Corrigan's Mayfair

Some years ago I ate at Richard Corrigans Lindsay House Restaurant on a number of occasions, I thought it was a magical place, a secret garden with tremendous, individual food and warm, charming service.

I have only recently returned to London and after reading so much about Mayfair I could not wait to visit, albeit I was apprehensive as I was fearful it could not live up to my memories of Lindsay House, a bit like meeting an old friend after a long time to find one of you had changed for the worst!

I needn't have worried, it was wonderful.

Everything from the room and quality of service was lovely and the food was unmistakedly Corrigan, buttermilk pancakes with girolles, plaice with nettle gnocci … I was home again, it is the anthithisis of consortium owned restaurants.

I can't wait to go back again, and again.

I was very much looking forward to my visit to Richard Corrigan's Mayfair restaurant, I have always enjoyed watching him on TV and was looking forward to trying some of his creations myself. I have to say the evening was a bit of a mixed bag. My starter of Lobster Ravioli was delicious, the pasta was only just cooked, so a little floury at the edges, but the flavours were lovely and well balanced. Unfortunately, our hot starters were served but we had to wait some considerable time before the green salad ordered by one of our group was delivered, which did mean our meals had cooled a little too much.

For main course, I had John Dory which was a miniscule portion and sadly of the 3 John Dorys on the table all were over cooked and subsequently pretty dry and tasteless. Maybe the chef should try serving bigger fillets which need less precision cooking. Overall rather disappointing at £26 per plate!

The service was not as good as I would have expected, there are a lot of staff in the restaurant, you hardly saw the same face twice. Unfortunately they were not particularly attentive, we had the incident of the delayed starter, then I had to stand to make sure I got the bill. This was followed by one of the waiters then wandering off with my credit card for a few minutes until the Maitre’d tracked him down and rescued it so we could pay.

Overall, there were some highlights, the fish soup was reported to be delicious and the red mullet is to be recommended, but in a restaurant where there is a very limited number of wines on the menu under £50, it makes for a very expensive night. At these sort of prices I would have been hoped that the fish at least would be impeccably cooked.

There are so many lovely restaurants in London and in this price bracket there are many sensational ones, with that knowledge it is hard to recommend Corrigans.

Absolutely flawless meal last night. We had the seven course tasting menu, normally £75 but £100pp because we sat at the Kitchen Library table ie a small room directly opposite the pass in the kitchen.

First they brought numerous different canapes / mini starters which were, almost without exception, superb. The execution was immaculate. Then seven courses followed, all of which I loved – some very impressive cooking, exquisitely prepared. A great mix of innovative cooking (eg nettle gnocchi) with traditional British/Irish ingredients and flavours. Presentation was excellent: every dish looked beautiful with vibrant colours and garnishes.

They really served a lot of food, some of it very rich, so you have to be quite a gourmand to get through it all – I felt like I was going to pop.

The Kitchen Library table was a fantastic experience: a banquette seating six directly opposite the kitchen so you could see all the action (and hear it too…). I've been to one chef's table before (the Connaught) and this was better: you could see everything being plated up and listen in on the banter between chef, brigade and wait staff. You are served not by waiters but by the chefs themselves, who briefly explain each dish and give you a bit of blurb about the ingredients.

Attentive and charming service, with everyone seemingly going out of their way to make us feel welcome. Corrigan popped his head round the door to say hi (shortly before giving one of the brigade a massive telling-off – very funny). Only minor complaint on the service front was that the sommelier was a bit too keen to keep refilling our glasses but I guess you can't have it both ways – better that than they leave the wine in the ice bucket all night.

Not cheap: 15% service to sit at the chef's table, plus you have to look quite hard to find wines under £40. But for food this good, and an overall restaurant experience that makes you feel like you're living the high life, the bill wasn't too painful.

Choosing a restaurant in our house always begins in the most random way: Richard Corrigan has been on the telly quite a lot lately, what with Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen, and the Hubby wondered why we'd never been to his restaurant. He was adamant that he'd never seen Corrigan's Mayfair on Upper Grosvenor Street, or heard anyone mention it.

To be honest, even though I knew it was there, I'd never actually seen it, and my ‘usual’ black cab chappie gave a me a breakdown of every building in the street but declared he'd never seen a restaurant there… So Corrigan's is a bit like that building in Harry Potter – invisible to the uninitiated… This makes entering the building even more of a surprise, because the interior is actually enormous, and must span the whole of the block.

There's a very good bar area, restaurant seating, and a private room off the main restaurant. The room feels very like a ‘posh’ Cecconi's, except with a great deal less bustle. It was only about 25-30% full during our meal, although there was a function being held in the private room. With a room like this, less bustle almost constitutes less atmosphere. Given that we were asked twice to ensure that we were finished by 9.15, one had to wonder what they were worried about. Did people suddenly hot-foot it all the way over to Upper Grosvenor Street at 10pm?

Thank goodness we were only offered one amuse – hurrah! This was a little ball of mozarella in a sort of doughnutty/brioche in crispy parmesan breadcrumbs, smelled fabulous and pretty tasty.

To start I had a very lovely crispy duck egg, with English asparagus, mustard hollandaise and pea shoots. It was very yummy and the runny yolk obviously worked very well with the asparagus. The Hubby had the terrine of foie gras, which was constructed using layers of foie gras and thin slices of brioche. The Hubby felt this dampened down the flavour of the foie gras somewhat.

As a main course I had the pan-fried john dory with a raw artichoke and apple salad. This was very clean, and the acidity in the apple worked very well with the rest of the dish.

The Hubby had the red mullet with chorizo, salt cod and parsley. The mullet was cooked very well, and the salt cod complemented it, and was well seasoned. However with little salt cod and chorizo on the plate, there wasn't a great deal of flavour.

Dessert anyone? Yes, we would have quite liked dessert, but after waiting for some time for someone to give us a dessert menu, and then some time for someone to return to us, the urge had completely gone. I had quite fancied the one with the salted caramel (clearly this years' favourite flavour with chefs), but didn't fancy waiting for it to arrive.

This highlights the one main drawback to Corrigan's for us: the room is very good, the food is fine, yummy and seasonal – well done Mr Corrigan. The staff however are pretty haphazard. At one point I asked the Hubby if he felt we were sitting in the trainee section of the restaurant. The older staff were extremely well informed, polite, adept, discreet – everything you would expect. The junior staff were gauche, uninformed, and inattentive*. I would recommend going in a slightly larger crowd as you may need to provide your own atmosphere. To be fair, I would assume this place is heaving at lunchtime, and it may be a better first introduction to the restaurant.

• Actually, I'd like to correct this comment and qualify it. The staff were not entirely inattentive, but I think this highlights a common complaint for diners – there's an enormous difference between ensuring that someone's glass is topped up, that bread plates are removed, etc, but these days in restaurants of this calibre it simply isn't sufficient! The diner is looking for the staff to read their signs – do I look like I want something – do I look restless – do I look like I've made up my mind? Staff need to actually look at the diner, NOT just look at the table.

food was fresh but slightly bland, staff was informed and attentive. lovely atmosphere.

I'll admit it – I absolutely love Richard Corrigan's cooking. Big, hearty flavours, not afraid of being adventurous, always follows the seasonality charts, and above is never afraid of standing up for his beliefs and making big, bold statements.

His Mayfair restaurant had its wobbles early on, but from my last two visits there I can only see and say that things have improved immeasurably, to the point that every part verges on almost perfect. The service, for one, really is exceptional, from the lovely friendly staff at reception through to the bartenders and waiters. Even the head waiter, who I originally thought had something stuffed up where it shouldn't be, had relaxed and was much more convivial.

Food as ever was sensational – great beef with the most exquisite red anchovy butter. Supreme tea roasted veal sweetbreads. Just epic in every way. Desserts were equally impressive with the lychee mousse exceptionally light and well balanced. I love the wine list too – deservedly Wine List of the Year 2010 at the Imbibe Awards. However I think the wine list at The Penny Black Restaurant in Chelsea that I went to a few nights ago might run it very close for ease of reading, description and choice.

Pricey though – actually really at the top end of expensive. But in my opinion worth every penny. And if you get to chat to Richard as I did over the bar, you'll understand completely the direction from which he attacks the restaurant industry.

BRILLIANT.

like this place a lot – have eaten here twice in the last 6 months – sunday lunch at the chef's table was fantastic – great value for money – amazing room and service! Great beef and views into kitchen were highly entertaining. Also ate lunch during the week recently with 4 friends – great starters and main – fish is very good here. Service is friendly and personal – highly recommended

In fairness this is a review of sunday lunch which offers a limited menu
Met at reception by a wonderful smile and an efficient receptionist. The room is bland and to me reminisent of a 1970,s steakhouse it truly is awful. the menu was limited and the food offering therefore average but on presentation was cooked with precision and well seasoned.The roast had seen better days but we were a late booking. The wine list is substancial and not intimidating with excellant offerings by the glass and carafe.
I will return on a mid week time to see if there is a difference. Service was excellant at all times and very attententive.

I was taken in January for my birthday,and loved it..I'm taking my daughter there for her birthday at the end of June.
When we arrived,we were made very welcome and had champagne( in those amazing glasses)in the bar.
Our table was in a great position,and was very big for two people.I liked that-a bit of elbow room.It's a rather lovely restaurant(great loos,as well)
The food was amazing,and I started with Rock oysters, and crubeens(pigs feet) because I wanted to taste them-I had pork for main,and English and Irish cheeses with my coffee.Winter food-it will be interesting to have summer food when I next go,as everything is fresh and seasonal.I'm looking forward to it,even though it's not cheap-having said that my favourite restaurant J.Sheekey,is around the same price and with the same care and great service.Corrigan's wine list is good,but not as good as Sheekey.

I regularly go to Corrigan's as it is a great spot to entertain clients and my parents also love it when they are in town. It has a quiet glamour about it and the food lives up to expectations. The staff are ever so attentive and Richard Corrigan himself is often on hand to come out and have a chat! It's nice to see a chef who cares so much about his restaurant. On my last visit, I had the Roasted Scallops with Foie Gras which was so delicate but with such a mix of exciting flavours. I recently took some colleagues there and we took one of their Picnic Hampers onto Hyde Park and basked in the sunshine with delicious picnic dishes and some champers – pure bliss!

I last ate in Corrigans a year ago, and have spent the last year singing its praises to all & sundry. I was a little alarmed to read some of the recent negative reviews on this site, but nonetheless set off for dinner on Saturday night with happy anticipation.

We were greeted by a veritable gaggle of friendly, glamorous front -of -house girls, one of whom rushed outside with my man to help him repark the car with less risk of towing/ticketing. One of my new BFs then showed us to our table, which was one of a row of tables opposite the bar area before the main restaurant space – which had been part of the bar area on our last visit. It was fine for a late booking.

The service was attentive and prompt but not rushed. The setting is comfortable luxury without bling, the lighting is nicely subdued and a lively but muted buzz fills the place: you can relax back easily and hear yourself talking rather than drowned in sound or pins dropping.

The house champagne is delicious, and is served in the same unusual glasses that Texture use, giving a generous 150ml measure I would guess rather than the regular 125ml. The amuse-bouches were warm: a large green olive, stuffed with goats cheese and lightly crumbed & deep-fried – really good – and some dainty discs of cheese sable which were tasty but a little greasy.

Our starters were suckling pig ravioli with roasted lobster (how good does that sound? music to my ears) & fried duck egg with ceps & acorn-fed ham. Mine was a stonker – a perfect giant ravioli stuffed with lots of succulent, slow-cooked mini-pig, topped with a good chunk of juicy lobster still in its shell chopped from the fattest part of the body, all decorated with half the crispy coppery head of the lobster (minus whiskers): just stunning looks and flavours. I shared a forkful with my man. ‘How do you think the lobster is cooked?’ he asked. ‘Roasted’ I said. ‘How do you know?’ 'I read the menu'…

The duck egg was very good, a runny-yolked egg on a decent helping of well-seasoned ceps cooked to the right balance of soft chewiness, but the curl of acorn-fed ham was a garnish-sized rosette rather than a proper ingredient of the dish. Pricey at £15 (my pig & lobster combo being a relative bargain at £14), but with fresh ceps at a constant hefty cost, not a rip-off.

For mains, I chose a daily special: “day-boat” sole with roasted artichoke and preserved lemon, and my man had poached haddock with Indian-spiced pilau rice. The latter looked quite dull being entirely muddy-beige coloured but it tasted subtly delicious. it was served in a large dish with a small soup-bowl indent in the middle which was annoying to eat out of with a fork and knife. An honest but rather earnest thing. The sole was spankingly fresh and immaculately cooked (I'm not sure about the ‘day-boat’ tag: all good fresh fish is caught and brought back daily surely? Scallops are more usually described as ‘day-boat’ to distinguish extra freshness over the common collection method). It had a little puddle of chive beurre blanc sauce which I wished was a little pond it was so good. I also wished I'd had the other half of the solitary elegant baby artichoke served: another garnish posing as a costituent of the dish. The preseved lemon was a softly citric heap, not over-acidic, which worked wonderfully with the fish and artichoke.

The side orders: the waiter warmly recommended the buttered curly kale (we like our greens) and goose-fat chips. They didn't go with our fish but we LOVED them, just for themselves. The kale had a good amount of Cashel Blue cheese melted through it (my precise suspicion confirmed by the passing waitress I collared) which took kale to a new, good place. I don't like unannounced added ingredients that dramatically alter dishes however. The goose fat chips were some of the best chips we have ever had. I rated them a 9/10 – only because they could have been left another 30 seconds or so in the fryer to achieve chip paradise. ‘A high nine’ said my man, happily ruminating. We ate the side orders as an extra course really.

I had the chocolate dessert described baldly as ‘Venezuelan chocolate and Tonka bean’ on the menu. I was full, but curious – ok, greedy. It wasn't what I expected, but then I didn't know what to expect. It was ok, the superior ingredient parts were better than the whole. The petits fours with my man's coffee were much better.

The sommelier found us good wines to go with the food despite the tall order of such disparate flavours in our food order. Towards the end of the evening, we felt cold and the waiter apologised for the draught from the front door comings and goings. A glass of complimentary dessert wine arrived as an apology for being bothered by the brief draughts, which was a nice gesture.

We had a wonderful evening: near-perfect on all counts. The cooking is faultless and well-judged. There's lots of choice on the menu, with plenty of seasonal dishes and many expensive ingredients used with flair. The keynote in Corrigans is subtlety. The apparent simplicity of the food allows the brilliant cooking and flavours to shine but hides the sophistication of the skills and complex techniques behind the finished dishes. The decor and the service mirror the upmarket subtlety of the menu.

The whole concept really works for me. Ratings are nines rather than tens on food/drink & value for money, mainly for the meagre portions of ham/artichoke purporting to be a real ingredient, and that a wild salmon with sea greens main course was £40 which just seemed too steep. And pudding ok rather than divine. Wild horses will not keep me from coming back much sooner than next year.

When asked about my meal at Corrigan's last week, I replied the menu was “interesting”, This brought a worried look, “interesting” doesn't sound too positive. But it was “interesting” in a good way. The menu was varied and imaginative. It wasn't trying too hard, but there were no average looking dishes, everything had appeal.
The lobster risotto was light and an ideal starter. The vension looked excellent, but I opted for the John Dory with a razor clam, beautifully prepared and delicious. The Venezuelan Chocolate & Tonka Bean pudding was rich, but not too much too handle!

All in all a very fine meal in a nice setting – its a very smartly designed, well lit dining room. The service was good and the Sommelier was particularly helpful. I'd happily return as there were many other options I'd like to try on the menu and I'd like to see what the Chef's Table is like.

We liked the clubby décor and autumnal / winter colour scheme. Very cosy on cold days. Front of house was very welcoming. On this Saturday evening visit, the restaurant was full and staff very busy.

We liked the traditional British menu, with a strong presence of game. Interesting dishes, without being too lead by current fashion.

After a 45 mins wait, our starters were very good: Fresh and tasty oysters, and very tasty duck liver. The pork cheeks and pheasant main courses were good and also very tasty, but significantly let down by being delivered luke warm. After a 1 1/2hrs wait, and getting very hungry, we weren’t going to send them back.

Service was generally professional and competent, but not particularly attentive or charming. We sometimes had to make quite a lot of effort to gain attention from the waiters.

If the food had been delivered hot and more quickly, I would regard the pricing as being very fair for the quality. If the problems can be ironed out, it could be a really great restaurant. I expect more for £120 for 2 courses inc service ex wine / drinks. As others have commented, the sommelier was very helpful, which is needed given the few choices sub £50-60.

Overall, a good new venue for traditional British food. However, it is not really up to the standard one would expect given its plaudits and the 2009 BMW award. We had the impression that they were just trying to fit in too many covers for their organising ability, with insufficient waiting staff or kitchen capacity for their busy Saturday night sitting. A previous mid-week lunch in a much quieter restaurant had been considerably more enjoyable, with much better service and better executed properly hot food. We will try again at some point in the future, but it will be outside a “peak period”. I would not recommend a busy evening booking.

I am not a joiner by nature and I have certainly not contributed to a web site in this manner before but my meal at Corrigans Mayfair on Thursday has caused me to break this taboo. I was dining with an old work colleague and friend with whom I always enjoy a very convivial meal and it is this that allows me to give the average scores and not lower ones – in other words, the distraction of the company overcame the need to damn the place altogether. To address the constituent parts: (i) the service: this was, in the main, of an extremely cheerful nature from the moment that I entered the attractively furnished restaurant. However, the cheerful nature was belied by an almost universal incomprehension of the English language. I was unable to make the first waiter understand that the fino I wanted as an aperitif was a sherry. Once I have pointed it out on the wine list, he took the wine list away with him and we found it very difficult to explain to the next waiter that we wanted the wine list back; (ii) the food: this is linked with the service as the carpaccio of beef with tempura oysters for me and my friend’s veal tongue took 45 minutes to arrive. We were not over bothered save that the management had made a colossal effort to ensure that we understood that the table was ours for only 2 hours (one hour having passed in ordering and waiting for the starters) and that we had only ordered a half bottle of Croze Hermitage White to accompany the starters. In fact, the excellent Maitre D’ offered a further complimentary half bottle as, even with abstemious sips, we had polished off the half bottle during our wait – again, not a massive problem but this wine is really a food wine and it needed the food for which it was ordered. The actual food was miniscule in portion and average in quality and presentation. For our main courses, I had ordered the woodcock and my friend the oxtail (he is somewhat of an oxtail expert) whereas I am a novice when it comes to woodcock but I was assured that this was the chef’s (presumably the eponymous Corrigan) speciality. The woodcock was ordered from the “specials” in the way of a “game menu”. I have to say that both main courses disappointed enormously. My friend’s oxtail (actually only an oxtail croquette) was accompanied by what had to be a large chunk of lamb. When we questioned this, we were assured that this large, homogenous pink mass was absolutely oxtail! My woodcock had clearly been cooked in its separate parts as one breast was beyond blood rare and the other medium. I am now familiar with the size of woodcock and could advise that it is suitable for a calorie controlled diet. It was served with (apparently) a foie gras gravy which was very sludgy and had been absorbed in large part into the wafer thin slice of bread (I think) on which the pile sat. The only bright spark was the portion of goose fat chips which were excellent. However, the price for such “special” was £40! This was substantially in excess of the a la carte prices but I was not advised of this when ordering and this did not include the chips or any other accompaniment. We were told that the chef often chose a suitable accompanying dish such as a gratin of greens but had decided not to that night. Hello? (iii) the wine: the real kicker was the wine list. Excellent sommelier – straight forward and blunt Australian and (uniquely) English speaking who helped us to find a red wine under £75 which was not easy even in the regional French category in which we were looking. We eventually settled on a £67 bottle of Cahors which while excellent retails for approximately €10. The Maitre D’ literally twisted our arms to have a digestif and apologised profusely; I can only suspect that we were not the only table to have a less than satisfactory meal – and being English we hadn’t even really complained, save for the delay in the starters. “Oh well” said my friend, “at least we’ve tried it now.”

Lunch 10th November 2009: Went for the Set menu £27 inc 250ml wine. Starter Smoked Cod Roe with Celeriac & Bacon. Roe seemed dry and overdone, diced garnish ok included carrots and sweetcorn, butter sauce with spring onion. Taste ok. Main Course Braised beef shin. Presentation ok, but if I hadn't been recommended to order a side dish all I would have had was the piece of beef for my plate (I had sprouting brocolli with blue cheese – (an extra £4.20) – almost raw, never mind al dente! and this was not declared on the menu that I would have to order “sides”) The Beef was tepid at most, the buttered snail garnish barely a level teaspoonful, and the jus struggled to show itself. I reckon many would have sent this back to the kitchen just on the temperature alone, but the taste was very good. Dessert, I had goats cheese bun – 3 profiteroles with a goats cheese filling, black pepper honey, julienne of celery and watercress leaves. This was the best dish of the three, though still missing a beat in my opinion. Pre-meal nibbles and post meal petit fours (came alongside the dessert!) didn't enthuse me (was this what the £2 cover charge was for along with the bread?). Wine was ok. No charge for tap water. Service was initially a bit “simpering” from the lead staff, but ended as if they didn't really want me there as I was not “blowing a corporate expense account”. the £27 had grown to over £37 at the end with service) If you are going to do a prix fixe then it should be a complete meal IMHO.
I won't rush back.

We ate at Corrigan's Mayfair (09/09/09) eagerly anticipating top drawer fine dining, having eaten at and enjoyed his previous Soho beauty, Lindsay House.
We chose the tasting menu, thoughtfully our booking of six was moved to the chef's table, even better we thought. Before sitting they got off to a bad start, the bar attendants English was so indecipherable we just smiled, not bothering with further questions, a small point but slightly irritating.
upon sitting down our waiter immediately informed with his opening line us that Richard Corrigan normally introduces both himself and his tasting selection personally, but for some reason wasn't going to…great opening line – genius! He was a nice enough chap and we generally liked his manner, but he followed that dumb remark with a lack of basic knowledge when we asked menu-based questions, not good enough.
On to the food, and I start with the universal low point, a smoked salmon dish with mozzarella and raisons; firstly yuk, secondly, what the hell is smoked salmon doing on a menu of this nature and price. Nearly every dish lacked substance, depth and magic, including a roast fois gras that disappeared without flavour, pointless eating. In complete contrast the meat course was richly over flavoured, causing near breakdown to our collective digestive systems. On the upside, a notable exception was the cod dish that was universally enjoyed and we drank decent, interesting wines throughout.
Until there is a notable improvement to the food selection on this menu, don't empty your wallet here.
Our bill was £414.87 per couple, gob smacking and utterly disgraceful, given the paucity of the fare. It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to write this, if it weren’t for the great company I would have voiced my displeasure loud and clear during the meal. At this price every part of the dining experience should be utterly without reproach, perfect in every way, this was faulty. Better options would be Trinity in Clapham, where they offer a decent tasting menu with wine for £65, at the other end of the scale, The Fat Duck, where I have eaten their brilliant tasting menu with superb accompanying wines, again for less. Most importantly, Heston Blumenthal serves astonishing food that I will remember for the rest of my life…cheaper too. Hopeless, 5/10.

As we had noticed the once very high standards at Lindsay House slipping, we were keen to find out whether all Richard Corrigan’s attention was now being focused on Corrigan's Mayfair. After a very warm welcome we were then shown, presumably because we had opted for the Top Table menu, to a very remote table in a distant dark corner. We were then assured that they would make every effort to look after us that evening, and were promptly abandoned. The menu itself was very limited and unexciting, and after being ignored for some considerable time we had to resort to waving and shouting in order to attract some attention. The food was well cooked but the small portions required side dishes at additional cost to the set menu. We continued to feel overlooked as the evening progressed, and we had to call for the waiter’s attention each time. Both a cover charge and a service charge were added to our bill. As we weren’t happy with the service, we asked if this could be deducted to which we were told “no”. As we left we were politely asked if we had enjoyed our evening. We replied that this was not really the case, the only consolation was an “oh dear, would you like a taxi”.

Not being one to prone to praise nor one to ever write a review, I feel obliged to say this is the finest dining experiences I've had in years. Indeed I entered skeptical that the team could replicate the experience I had at Lindsay House – it does and betters it!

From the welcome to the goodbyes, the entire experience was first class in each and every aspect. The food, seasonal with a focus on mixing the best ingredients nurtured with affection just works at each level. The service was phenomenal with nothing to much trouble and the lady at reception bidding us farewell like an old friend beckoning your return.

Long may Richard and his team grace this town!

Our party of five thoroughly enjoyed lunch here. The traditional quisine surpasses any i have had in Great Britain. It was most unfortunate though that i overheard Richard Corragan shouting at a staff member outside his restaurant. He is clearly an angry and bitter man.

Corrigans provided me with an excellent experience one recent lunchtime. Food was delicious, from a long and creative menu with a meaty, earthy focus as you would expect from Richard Corrigan. Pricing was expensive but probably fair for this quality.

Service was spot on but it was an empty Monday lunchtime so no big surprise. It was decor that was weird. What were they thinking? It’s quite hard to describe, a sort or retro 60’s, non-descript blobby look. What a wasted opportunity. If they had made it stylish I would be here regularly, but as it does not impress on the looks front I will be an infrequent visitor.

Overall – Worth checking out as a solid addition to the fine dining scene

Corrigans just does not hit the heights of Lindsay House which is charming and warm. Perhaps if you just go to Corrigans without having been to Lindsay house you might appreciate it. I found Corrigans to be mainly competent with some very nice but certainly not generous dishes. The ox-cheek with Ravioli was lovely but tiny. However there was no choice of water unless tap water v Hildon is a choice. The menu though is one of those irritating one that charges extra for everything. The size of the place (quite large and open) is another niggle.

It's a nice place to be for sure and dinner there is enjoyable. I want to go to any restaurant where Richard Corrigan cooks but this place does not do it for me.

I don't venture West much as I have had my fingers/wallet burnt so many times in the past but the combination of Richard Corrigan's food, Andrea Bricarello's wine selection, friendly yet slick service and a stylish setting make this a winner. The flavour combinations were well thought out and dishes perfectly executed. A starter of deep fried oysters with chorizo and an apple and chicory salad balanced the melt-in-the-mouth delicacies with the kick of paprika and the zing of the salad. A dessert of rhubarb souffle was light and well matched with the sommelier's suggestion of a glass of delicate moscato d'asti. I can't wait to go back.

How did Richard Corrigan end up in The Grosvenor Hotel? Restaurants located in hotels invariably take on the character of the hotel they are part of, sometimes thats a good fit, Gordan Ramsay and Claridges is a good stylistic fit it feels right. I am not sure that Mayfair and Richard Corrigan are made for each other. I should declare up front that I don't like Mayfair, there is much to appreciate about the area for sure, but its not a place I feel either comfortable or relaxed in. The Grosvenor is somewhere I go too frequently for awards dinners of one kind or another, so that doesnt help much either. Staff at the front desk are professional and courteous, although I am not sure that a gentleman should ever be asked for his jacket. The bar area looks like the best place to dine, and its worth remembering should you be on your lonesome one evening strolling down Park Lane, that you can dine at the bar. Unfortunately we were sat in the corner of the restaurant where they forgot to put any lighting, luckily I had bought a torch so was able to order confidently. The food was good without being stunning, the service was extremely slow, it shouldn't take over an hour and half to eat two courses, and consequently I cannot report on the quality of the coffee. Good for taking old relatives as long as they have some decent clothes and most of their own teeth, bad for taking a new wife or young girl friend.

If you have never eaten Richard Corrigan's food I would thoroughly recommend you give it a try. If you have, then you will need no prompting to make your way to his eponymous Mayfair restaurant. He is clearly passionate about his food and his heritage, this shines through on the plate. All the food we had was excellent, some of it was outstanding.

The overall impression is warm and welcoming. Staff make an effort to open doors, stand aside for you to pass, smile and greet you as you come and go. These things matter a lot and they get them right. The room is beautifully lit, lots of candles, dark blue leather and dark wood, lovely for a winter evening. Attention has been paid to the details – cutlery, glasses, linen.

The service is possibly rather inexperienced but trying hard and that means you can forgive them a lot. Our waiter was probably the campest I have ever come across and his infectious enthusiasm made the evening highly enjoyable. Staff bringing the food, however, seemed slightly unsure as to who was meant to have what. The Sommelier, although asked for, didn't appear, and although we got the bottle of champagne we ordered, we weren't given any canapes.

Knowledge of the food should have been better – the chef has clearly taken a lot of trouble over provenance and season, it would have been good if the staff could have shown that they understood this. I asked the waiter to choose between two fish dishes and would have appreciated an answer which described something about them, not just “have that one”. Bread is excellent and is replenished without prompting, tap water was brought chilled and with enthusiasm but glasses should have been refilled without having to be asked.

Although the menu appears initially rather dauntingly heavy, the cooking has a deftness of touch and is beautifully balanced. Wild smoked salmon was notable and accompanied by light as a feather beignets of deep-fried goats cheese, the creaminess of which perfectly complemented the richness of the salmon. Flavours are bold, textures are well contrasted and intelligently thought through. Chips, fried in goose fat, were exceptional – perfectly browned and crisp on the outside, meltingly soft within. Star of the evening was rhubarb souffle served with creme anglais and ginger ice cream – the intense rhubarb flavour countered by a gorgeously crunchy crust which was instantly reminiscent of the best rhubarb crumble you ever tasted, and then contrasted with the tangy acidity of the stem ginger ice cream. Heaven.

The bill was surprisingly reasonable for the location.

The place itself is amazing and the staff excellent! I was there with a coulpe of friends.When Richard Corrigan came into the room screaming at his staff for talking to us. It toltally ruined our night! The man is his own enemy! He can tell any of his employees off back in his office but not while I am having a very expensive bottle of champagne. Never again!