A-Maze-ing?

A pity lunch...which is a sad state of affairs for another institution from the Gordon Ramsey stable. We saw an advertisement on lastminute.com and had to see how desperate things were getting here if you needed to advertise spare capacity to the dregs of society (yes we were also there looking for discount airfare). However, the location at the heart of Mayfair impressed as did the sheer size of the restaurant which is split into two parts. The design was cool, although appealing to Brits more than Continentals we feel. The place though, was indeed half empty for lunch, so we didn't expect much from the food.

The menu though, was surprisingly inventive and lunch menus shockingly cheap - 3 courses for £30. This equals to a course of Michelin star food for less than a few lamb kebabs at Maroush at 4am! My finance profession has trained me in the art of financial astuteness so of course I took 3 courses for £30 and then overpaid for two additional a la carte choices.

My first choice was an eel and foie gras emulsion which was unique as I'd never experiences this combination before, but unfortunately the consistency of both didn't mesh so the tastes were quite independent.

The next course, a pigeon with sweet corn risotto was remarkably better with the sweetcorn risotto a clear winner. The pigeon was cooked just right and complemented the sweet corn perfectly.

Next came the lamb which was salted perfectly. The best course of the 5 and one of the best lambs I've had in a long time. The chef has clearly mastered the art of sauce making as each dish was perfectly complemented.

I followed up the lamb with some salmon which was ok, but nothing special.

Desert though was great with a very unique pistacho cake surrounded by rasberries and rasberry sorbet and emulsion.

The organization of Maze really stood out, displaying the efficiency of a well drilled Wehrmacht regiment with waiters standing to attention holding plates until a waitress accompanied them to the eagerly awaiting customers. The food was very good with only a few dishes not fulfilling Michelin standards. It was still odd that the restaurant was still only half full for lunch, but its a good place the bring the other half on the weekend and follow it up with a coffee at a French cafe which plays Arab music oddly loud around the corner to the left and left again halfway to Oxford street. Another good option is to come with a large group of friends and let the champagne flow as there is a very cool bar and vibe although the clientele were more oxford street than bond street.

Ranking:

Food – 7/10

Service – 8/10

Ambiance – 8/10

Value – 8/10

Bill for two £110

10-13 Grosvenor Square
London W1K 6JP
020 7107 0000