can both have an exceedingly good meal, in a beautiful room, with knowledgeable, friendly staff. read more

After resisting the temptation for a while, we finally decided to go to Marcus on our first wedding anniversary. Perhaps we had set expectations that were too high, but we were left quite underwhelmed at the end of the experience. The starters were a great way to kick off our 4 course meal. My wife went for the scallop whilst I had the wood pigeon -- both delicious. Things unfortunately didn't continue at that level for us. The temperature on our middle course of fish wasn't great and we were left with rather cold fish. The mains didn't set themselves apart in any way and were average at best. Dessert was fairly average to continue the theme. I am a massive fan of the restaurants in the area and unfortunately this one is quite low on my list of ones to re-visit. read more

What a lovely night. It was a little stuffy and pretentious for my liking, but if you're going just for the food then you won't have anything to complain about. We had some canapés to start, then a very extensive wine list to follow. From £50 to £5,900 a bottle, it was impressive. The menu options are either a huge tasting menu for £120, or 3 courses at £85 / 4 at £105. We were given some really crusty, home made bread to start while we chose our wine. With a little help from the very skilled Sommelier, we chose a nice Cabernet. I had the wood pigeon, which was blue.. I hadn't had it like that before, but I wouldn't have it any other way again. It was lovely. Marcus' menu is full of baby animals. I loved it. I had suckling pig, which came with belly, chops and the tenderloin. My date had the milk fed lamb. She doesn't eat loads, so I tucked away most of that as well. It was very salty, but most high class restaurants I've been to have been the same. Maybe it's a posh person thing. Anyway, long story short, this meal was to congratulate me on a new job, which I ended up not starting. This came up in conversation with one of the servers, and before I knew it, I was bought out a little moussey/cake with a candle on and 'congratulations' written in the most beautiful chocolate writing. It was that personal touch that you just wouldn't get in most other places. I was honoured. I was so stuffed after all this, we did have pudding bought over after this as we'd gone for the three courses. I'm not even going to describe the puds for you, it was so good I want to keep that one to myself. The Berkeley is a great place to stay and eat, and is a real treat if you're looking for a special time to remember. I definitely got my leg over way more than I deserved that night. Cheers. read more

Had lunch here this week. The service was exceptional, we felt very well taken care of without being bothered every two minutes. The decor and ambiance of the dining room is warm, welcoming but not intimidating. We had the 'Taste of Summer' fixed menu, the canapé of baked cheese was excellent; the amuse bouche was a soft poached hens egg with broccoli spears in a creamy white truffle sauce. The egg was tepid/cold which really took away from the dish. The sea bream fish course was excellent, perfectly cooked and great flavor. My main (lamb neck) was slightly cold and had a rubbery texture, the beans and pea purée were amazing! I could have had those without the lamb to be honest. The cheese plate was a single hard cheese, I would have liked a smaller portion of a couple of cheeses. The desert was a frozen cream and freeze dried berry dish, too much frozen/dry, would have preferred a more fresh fruit infusion with the frozen cream. Overall I enjoyed the meal but at that price I would have expected a little more on the food front, especially considering the 2 star rating. read more

Since striking out alone from Gordon Ramsay Holdings, Marcus Wareing's cooking has flourished even further and his eponymous restaurant presents haute cuisine at its finest. The décor is dark and seductive and the service and food are impeccable. The Chef's table, in its own luxurious space overlooking the kitchen, is ideal for a celebration with friends, family or business colleagues, and a great place to witness one of London's best chefs in action. read more

It's good but quite a way off my favourite for the money would pick maze or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay hospital road every time but guess that is why it's so hard to get a booking at the later. But a worthy 2nd best read more

We had a good dinner here. The service started out strong then faded. The sommelier was excellent. But the dishes were a bit heavy handed. My scallop appetizer was good but the cucumber relish (pickles) were much too sweet and overwhelmed the scallops. My kale and mushroom course was a brilliant mix of flavors, but the gongonzola bits were too large overtaking the other flavors if you were not careful to cut them up Into smaller portions. My husband loved his sweet breads and sea bass dishes. But the beef dish had a very greasy potato side and my venison could have done with a lot less black pudding. Overall, it was good not great. read more

Amazing food , fantastic wine & excellent service I could probably stop there but I won't because this was truly a delightful dining experience. Have long been a fan of Marcus Wareing and seeing him on the TV enhanced our decision to visit his restaurant. The restaurant itself is set in a fantastic location that is the Berkeley Hotel so you get warm & very friendly greeting on arrival you are then escorted through to the restaurant which at first glimpse is stunning and as you looked around all the tables were nicely situated. We were sat in this delightful little booth that form the outer part of the restaurant. You are then greeted by the head of Front of House and his manner really does set the tone for all members of staff who were all warm , friendly & very professional providing excellent service throughout the evening. Well I better move onto the food which was as fantastic as I thought it would be a truly outstanding 8 Course Tasting Menu that started with a stunning Mackerel dish and definitely the best I've ever tasted to be followed by the Orkney Scallop with a Roast Beef dressing. The next course was also amazing Sharpe's Express 1900 potatoes with girolles , Tunworth Cheese & Truffle just magical our next course was a fabulous Octopus served with a Beef Tea to be followed by the Short Rib with Vindaloo Spices. So now we reach the Main Course and yes it was the highlight Herdwick Lamb , hispi cabbage & mustard simply stunning. Now on to desserts which started with a light Smoked Milk & Mandarin to be followed by a absolutely exquisite Toffee , Peanut , Milk Chocolate & Nougat literally heaven on a plate . A word now for the Sommelier who was very charming and certainly produced some amazing wine that matched each course perfectly and with a fantastic brandy to finish . This ended a stunning & memorable evening to which I will definitely look forward to experiencing again read more

I wanted to enjoy my evening here but I found it pretentious and too theatrical for my taste. Perhaps Ramsay was a good influence on his partner, given that he often champions locally-sourced, good honest food... Whereas Wareing left to his own devices offers frappery and fussiness. To be fair, there were two very good courses on the tasting menu - the Quail and the beef. But the foie gras was smothered in sickly sweet cherry sauce (nauseating) and the dorset crab was interrupted by fishy mackerel (repulsive). Even worse, I had the premium fine wine pairings which were truly awful. The finest of the lot was a Lynch-Bages - nothing to sniff at to be sure - but a 2001, which was barely out of diapers. There was a decent Montrachet at one point, which was very welcome, but the goodwill was expended on a mediocre Cote de Rotie, a pedestrian Austrian White, a so-so Lugano White, a nasty New Zealander and a very strange Greek cough syrup that - when paired with the cherry foie GRAS - made everything taste maraschino. At 220 pounds a head I expected more. Sadly, I will not be returning. Because of the dishes that I did like I will give two stars but choose your own wine and be prepared for some posturing read more

My second visit to this restaurant. I was so thrilled the first time that i decided to treat my fellow gastronome friend for her birthday. Unfortunately, the experience was nowhere near the first. Again we went for the tasting menu. This time coupled with the sommeliers pairings of wine. BIG mistake. The sommelier was the worst sommelier we have ever had the unfortunate luck to depend on! In fact we had to ask for substitutions to his choice quite a few times. Terrible. His attitude also left alot to be desired. Two of the dishes we were served were literally inedible! They were substituted for better options. Still this is not what i expected considering my wonderful first experience. We were taken into the kitchen ( as all diners are). However, we were not offered the lovely chocolate truffles on our way out. ( we put that down to our bluntness about our experience!). For the ridiculous prices here, this experience shattered the illusion. I will not be wasting another penny here. Very unfortunate. read more

Service was attentive and professional. Food was expertly prepared. We had the 8 course tasting menu. It was enjoyable but there was no standout dishes that can wow a foodie. read more

[Non-photo Review] For full article, please see: http://wp.me/pwXBH-19r PETRUSALVATION Summary:I was pleasantly surprised by the generally wonderful food I ate during a recent lunch at Marcus Wareing's plush premises, which still retain the refrain of red Bordeaux from their previous proprietor's rein. Nearly every dish was unabashedly redolent with robust & clearly delineated flavors that sang on the palate, while service was professional & well-meaning. Sure, the backdrop may be a bit dated & smack of economic excesses; and yes, the clientele seems to fit a particular stereotype, but the food certainly makes the attractively priced prix-fixe lunch tempting. And once you've had that, you might be tempted to explore further should your purse strings be flexible enough to cope. It's not the most exciting or trendy restaurant in London right now, but the cooking certainly sets the bar high. Curing my curiosity I had been in London for a week, mostly for what turned out to be an exceedingly stressful and long week of work. However, after visiting Mrs. LF's family in France on our second weekend in Europe, and returning to London with two days off before heading back to the US, I was looking forward to some relaxation, and hopefully a good mealor two. The day after our arrival the weekend prior, we had the good fortune to dine at the chef's table of Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant, and his first in London. I hope to post about that meal next, as we had a great time Baby LF included and generally enjoyed the food. My only other fancy meal for the trip was originally supposed to be at Pied à Terre, the dual Michelin star stalwart on Charlotte Street, at which I enjoyed a meal with my parents a number of years ago. However, with news that its head chef Shane Osbourne was to be departing rather soon, my dining colleague and I decided it might be more fun to try somewhere else. In fact, in planning my London trip, I had originally thought about trying the seemingly good value prix-fixe lunch menu at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, despite the fact that I have never been a great fan of the current name adorning the restaurant's masthead. Having never met the man in person or tasted his food, 'who am I to judge anyway' is a fair enough question. I guess I have just never liked the way he comes off on camera, or in press comments/interviews, or through accounts of him from people I know. However, I was informed by my partner in crime that the kitchen's current sous-chef was definitely a talent (formerly holding the same position at Noma in Copenhagen) and, as I had always wanted to see what all the fuss was about anyway, it seemed like a grand idea or at least a grand setting. If you enter the hotel from Wilton Place, just off Knightsbridge, you head straight to your right, through an open and pleasant informal dining space. Once through this area, two doors stand before you, they are opened (of course you would not open them yourself at a 5-star hotel), and you enter a fairly intimate rectangular dining room. As I was the first one to arrive, I was seated on a cushioned bench at one of the three squat tables that serve as the waiting area, and I must admit I felt rather awkward on my own seated next to two smartly dressed older couples who were enjoying aperitifs and some nibbles before taking their proper seats. After fiddling with my phone for a bit, I was about to order some Champagne as this seemed to be what one should do (and I never say no to some good Champagne), but my partner in crime arrived just in time to prevent a minor fleecing of funds from my wallet. As you would expect, the dining room tables were traditionally and faultlessly appointed, with perfectly ironed linen, fancy napery and so on and so forth. As many UK readers will know, this restaurant was formerly called Petrus, and was run by Gordon Ramsay Holdings before Marcus and Gordon went their separate ways in not such an amicable fashion. Ramsay recently, and rather ridiculously if you ask me, opened a new restaurant of the same name not that far away from the original one. Old habbits, and aging egos, die hard it would seem. In any case, the dining room that David Collins designed in 2003 for the original Petrus remains largely the same so far as I could tell, with rich claret being the color of concentration. The metal gridding adorning the windows is reminiscent of a wine rack, reinforcing the theme. Tables are very well spaced, and parties of two are seated at four and eight o'clock. It is a formal room and most of the guests on the day we dined were probably over 50 and all very well turned out. I wondered if the food would be as traditional as the setting. Tour de flavor We were presented with a number of menu options, but in the end decided to go with the prix-fixe menu, which gives you two options for starters and mains and three choices for desserts, plus the amuse bouche(s), pre-dessert and petit fours that you expect at a read more

Came here for our anniversary and I was a bit dissappointed. There wasn't much sauce to the mains, the beef fillet bled, and it was all a bit average. Not much ambience either. I would recommend eating at Gauthier Soho, or Ledbury or The Square over here. read more

On May 27 we went to Marcus Wareing at the Berkley. Our reservation was at 8 PM, they were ready and we were taken to the table immediately. After review of the wine list we picked a California zinfandel. The list was extensive and tended to be expensive. The wines I recognized were known to be excellent. The menu is in two parts. One is ala carte with starter, main and dessert. This is prix fixe at 85 pounds. The second is a tasting menu at 115 pounds. We chose the ala carte. One starter was a salad with asparagus and the other was tuna. The main courses were beef and tuna. the cheese course was skipped and the desserts were outstanding. The decor was elegant and the service absolutely perfect. At the end of dinner we ere taken into the kitchen and introduced to the chef and staff. This was the final dinner after a week in London. What a perfect way to end our vacation. This is clearly among the best restaurants we have ever dined in. read more