Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley Hotel

I was very much looking forward to coming back to The Berkeley having eaten here a couple of times when Marcus Waring was still in the Ramsay camp. At the weekends, the menu choice is one of three tasting menus increasing in length (and price), optionally accompanied by the sommelier's choice of wines or fine wines. We choose the middle Menu Prestige at £105 (including cheese) with the matching wines at £85 (or £195 for the fine wines). The service was attentive and the food came at a welcome pace – we arrived at 1930 and left at 2330 – and we never felt hurried.

Now to the food. Given fond memories of Petrus – for a period I felt it bettered Restuarant GR – I came away underwhelmed. Whereas I can previously remember only harmonious combinations on the plates, here I felt that most dishes had a jarring element that felt out of place, or overpowered the main ingredient. The foie gras in the starter lost an unequal battle against a number of sweet elements (cherries and caramelised milk) and the sommelier delivered the coup de grace with a thick, linctus like… More

The Chef's table at the Berkeley really has to be the pinnacle of a restaurant experience. Unlike other 'Chef's tables', this is actually part of the kitchen and as such you have a true sense of how one of the best restaurants in the World operate. It is an incredible backdrop.

Whilst the pace in the kitchen quickened, we witnessed first hand the theatre of a busy lunch service and were forced to drink heavily to keep up with the constant stream of courses arriving at our table as part of the nine or ten course tasting menu. As the afternoon developed, so too did the volume from our table due to all the Wine, yet we were annoying no-one, as we drowned out by the volume of the kitchen and isolated from the restaurant.

There is of course a time for the civility of the restaurant but the Chef's table is the place for a party, special occasion, in fact any possible justification to get together with some friends and see a Maestro and his Orchestra at work. Moreover, one who elects to invest his time in his kitchen and with his guests than in a television studio… More

In the rarefied atmosphere of michelin starred restaurants, it is the little things that make the difference between two and three stars. Marcus Wareing has garnered two stars and is clearly on the lookout for a third. The food is excellent, the service attentive without going overboard and the atmosphere the sort of subdued buzz that grand hotel dining rooms were built for. Well, actually, on the latter part the main room is like this; there is also a small anteroom with five tables. I am sure that on most nights this is fine, but when we went, there was a table of five (although is seemed like fifty) braying ingrates, doing their best collective impression of a walrus coloney. Only with more swearing. We asked to be moved to the main room, a service that was executed with the minimum of fuss and no drama, and the atmosphere there was the sort of buzz etc. and so forth.

But still, with all the individual elements in place, somehow it is missing that spark that makes a very good restaurant a truly amazing one.

At the weekends there are three set menus, with… More

Firstly, I would like to say that I have been a fan & huge supporter of Marcus & his cooking for many years. I would have said that Petrus was unquestionably my favourite restaurant in London & somewhere that I had experienced some truly memorable evenings & exceptional levels of cooking & service.

It is therefore that with a heavy heart that I must report a severe decline in standards since Marcus & Gordon parted company. My birthday dinner there recently was a huge disappointment. The food was totally unmemorable & ordinary (even though we ate from the tasting menu) & the service verged on rude. Whether Marcus not being there on that evening had anything to do with, I cannot comment. However, with a bill in excess of £400 for two I shall not be rushing back.

I have been to Marcus Wareing a couple of times before and have to say that it is probably one of the few restaurants at this level, where, after a few cocktails and a little wine (!), I still always have clear memories of the delicious food!
This year I decided to celebrate a significant birthday by hiring the Chef's table. It's expensive but considering I was allowed 8 guests, and we had a nine course extravaganza, I didn't find it prohibitively expensive. It is after all a once in a lifetime experience.
We were extremely well looked after by all the staff, especially Alan the Chef and Michael our waiter. Marcus was a little more aloof but that's understandable considering his role (and our inebriation level). We still got to spend the night staring at him at work (in between all the eating). It's rare that you get to even see the chef, let alone watch them at work – especially in a 2 Michelin star restaurant!
I absolutely love the food at Marcus Wareing, I ate everything put in front of me, as per usual and all my guests did the same. We felt a little greedy… More