Marcus

My father was a successful restauranteur for over 25 years, so I am accustomed to fine dining since I was a little girl. Currently, I am blessed to still do it often as well as travel the world for it. This time, London!
We were treated by my husbands Auntie who is a Londoner and loves Marcus’s line of restaurant.
This restaurant is so beautiful and the service is outstanding. The waiters look like actors, one looked like Jason Stathem and the other looked like a comedian, When mentioned to them they didn’t miss a beat with smart comments, love it!
The front of the restaurant is used for tea time and the back is finer dining. We did the five course meal each which were so tiny but so filling!!!
We also received menus signed by Marcus himself so we were excited!
Great times

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

Had lunch here this week. The service was exceptional, we felt very well taken care of without being bothered every two minutes. The décor 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.

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.

Marcus was a solid restaurant. A wonderful meal with solid service. Really attentive, and helpful waiters. The sommelier was just a tad disappointing. He didn’t do a great job recommending wines for us. He just pointed to a bunch of wines seemingly randomly. I kept asking for something with cabernet franc, and he pointed to wine after wine with no cabernet franc. Peculiar.
Otherwise though, everyone else was amazing. The highlight though was when our head waiter went way over the top for us. After ordering, my wife changed her mind, and wanted to change one of her courses from the scallops to the pigeon. The waiter said he’d just bring her both, so she could try both.
Meanwhile, when my wife ordered a dessert, and I didn’t, he brought me my own dessert anyway. Amazing!
Both my wife and I both basically got 5 courses for the price of 4.
The only reason why I didn’t give Marcus 5 stars, is because it’s a 2-​Michelin restaurant, and while the food was really good, it didn’t stand out any more than many of the 1-​Michelin star restaurants I’ve been too. So, on the food front, it disappointed just a little.
My wife and I each ordered the 4-​course a la carte. Here’s what we ate:
1) Amuse bouche 1: tomato, polenta, and black olive
2) Amuse bouche 2: buttered shrimp cracker
3) Potato fennel bread. I LOVED this bread. It was so savory with the fennel
4) Scallops — delicious! My wife said these were the best scallops she’s ever had
5) Halibut — the purée was a bit bitter, but the fish was poached perfectly. Super tender
6) Pigeon — really good. Not gamy at all. The fried crispy pork was amazing. The aroma lingered in my nose long after the last bite
7) Turbot and short rib — good, but not amazing. The turbot fish had a clean taste but nothing to write home about
8) Cod
9) Suckling pig — the skin was amazingly crispy. But after this dish, I had reached my daily quota of fat intake
10) Duck — the hazelnut crust and pickled radish were amazing. The duck was cooked a perfect medium rare
11) Lemon meringue with an ice tea sorbet — tasted almost like a decadent crème brûlée
12) Warm chocolate fondant
13) Coconut bite
14) Orange chocolate bite
Final dessert
Wine: Australian cabernet. Yum!

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.

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.

Quite possibly my favourite restaurant anywhere and sadly one that I need to save for before going. Generally I am not a fan of high end restaurants because I feel the prioritise technique and flair over taste and for me taste is the thing that matters most when it comes to food. At Marcus, I need not worry because the food taste brilliantly. Needless to say all the dishes that came to us were perfectly executed but more importantly they tasted great and we were left satisfied. The service was also exceptional. Formal but not stuffy. Attentive but not overbearing. The wine recommendations are also spot on. Definitely very recommended.

I admit that I was here because of Master Chef. Marcus Wareing, the man looks like he knows what he’s talking about.
Fun fact, Gordon Ramsay used to be a co-​owner of this restaurant (under the name Petrus).
It’s located in the elegant yet trendy Berkeley hotel, not far from the Knightsbridge station but most other guests seem to prefer arriving in Aston Martins.
I opted for the tasting menu, and it was very well prepared. I’m sure other Unilocalers have written more details about each dish here, plus the menu changes constantly, so I won’t review every course.
The reason it’s 4 star not 5 is because of two things:
— The lighting: it was REALLY dark! Yes I know fine dining places are normally very dim but this was still a bit unexpected. It makes the atmosphere not as lively as it could be.
— Time between dishes: There was a long pause between the appetizers and main dishes that made us wonder if anything went wrong in the kitchen. Not sure if it was a one time thing or it typically took this long.
Other than that we had a great meal.

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.

Service was excellent as expected from a Michelin restaurant. Some of the dishes were wow worthy. I don’t usually like lamb but their dishes were so good, I learn that I probably don’t like lamb because they were done wrong elsewhere. Too much food but enjoyed the dishes. Seemed like they kept bringing out more and more food.

Superb meal. I actually like the concept of listing the ingredients but not how they are prepared, it leaves you guessing throughout the meal. It may not appeal to a more fussy eater, but I’m not really sure that this is the sort of place to go if you are fussy.
We had the tasting menu, which was superb, a real journey especially when taken with the tasting wine selection. Waiting staff were also superb, service level was excellent with constant attention throughout the evening.

Items enjoyed:
Raspberry Tarragon Lemonade
Gruyère Tapioca Gougeres
Potato Bread with Fennel and House Churned Salted Irish Butter
Foie Gras, Cherry, Granola
Sweetbread, Almond, Nectarine
Quail, Carrot, Cornbread, Summer Savory
Turbot, Dorset Snails, Shallot, Gnocchi
Anjou Pigeon, Onion, Jersey Royal
Pommes purée, Lincolnshire Poacher sauce
Aged Manchego, Cravanzina, Coeur de Camembert au Calvados, Harbourne Blue, Maroilles — Onion Chutney, Queens Jelly, Honeycomb, Apricot Bread, Oatmeal Biscuits
Pineapple, Pain Perdu, Coconut
Lavender Marshmallow, Pure Tahitian Chocolate
Without a doubt one of the more polarizing figures in the British culinary scene given well publicized spats with former mentors and protégées, as well, it was to Marcus Wareing’s eponymous restaurant at The Berkeley that I turned for my final dinner in London and with Chef Wareing both visibly and audibly present in his kitchen alongside Mark Froydenlund and a cast of at least twenty throughout the evening an a la carte order rivaled by few others followed, a duo of gifts on the house and exemplary service throughout the night rivaling my experience at The Dorchester just 24 hours past. Opened in 2008 but recently renovated to embrace a more contemporary feel befitting Wareing’s dynamic and often daring cuisine it was just after seven o’clock that I entered The Berkeley and led swiftly through a lobby where ladies lingered over tea it would be mere moments before I was seated, my plush windowside table soon greeted with a quartet of gooey gougeres and a menu without a single item that didn’t warrant consideration. Eventually eschewing the tasting menu in favor of the four savory courses that most struck my fancy it was with a spicy fruit elixir in hand that my meal began and with portions trending large while presentations showed a keen eye for precision it was the flavors and textures that truly shined, each dish focusing on only a few exemplary ingredients with each serving to compliment the others without once straying the course. Clearly a menu befitting my palate with a duo of excellent fowl preceded by luxurious liver set against naturally sweet crunch and creamy sweetbreads with almond butter amidst fruit it was actually in the fourth course of the night that the meal truly peaked and with the chef’s signature turbot served as a gift upstaging the rest in its almost uncanny degree of self-​assurance I could only offer my thanks, a similar sentiment for the cheesy potatoes offered gratis. Never one to shy away from sweets but in this case bearing in mind my imminent return to The United States it was with little hesitation that I explored the sort of cheese cart I’m unlikely to see again for some time and with the Harbourne Blue particularly enthralling alongside Queens Jelly and biscuits only one thing remained — the bruleed brioche, crispy meringue, and roasted pineapple every bit as good as the rest of the night and thankfully quite light despite its bold and complex taste.

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.

A slightly confused room. They have reduced formality. I don’t mistake formality with friendliness.
If you are going to a great place, where is the problem of being reasonably tidy. If you don’t make the effort to enjoy yourself, will you be happy?
A great lunch, good value set lunch (considering how high up the achievement level this place is) regardless. Excellent wines and you can find an affordable one.
Inventive food, beautifully cooked & presented.
Staggered out to a room full of people enjoying a champagne high tea… should have had a walk round the block and gone back!
Will go again soon.

Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley has had a revamped into something that is supposed to be (I think) a bit less formal. Well. I thought it was still very formal. Especially in terms of the trend for informal posh dining nowadays, even going about 50% less formal than before is still pretty formal. And if directly compared to the excellent meal I had at Dabbous the next day, expensive and overpriced.
I was actually quite happy with my meal. The largest slice of foie gras ever, followed by Middle White pig, 3 ways. The largest slice of foie gras ever was creatively teamed with mango saucey thing and topped with granola. Absolutely delicious but the brioche was a bit too greasy for my liking. All 3 bits of my piggie (belly, best cut and shoulder I think) were very well executed and well cooked. I had a taste of the lamb which was tender and flavorful, but the feedback on the Veal belly/​Frog’s leg starter was merely ok (most of the discussion surrounding it was the strange bit of flesh in the middle of the dish, less so the taste of the dish).
After 2 courses we were stuffed, and dessert was a complete no go. Which was fine by me as nothing sang to me on the list. And I’m a massive dessert fan…
It wasn’t that I didn’t like Marcus, I just didn’t love it. The whole table was a bit perplexed with the menu presentation– we are all not fussy eaters at all but it takes very easy going people to just accept the main ingredients as a list with no clue as to how the meal was prepared. This also made more work for the waiter as it just meant that he basically recited the entire menu to us.
I must applaud them however, for their service standards. I didn’t realise that we were a party of 6 instead of 4 and they were extremely accommodating and helpful. Now, this is something I could love in a restaurant.
(Food 3 ½*, menu 2*, service 5*)

We had been meaning to try Marcus Wareing for a while and finally ticked it off just before Christmas. It was a very polished experience, the food was immaculate, and the setting was smart — it was probably the definition of ‘fine dining’.
That said, despite it being faultless, I didn’t walk away thinking ‘wow’ as I have at some other places. Whilst the quality of the food was amazing, I didn’t find that the personality of the chef shone through and it meant that the menu was a bit boring; and despite the quality of the interior, I felt it was a bit cold for my tastes and could do with a bit of modernising.
Both of these things could be said to be personal tastes so if you’re just after exceptional quality food then I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place. However if you want something a bit more modern and interesting then maybe try somewhere else first.
We had the tasting menu which consisted of: mackerel, foie gras, mushroom & teal (second best), scallop, lamb (best), stilton, apple & chestnut, lemon (3^rd best). It all came to 380 including wine, coffees and service.
Update — they must have listened to my feedback because they’re closing to refurbish and reopen as the more modern and accessible Marcus.

We had a very enjoyable afternoon at this restaurant. Even though it was just lunch, we savoured over it for whole three hours and left feeling contented. The service was knowledgeable and welcoming without being overbearing. The surroundings were opulent and appropriate for a two michelin star restaurant.
We opted for the 3 course lunch for £58 each. We had a glass of champagne each to start and we had a nice bottle of New Zealand pinot noir to share over the lunch.
We had an amuse bouche of ricotta foam and pea soup. This was light and a good preparation for the meal ahead. Of course, there was also a good selection of breads and we tried a few of them while waiting for our starters. We had two butters to choose from, one of which had a toffee taste which I really liked.
Starters:
Quail terrine, foie gras, nectarine. The fois gras had a delicious intense flavour and it went very well with the nectarine.
Smoked haddock, duck egg, watercress. The haddock was delicate and the duck egg mousse was creamy. It was a tasty dish, but felt a bit heavy for a starter.
Mains:
Sea bream, Dorset snails, aioli. My wife commented to me on how perfectly cooked the seam bream was. So juicy and tender. The snails were like prizes deposited on the plate. I had one and it was delicious.
Welsh baby chicken, fennel, polenta, girolles. The chicken was juicy and tender. The polenta tasted like a roast dinner. It complemented the chicken nicely.
For a £16 supplement, we had a cheese course before dessert. There were five cheeses of varying flavour intensity and hardness. It came with a treaure chest of different crackers to pair the cheese with. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the descriptions of the cheeses, but my favourite was one of the more intense camemberts.
We had a pre-​dessert of vanilla yoghurt mouse with watermelon granita. The granita was a great way to refresh the palate before the main dessert.
Dessert: We had the apple tarte tartin (with clotted cream, honey) for two people to share. The performance was part of the dessert experience. A trolley was wheeled over to our table. A waiter came out with a copper pan which he presented on the trolley. The tarte tartin was inside. He cut it in half, and carefully served a portion each. We each got a small bottle which had some clotted cream inside, which you could smear over the tart.
Even though there were some minor things to improve, I was very happy with the lunch experience as whole, so I have given it the full five stars.

It’s a little hidden when you walk in The Berkeley. You’ll notice a bar in the right and you pretty much have to walk through that to get to the shaded glass door which is the entrance to the Marcus Wareing. If you’re not sure, just ask one of the employees there, and they will gladly walk you to the restaurant.
The ambiance is nice and intimate. Even with big groups that were eating by me, it wasn’t at all loud or anything. No great views from the windows, but who cares since you’re about to enjoy some very nice fine dining here.
Service was impeccable here. There were no fewer than 5 or 6 people throughout the evening handing me plates of food with a British-​French accent. The maitre’d even gave me a tour of the kitchen. Now that was the highlight of my evening.
I also loved the cheese cart too. They get their cheeses from La Fromagerie and there were at least 30 or so unpasterized cheeses to choose from. Too bad I can’t bring these unpasterized cheeses to the states because the cheeses stood out during my visit here.
Michelin 2 stars in 2012

Hands down one of the best meals I have had in London. I was lucky enough to have dinner in the private room and the service and food were excellent.
There is clearly a lot of work and skill involved in the preparation of his dishes but Marcus Wareing lets the excellent ingredients ‘do the talking’, which is a skill in itself.
Marcus came into the room for a chat after the meal was over, which was a lovely touch. He really took the time to talk to us about his cooking, the sourcing of the ingredients (he personally checks all ingredients and if they are not up to par they get sent straight back). Wonderful that you can see the passion and dedication to his metiere.
The one small negative is at the restaurant has no affiliation with the hotel’s Blue Bar so drinks cannot be ordered from the bar menu and the cocktails on offer at the restaurant are fairly limited.

Ich hatte reserviert und irgendwie war die Reservierung verschwunden. Die Empfangsdame bot erst einmal ein anderes Lokal an. Ich kam ja aus dem Staunen nicht heraus! Schließlich bot sie dann doch noch einen der freien Tische an.
Der Kellner erklärte gelangweilt und in Eile die jeweiligen Gänge und sprach so leise, dass man ihn kaum verstehen konnte.
Der Fisch war sehr gut und es gab ein riesiges Käsebuffet auf einem großen Rollwagen.
Zum Abschied gab es eine nette Geste: Ein Tütchen mit drei Pralinen. Nur leider wurde der Mantel einfach so überreicht. Wahrscheinlich glich mein Blick einer Fata Morgana, denn ohne Worte hat es sich der Herr dann doch noch überlegt und half mir in den Mantel.
Das Essen war ok, der Service eher schlecht für dieses Ambiente.