
It's one of the marks of a great restaurant that it can regularly ‘exceed expectations', and reports confirm this with The Square, where top toque Philip Howard remains true to his craft – fastidiously honing his skills, refining dishes and conjuring new ideas at will. Seasonal, labour-intensive cooking par excellence is the trump card – who can argue with the ‘flawless' technique that delivers rillettes of smoked mackerel with a vinaigrette of prawns, oysters, seawater jellies, cucumber and caviar, the signature lasagne of Dorset crab with a cappuccino of shellfish and Champagne foam, or a plate of grouse breast with turnip, celeriac, pancetta and blackcurrants. ‘Ethereal, incredible and insanely good', cheers one fan ecstatically. After that, magnificent cheeses and brilliant desserts such as banana soufflé with rum-and-raisin ice cream bring the curtain down. Well-tutored staff go about their business with composure and confidence, softening any stiff-collared Mayfair sobriety in the subtly lit, expansive dining room. Vintage Champagne and Burgundy rule on the authoritative wine list, making The Square a consummate purveyor of high-end gastronomy.
An incredibly well-put-together list. The Champagne selection is a delight, but the real highlight is Burgundy, with a section divided by different domaines as well as appellations. The margins aren’t the lowest in town, but considering this is a two-star restaurant, they’re not bad. A good place to treat yourself.
A hugely respected figure on the London restaurant scene & a true chef's chef, Philip Howard has been virtually ever-present in the kitchen of his two-Michelin-starred restaurant The Square since it opened back in 1991. As well as his two stars (awarded in 1998), he boasts two BMW Square Meal Restaurant of the Year Awards among his many accolades. After studying biochemistry at university, he signed up for an apprenticeship at Roux Restaurants before working with renowned chefs such as Marco Pierre White & Simon Hopkinson. The Square began life in St James' but relocated to Mayfair in 1996, with Howard's classy, seasonal French cuisine winning admirers from the very start.
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little swallow : china doll :: The Square, Mayfair
We opted for the tasting menu. 9 courses and 8 wines later, I was certainly glad we had...
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vialaporte :: The Square** // Mayfair // London
Boss Phil Howard has recently welcomed former sous chef Gary Foulkes as his head chef after a stint at La Trompette. The idea being that he wants to inject some modernity into The Square’s cuisine...
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SamTheFoodFan :: The Square
It's Christmas time and Christmas is a time for indulgence. For me, that means only one thing. Food. It's been a pretty tough year for me in lots of ways, so TBH has really pushed the boat out and decided to take me to the number one restaurant on my bucket list. The Square. Phillip Howard has been at the helm of The Square for twenty years and while many of his contemporaries have moved into the role of celebrity TV chef, Phil has steadfastly remained in the kitchen. It is only this year that he has made an appearance on The Great British Menu, won the London region of the competition, and released his first cook book. (Aptly named The Square by Phil Howard) The restaurant has won a whole host of awards including 2 Michelin stars, which I think is largely due to the fact that Phil Howard is a constant presence and has a vested interest in how his restaurant is run...
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Edesia Is Hungry - Food of the Gods :: The Square, London
We celebrated our anniversary at The Square in Mayfair, London. The Square is the restaurant of Phil Howard, and well established with an excellent reputation. Large tables in a spacious well appointed room awaited us. We started with rather good bread, brown for my wife and raisin and walnut for me. The amuse bouche was a mozzarella ball, chilli and pepper oil, biscuit, the mozarella was lovely, and complimented by the intense oil and a pastry of I believe olive and mushroom...
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Epipponimus :: The Square. Philip Howard
Dining in a good restaurant really does come down to three things.Good Service, Good Food and drunkness. On this visit we had all threeA table was sucesfuly booked ridiculously late on a Tuesday for 4 bods on a Friday night.We even got a good time slot 8:30...
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