Lutyens

The grouse is a delicate bird. It has lived wild on (in this case Yorkshire) heather. Until 12th August it has had a quiet life. From then on be-tweeded City folk pay a fortune to take pot-shots at it. That one of these succeeded and the poor creature has been returned to the City, means one should treat it with respect. Take the time, take the effort: cook it properly. It is a bird best served under- rather than over-cooked. Lutyens needs to work this out quickly, should the place ever want me to darken its doors with my Amex Card again.

Today’s poor creature had been cremated: legs like crispy duck; breast not moist or red inside, not remotely pink even, but dark brown, the texture reduced from firm to flaky. Yes, the bread sauce was there and it was ok, but the game chips looked as though they had come from a packet of Walkers. I half expected Gary Lineker to slap me and steal them from my plate.

Enough of my grouse about the grouse; Lutyens is, like so many places in the City before it, an old office block, whose high ceilings lend themselves to being transformed into a bar/restaurant. The bar is smallish and leads to the more formal dining area, all creams and woods; big and bright; muted tones, a hushed atmosphere, in reverence to the Vampire Squid that squats opposite maybe.

Staff are polite and efficient, although come on; whilst I expect a waitress at TGI Fridays to come and ask me if everything is ok, I do not expect one to interrupt a business conversation at an obviously business oriented restaurant. I also don’t need my water glass filled up after I’ve taken a single sip. Just relax a bit.

Maybe this is it: Lutyens is the City incarnation of Boundary, a hip and happening place in far trendier Hoxton. The Boundary is close enough to the City to get the money passing through, but far enough outside of the Square Mile to be out of the Griffin’s glare, under which nobody in a service industry can relax. Lutyens is slap bang in the Square Mile and is just too stiff for its own good.

I eat here regularly, the food and service have been consistently outstanding. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a lunchtime business venue.

Long awaited quality restaurant near Fleet Street. I have had breakfast and lunch at Lutyens – every time a superb gastronomic experience. The service (from the moment you enter – door man – to the moment you leave – the ladies at the cloak check out) is attentive but not intrusive. The ambience in the main dining room is good – although the tables are a bit too close for some business lunches. The bright and sunny feel in the dining room set off by the crisp white table linen gives the room a great feel. Pricey but worth it.

My first trip to Lutyens was a roaring success and I will definitely be making a return visit. I work in Lincoln's Inn and the dearth of quality restaurants to within walking distance can be quite depressing. I love the Bleeding Heart but there are only so many times you can eat in same place.

The food at Lutyens is typical Conran fare; good quality and seasonal although it's a bit depressing when you look at the sample menu online and then it's the exact same on the day. If Chez Bruce can change a decent portion of its menu every day/every few days I don't know why Lutyens (which is in the same price bracket) can't. Having said that, my imam baldini (middle-Eastern style spice aubergine salad) for starter was beautifully spiced and very tasty and the rabbit with bacon and mustard for main course was delicious; soft and juicy and not overly mustardy. The vegetable side dishes were also reasonably generous and lovely and crunchy and fresh.

Service was a little slow towards the end (10 minutes to get the bill is excessive), although the petit fours cheered me up while I waited. Having said that service was polite and unobtrusive throughout.

The tables are a good distance apart, nice for business lunches where you don't want to be easily overheard. There are also two tables for groups of 8/10 which are in alcoves, practically like a private room but still with the buzz of the main restaurant.

Have been to Luytens twice in recent weeks, once for lunch, once for dinner. My advice would be, if you want to have the entire freedom of the menu, opt for lunch! Although the maitre'd was very charming and amusing with the anouncements of what was not available, it did become a little bit more of a joke when the items no longer available went as far as the rotisserie chicken and even the spinach! That said, it is a lovely room with excellent service. Is on the list for a return, but only during daylight hours…

I have never much been a fan of the Conran ‘Machine’, formulas never did it for me in maths class and they still don't when I eat. There are a few formulaic anomalies however – Le pont de la tour, The Orrery and La Cantina del Ponte – they are no longer his in business terms but were his babies once.
Now to his current offspring – I avoided spending too many hours at Boundary/Albion, however what time I did spend there was nice. I had an inkling that maybe in his twilight years something had changed a younger spark had revealed itself.

I read a few reviews on Lutyens and the problem with reading other reviews (films, restaurants, books) is that you get aroused, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. I got excited. I thought that maybe this Conran experience would be different. I was wrong. It was thoroughly Conran.

Lutyens+Three boys=See Below

Starters – Dressed Crab, Escargots, Streak Tartare
Result – Good, needed salt, Nice kick.

Mains – Roast Partridge, Rabbit with Bacon and Mustard, Roast Middlewhite Loin
Result – Good but needed better knife, Solid and tasty needed more mustard kick, tender and had flavour all the way through.

Sides – Green Salad, Frites, Champ, Spinach, Roast onions
Result – Nice and clean, solid and tasty, good (lots of melted butter on top..discuss), spinach!, sweet and small

Pudding – Pear, Cinnamon and Custard Tart, Creme Brulée, Buttermilk Pudding
Result – Good solid patisserie work, Good but pot 1/2″ too deep, like pannacotta but better.

Wine – Gruner Vetliver, Langhe nebbiolo and a bottle of ‘The Bothie’
Result – Clean with crisp apple and a touch of sherbert, Long lasting and smooth with a cherry or two, Sweet sticky and jammy!!!

Service was poor to start with (20 minutes to order, 10 minutes to get the wine menu, 10 minutes to get a third menu!), it did get a little better. The starters were on our table before we had even had a chance to give back the menus and we did get an apology for them getting our mains being placed in front of the wrong person.

Ended up at £100 a head, but we did have a bottle each and one of nearly every side.

My mathematical syntax is not up to scratch but ‘being Conraned’ is not a bad thing:

Conran+Restaura­nt<>Good<>Bad=Satisfied

There should probably be an (x) or (y) there somewhere, but the statement above says it all, neither good nor bad – you leave satisfied. As @restaurantdiray on twitter said to me as I was in the taxi last night “Satisfaction is a great thing after a good meal; amazement is wonderful when it happens but should / can never be expected…” I do agree with him, I had let myself believe the hype.

Anyhoo. Let not discuss Mr Conran any longer, we all know that his formulas do produce money and lots of satisfied people, I will look for amazement elsewhere.

Whilst the Investment Bankers of Canary Wharf are still trying desperately to find somewhere interesting to eat, Goldman Sachs has a gorgeous new canteen perfectly suited to entertain even their most discerning clients. I think Conran may have broken the mould slightly with Lutyens – you are walked through a cool, smart, spacious bar complete with grandfather clock into the restaurant which is split level with view of the kitchen. A nice space. The menu is particularly extensive, principally French with a nod to the Irish heritage of the Chef, David Burke. Service is very good and the staff know well when to engage and not (on this particular evening there was a lot of interaction). There is a good feel to Lutyens and hopefully with the recovery of the economy Lutyens will do very well.

I'm a Conran fan, it might be a bit formulaic – I think it would feel like “GroundHog Day” if you went to lunch at Boundary one day followed by Lutyens the next – but for me at any rate its a formula that works: good food, served by knowledgable staff, in stylish premises, whats not to like?
Have been to Lutyens a few times, for lunch and for dinner, its a much better lunch venue, its easy to forget how dead that part of town is in the evening, lunch time the place is buzzing!
You will be greeted, at lunchtime anyway, by a well dressed man who looks like he's been in the business of greeting diners all his life, and as such he's rather good at it, making you feel immediately very welcome. Once inside the bar area is a bit non-descript but the dinning room is a fabulous room, light, open and vibrant.
The menu is typical Conran, not the most imaginative but full of family favourites, seasonal and well balanced.
The wine menu is a but too French which, since the sommelier is Italian, is strange, but there is value to be found. Service on two occasions was a bit slow, you shouldn't have to enquire after your food, but when they come they know what they are talking about.
Good for most people, except vegans, at lunch time, in the evening mid week, good for those who like a more hushed atmostphere.

Great new restaurant. Loved the main dining room – light, airy, attractive. Stylish & buzzy, glamorous without being over-the-top. Classic menu, well executed. I had a delicate but really tasty souffle suisse and delicious suckling pig (marred a touch by the crackling being a too dry). Didn't have room for puds – but they looked good, too! Reasonable prices (not the expected 20% Conran premium). Well trained staff, though a touch overbearing initially and a bit self-conscious. Overall impression, though, very good.

Absolutely adored Lutyens. Wonderful classic french food. My lobster mousse was sublime, the skate perfectly cooked and, although we had admitted defeat only 30 minutes before, somehow managed to descend on a blackcurrant jelly as if we had been starved (actually really quite embarrassing in hindsight). It was all served charmingly in calming surroundings (lovely view of kitchens but not so close that you're making embarrassing eye contact with the chef) by friendly and professional staff. Not cheap, but not ludicrously expensive for what you get. Loved the extensive wine by glass and jug. My new second favourite restaurant after Cafe Anglais!
AH