Dine at May Fair Kitchen at The May Fair Hotel and save 20% on your food bill
Review Detail
7.5 2 10Buzzy but service could be better
Overall rating
6.0
Allowing for the fact that it's December, it was pretty impressive that Dean Street townhouse was packed to the rafters on a Monday night just a week after it first opened to the public. What's more impressive is the fact that it looks as though it's been here forever. A long zinc bar curves along one side of the room while the main restaurant area is split into two key areas - bustling banquette seating in front of the bar and cosy tables and armchairs at the front of the room (which follow through into a parlour-style room with a roaring fire which would be a great place to while away a winter's afternoon).
Our meal here fell into two clear categories - everyone our Dad ordered was brilliant. Our food, on the other hand, was intermittently successful. So in the absence of having a Mr Hanly you can bring with you - know that he ordered the twice-baked smoked haddock souffle, the rib steak with bernaise sauce and the rhubarb fool - all of which was thrillingly, hummingly good. We had the mushrooms on toast which was a little under-seasoned and the seafood cocktail to start. The seafood in question - lobster, crab and king prawns were sweet and fresh, but the cocktail sauce was too tangy to do the dish justice. Mains were better all round - the Dover Sole was great, (although the accompanying brown butter sauce was too salty) and the mixed grill was a plate of meaty loveliness. For dessert we shared the sherry trifle (how could you not order that?!) but, as we tweeted about on the night, it would have been useful to know that there'd be almonds on top, so we could have ordered it without them (we both hate nuts).
Service from the head waiter was great - but the timing by the other waiting staff needs work. Every course was delivered well before the accompaning wine arrived, which was just irritating.
There was a lot we really liked about this place - it's got a great buzz, the look of the room is fantastic and the staff were very friendly. The menu is simple with loads you'd want to order on it. If they can iron out some of the seasoning issues and service timing, this would be a firm favourite of ours. We're definitely going to go back to try the savouries and high tea.
Our meal here fell into two clear categories - everyone our Dad ordered was brilliant. Our food, on the other hand, was intermittently successful. So in the absence of having a Mr Hanly you can bring with you - know that he ordered the twice-baked smoked haddock souffle, the rib steak with bernaise sauce and the rhubarb fool - all of which was thrillingly, hummingly good. We had the mushrooms on toast which was a little under-seasoned and the seafood cocktail to start. The seafood in question - lobster, crab and king prawns were sweet and fresh, but the cocktail sauce was too tangy to do the dish justice. Mains were better all round - the Dover Sole was great, (although the accompanying brown butter sauce was too salty) and the mixed grill was a plate of meaty loveliness. For dessert we shared the sherry trifle (how could you not order that?!) but, as we tweeted about on the night, it would have been useful to know that there'd be almonds on top, so we could have ordered it without them (we both hate nuts).
Service from the head waiter was great - but the timing by the other waiting staff needs work. Every course was delivered well before the accompaning wine arrived, which was just irritating.
There was a lot we really liked about this place - it's got a great buzz, the look of the room is fantastic and the staff were very friendly. The menu is simple with loads you'd want to order on it. If they can iron out some of the seasoning issues and service timing, this would be a firm favourite of ours. We're definitely going to go back to try the savouries and high tea.
C
catherinehanly
Comments
