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Arbutus (∗∗∗)

Address:63-64 Frith Street, London W1D 3JW
Tel:020 7734 4545
Email:
Website: Visit Arbutus website
Price: £41.00Wine: £14.50 Champagne: £35.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sun 12N-2.30pm 5-10.30pm (Sat -11.30pm Sun 5.30pm- )

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Chef Anthony Demetre & front-of-house Will Smith’s outstanding venue continues to set the gold standard for classy cooking at remarkable prices – & rightly deserves the title BMW Square Meal Restaurant of the Year 2009. Its ‘smart but unfussy’ package inspires superlatives for its ‘scrumptiously delicious & clever take on British-meets-French bistro food’, wine-by-the-carafe selection, contented buzz & irresistible value – all of which makes readers ‘hugely excited’. The kitchen remains at the top of its game. Dishes such as squid & mackerel burger, bouillabaisse & braised pig’s head are near-constants on the menu; bavette of Scottish beef with dauphinois potatoes has wowed, & vegetarians fare handsomely with the likes of ricotta gnocchi with morels. Staff put personable good humour above formal polish, & set lunch/pre-theatre menus are an absolute steal (especially considering the restaurant’s Michelin-starred status). If we rode out the credit crunch well fed & tap-watered at Arbutus, ‘we’d all be joyful’.

Wine List: Small but perfectly judged, this fine list encompasses the world’s great producers, both classic & eclectic. More than 60 wines can be sampled in a carafe, making Arbutus a joy for matching food & wine. BEST BUY WHITE 2007 Riesling Trocken, Bassermann-Jordan, Pfalz, Germany, £32. BEST BUY RED 2005 Paringa Estate Shiraz, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, £34.

Chef: Anthony Demetre

Arbutus’s Chef - Arbutus chef Anthony Demetre When Anthony Demetre & business partner Will Smith launched Arbutus in 2006, they were aiming for an informal, value-for-money & technically assured restaurant focusing on inexpensive, seasonal ingredients. Their panache & skilful execution saw the plaudits flood in for their Soho restaurant, including a BMW Square Meal Award for Best New Restaurant & a Michelin star in January 2007. The pair followed this up with the equally successful Wild Honey in Mayfair, which garnered similar accolades the following year. To cap it all, Arbutus was recently named BMW Square Meal Restaurant of the Year 2010 in recognition of the owners' matchless approach to affordable fine dining.
BMW Hall of Fame BMW

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Reader reviews of Arbutus:

Read all 12 reader reviews for this restaurant
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London Foodie

London Foodie ( 30s, Female, London )

We did the ‘early-bird’ pre-theatre offer on a busy Friday night and the food was excellent. The set menu was very good value for money (stops at 7pm) for the food quality. It was a busy night, so lots of tables of two packed into the space, but the service was very good with lots of personality. I'm pregnant and couldn't have either of the dessert options on the set menu (one contained raw eggs, the other soft cheese- both no-no's when pregnant) but it was explained that these were the choices, and so anything else would be additional charge. So, we were charged extra for my dessert.

It's a shame they charge extra to cater to special dietry requirements, as most restaurants are flexible with coming up with alternatives.

Although having said that, I'd go again but check the menu beforehand.

1 March 2010
Overall:8
Food and Drink:10
Service:8
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:7
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Lotta S.

Lotta S. ( 40s, Female )

Wow, this was a confusing experience. Went for a business lunch… the place was empty… waitress selling the food as it was the last Oscar to be won… food was slightly better than average… but come on… this place gets top stars and top reviews everywhere. Yes they took my coat without prompting and drinks where offered and served effortlessly, but the place was empty!! Having lunch is not just about the food – the whole experience should count. Luckily for me, I had lunch with my favorite journalist, who always commands my attention and makes me laugh.

The starter of roast beets with goat's curd was good, but not exceptional or for that matter, particularly memorable. The beef, usually a man's dish, was at best “gender confused” and the accompanying potato gratin was overcooked… yes the wine list is reasonably priced, but the lunch as an overall experience falls so very short. Perhaps I visited on a bad day??

1 February 2010
Overall:5
Food and Drink:6
Service:7
Atmosphere:2
Value for Money:7
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Matthew Y.

Matthew Y. ( 30s, Male )

We went here for my partners birthday. I expected great things from Arbutus due to the reports and was really disappointed. It was my next worst experiance to Langans in London and that hasn't had any of money since as this place wont be either.
Its a strange place and it just doesnt tick the boxes, The food really isnt much kop for the money, the venue is very lifeless and plastic and bright and the design poor and the staff just arnt very good.
But what really got me was when the bill arrived by falling from the sky onto the table. No i hadnt asked for the bill and it arrived? it was just plain rude and not on with a half full room. Poor show and wrong.
If you want a decent French meal in Soho get yourself down the road to the French House it knocks spots of Arbutus and is a all round more enjoyable and a far better experiance. The French House has been there for a long time but I get the feeling Arbutus might not see out 2010.

22 January 2010
Overall:3
Food and Drink:3
Service:3
Atmosphere:2
Value for Money:2
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Jo K

Jo K ( 30s, Female )

I am not exactly what you'd call a regular Michelin Star restaurant goer, but some friends and I decided to treat ourselves as a one off, and choose Arbutus as our Christmas treat to ourselves. I'm afraid, I feel that it was a complete waste of money, and definitely overpriced. Yes, the service was good, and I suppose the bread and wine was quite nice. But not being the religious type, I was looking for far more than bread and wine. The goat's cheese and beetroot salad was poorly presented, and frankly could have been prepared at home. The house special, Bouillabaisse, was bland, poorly seasoned and a real let down. Perhaps I've been watching too much MasterChef, but this was a big disappointment all round. Not recommended at all.

14 December 2009
Overall:4
Food and Drink:3
Service:6
Atmosphere:5
Value for Money:1
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Harry S.
Reviews: 1

Harry S. ( Over 60, Male )

This was by far the finest meal I've had in all of my visits to London. And at 17.50 pounds, it was quite a bargain. When I saw the menu, I wondered what the chef meant by “crispy pork cheeks,” for the description seemed oximoronic. Cheeks are unctuous, not crisp. The dish was revelatory, the first example of the chef's masterful juxtaposition of textures. A generous portion of shredded unctuous pork cheek was served between two thin round crisp pork cheek wafers. Brilliant! The brandade that followed was not the washed-out unsalty version so often served today. Perfect! Fine Morbiere and and apple toppped panna cotta (there were two persons sharing the meal) rounded out a superb meal. Let's not forget the wine which was served in 250 ml carafes. It was a most memorable experience.

17 October 2009
Overall:10
Food and Drink:10
Service:10
Atmosphere:10
Value for Money:10
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G Philip C.
Reviews: 1

G Philip C. ( Over 60, Male )

I dined with friends at Arbutus yesterday, the evening of my arrival from Toronto. The food was wonderful—probably as good as any I have had in North America, on the Continent, or in the U.K. The service, by an English waiter originally from Bath, was courteous and pleasant. This is certainly a restaurant I would recommend to any friends visiting from Canada.
With one proviso: dine early! Because of my travel fatigue, we booked at 6:00 rather than 9:00 or 9:30. Unfortunately we had to finish by 8:15, which meant that we couldn't relax over dessert and coffee. For early diners, I would suggest booking at 5:00 or 5:30. That will enable you fully to enjoy your meal.
It will also allow you to avoid the one drawback of this very pleasant space. When invaded by the younger, hearing damaged, generation, the noise level is beyond the restaurant's ability to cope. So: go early, relax, and enjoy a really quite wonderful dining experience.

3 October 2009
Overall:10
Food and Drink:10
Service:10
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:10
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Suzy B.

Suzy B. ( 30s, Female )

I am a bit behind with my review of Arbutus, my husband and I went there in April, but here it is: We had wanted to go for a while and expectations were quite high. After having cocktails at Sanderson we were looking forward to a lovely dinner.

We got a nice table and were quickly introduced to both menu and wine list. The restaurant was quite busy but not full. We had a nice glass of champagne while we decided on the menu and wine.

My husband decided to go for pork belly with red onion jam ravioli followed by stuffed saddle of rabbit and tapioca with mango for dessert. I ordered razor clams, beef bavette and cheese.

When you go to a Michelin starred restaurant you kind of expect the food and service to be extraordinary good. My husband liked his starter, but there wasn’t anything “Michelin” over it. The razor clams were gorgeous but towards the end of the dish I had sand in my mouth, which I don’t like – Michelin or not.

The starters must have been called away midway, because our mains arrived just after the waiter had cleared the table. It felt very… More

15 July 2009
Overall:6
Food and Drink:6
Service:6
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:5
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Michael C.

Michael C. ( 20s, Male )

Hugely excited by Arbutus. The waitress we had was fantastic, knowledgeable and not afraid to go and ask for more details. Food was a delight, including some treasures like pig's head terrine which I promise were actually very nice. Most amazing had to be the wines we had with the meal, working off recommendations. The dessert wine, a Barberra chilled red, was the best I've ever tasted, promted me to ask about off-sales and was simply the best accompaniment to a cheese board. My second favourite restaurant in London, closely following Finos.

April 2009
Overall:9
Food and Drink:10
Service:10
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:7
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Jon B.

Jon B. ( 40s, Male )

Editor's pick

last week I had to go to “that London” again for a meeting. It was an early Monday meeting so I travelled early Sunday (25/01/09) to enable me to find a nice lunch and stay overnight (ok I got a good deal at the Travelodge for the night!)

Anyway, it was miserable and raining in London. As I walked under my “brolly” I passed several places where I could have had lunch, the “Branded” chains, some local restaurants with “traditional” Sunday Lunch, and a variety of International cuisine places where I could eat for around a tenner. Perusing the menus displayed I was uninspired.
so I headed for the multi award winning and Michelin starred Arbutus .This is one of the Michelin starred restaurants open on a Sunday. Seats are very comfortable upholstered “bench” against the wall but chaired on the other side, each table is suitable for two but combined next to each other makes up to the size of the group (there was a group of a dozen near me). Smart but unfussy decor, neat with mats on the table, not tablecloths.
Pris Fixe menu for lunch offers three courses with two… More

March 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:8
Service:9
Atmosphere:6
Value for Money:10
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Jonesy
Silver Reviewer

Jonesy ( 30s, Male, London )

I have dined here on many occasions, opting for their very good value set lunch menu. The food is always excellent, and although the portions on the set menu are a little on the small side, I always leave feeling comfortably full.

Dishes are well thought out and constructed using wonderful ingredients that are allowed to shine, with some really skillful cooking going on behind the scenes. Service is always on the ball and the lunchtime atmosphere is buzzing with media-luvvies and the odd celebrity.

I can't really fault this restaurant at all, and it remains one of our favourites. Its sister restaurant, Wild Honey, is just as good, more suitable for a quieter meal and catering for the Mayfair suits rather than the Soho luvvies. A top venue.

March 2009
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:9
5 of 6 people found this review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
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