Combine the following factors: a Mayfair address (and associated rent) and an absent celebrity chef. Generally not a good combo. Wheelers is a Marco Pierre White restaurant a stone's throw from St James's Palace. Things were not looking good. The reviews I checked supported my scepticism: Hardens said"if there are any attractions to eating here, our visit failed to discern them". I was concerned. We were meant to be impressing the client, not scaring them away!
The menu is dominated by fish - a nod to a historic restaurant on the same site (albeit not run by Marco Pierre White). There is a reasonable lunch menu priced at two courses for 18, three for 22. The a la carte is significantly more - we mixed and matched.
I started with potted duck with peppercorn - moist duck with a hit of pepper. The accompanying sourdough was good. Others had the prawn cocktail and the beetroot and goats cheese salad - both were less engaging..
For main I had the wing of Skate and snails. Classic combination, perfectly cooked, reasonably priced at 17 quid. On the side we had excellent triple-cooked chips and some (heavy) cauliflower cheese - the flour in the white sauce had not been cooked out, a basic mistake I would not have expected.
The Dover Sole was the other dish of choice - again a well executed dish, although expensive at 30 pounds.
So was my fear misplaced? Absolutely. Hardens and Zagat should reconsider their scathing reviews from a few years ago. There is nothing new about what Wheelers are doing, but what they are doing, they are doing well. Don't expect fireworks and do bring your expense account - you will leave smiling.
The menu is dominated by fish - a nod to a historic restaurant on the same site (albeit not run by Marco Pierre White). There is a reasonable lunch menu priced at two courses for 18, three for 22. The a la carte is significantly more - we mixed and matched.
I started with potted duck with peppercorn - moist duck with a hit of pepper. The accompanying sourdough was good. Others had the prawn cocktail and the beetroot and goats cheese salad - both were less engaging..
For main I had the wing of Skate and snails. Classic combination, perfectly cooked, reasonably priced at 17 quid. On the side we had excellent triple-cooked chips and some (heavy) cauliflower cheese - the flour in the white sauce had not been cooked out, a basic mistake I would not have expected.
The Dover Sole was the other dish of choice - again a well executed dish, although expensive at 30 pounds.
So was my fear misplaced? Absolutely. Hardens and Zagat should reconsider their scathing reviews from a few years ago. There is nothing new about what Wheelers are doing, but what they are doing, they are doing well. Don't expect fireworks and do bring your expense account - you will leave smiling.
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