The Guinea Grill (pub)

Jonathan B. ( 40s, Male, London )

26/1/12 This is the second time I have been to the Guinea Grill and I can see it becoming part of my stable of regular restaurants provided I don't go for a cholesterol check too often. The place to start is the pub side for a drink before you go through too the restaurant. It's a Youngs pub and the beer is well kept. Pints of guinness, winter warmer and bombardier done, we pushed through the crowded bar (90% male occupancy of the bar seems the norm – a bit less next door) into the restaurant. The decor I bet has not changed in decades but that gives it a cosy, homely feel of a restaurant for regulars, even if it is your first time there and a perfect retreat from the cold day we visited on.
While you wait to be seated there is a chiller cabinet of all the major cuts they offer, including bone in rib and their porterhouse and a chef casually grilling about half a cow at a time. All of these explained in a friendly, non patronising way.
Starters between 4 of us were all simply good if not exceptional but the smoked salmon was lean, the chicken livers and mushrooms rich and earthy and similarly oysters and enormous prawns in garlic were polished off. It's the steak that counts here. A 950g porterhouse shared for 2 of us, a fillet steak and steak and mushroom pie. The grilled steak was beautifully cooked. Just slightly charred on the outside to promote, not detract from, the flavour of the aged beef. The pie had a golden crust (suet we guessed) and had the comforting nature and satisfying quality that is rare in simple pub restaurant food with plenty of rich gravy. I was only upset I was too full to ask for bread to mop up what remained. Accompaniments were dauphinoise potatoes – just the right side of cheesy cream in flavour – green beans, asparagus and peas. After all that we skipped dessert and moved straight to a sobering coffee.
The waiters and sommelier have character and confidence in what they do to make the experience feel as though you are being taken care of, not just served. They even did a doggy bag of the porterhouse bone for my colleague's dog. 2 courses with coffee was about £50 a head. Double that if you get stuck into their wine list. In a month of diets and restriction this was just what the doctor ordered, but not in his medical opinion.