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Arbutus

Address:	63-64 Frith Street W1D 3JW
Tel	020 7734 4545
Email:	info@arbutusrestaurant.co.uk
Website:	Visit Arbutus website
Price: £37.00	Wine: £12.50	Champagne: £29.95
Opening Hours:	Mon-Sat 12N-2.30pm 5-11pm Sun 12.30-3.30pm 5.30-9.30pm

Square Meal review of Arbutus:

Since opening in 2006, Arbutus has picked up virtually every award going, including a Michelin star in early 2007. Why? It’s that little bit different, combining ‘outstanding’ prices with ‘efficient’ service, though the main draw is the ‘superb cooking of unusual cuts’. The kitchen’s superior skill means that pig’s head becomes a delicious slab of braised meat, & sweetbreads prove a rich pairing with slow-cooked Elwy lamb & artichokes. More delicate diners will appreciate the less fearsome likes of Dorset crab with garlic mayonnaise or sea bass with Jersey royals. Everything is well thought out: the decor is smart & simple, & the wine list is a revelation. But the rave reviews have encouraged high expectations, & there have been a fair amount of visitors who have left ‘unimpressed’, particularly by service that can be ‘rushed’ & ‘offhand’. But with so many elements of Arbutus pushing all the right buttons, this has quickly become a must-visit on the London dining scene.

Wine List: One page of white & one of red might not seem like a big attraction, but Arbutus’s globe-trotting selection is brilliant & innovative. Nearly all of the 60 or so bins are available as a 250ml carafe, enabling you to try lots of different wines & match them closely with food. Beware, though, that it’s deceptively easy to let the quantity & cost of carafes stack up without noticing. Best Buy White 2006 Verdicchio di Matelica, Colle Stefano, Marche, Italy, £28. Best Buy Red 2003 Antiyal, Alvaro Espinosa, Maipo Valley, Chile £40.

Chef: Anthony Demetre

With the opening of Wild Honey in 2007, all eyes were on Anthony Demetre & business partner Will Smith to see if they could mimic their success at award-winning Arbutus. The answer was a resounding ‘yes’, with Wild Honey taking the BMW Square Meal Award for Best New Restaurant Autumn 2007 – a year after Arbutus took the 2006 title. Both places are fabulous value for money thanks to Demetre’s clever use of inexpensive ingredients, a skill developed during time with leading lights Bruno Loubet, Gary Rhodes & master craftsman Pierre Koffmann – renowned for using ingredients to their full with little waste. Meanwhile, white tablecloths & formal service have been ditched in favour of a relaxed atmosphere in smart, yet unpretentious, surroundings.