It was my birthday recently and the Boyf had something planned. The clues to him having something planned were him hopping around like a child with a secret and on more than one occasion singing "I know something you don't know" which after a while tended to annoy the hell out of me. I don't know if it's a Leo trait but I'm not a fan of surprises so even though I didn't want to know what my birthday present was, I DID want to know to make sure it was nothing likely to embarrass me.
The day rolled round and I was told to make sure I was dressed 'nicely but not too smart' for work - yep, I was working on my birthday and being picked up by the Boyf afterwards.
Anyway, after much subterfuge we eventually got out of the boiling tube at Bond Street and after bumping in to Pete Burns (but did he say Hi to me? no) we turned down a quiet side street and eventually stopped outside a large grey stone building. The door was opened by a beaming doorman who said hello and welcome and inside we went. We were in Maze.
~ Layout & Seating ~
After being checked in at Reception we were shown to our table. The restaurant itself is a fair size, we couldn't see all of it as the seating area went back and round further than we could see. Through the doors and on your right is the ladies loos, then you have the most impressive bar with a lit canopy and cream leather and chrome bar stools - no 'Tom Cruise Cocktail' shaking going on though although they do serve them.
To the left you have the lounge which is screened from Reception with a thick wire mesh, there were around 4 cream leather sofas in a non-traditional curved design with massive chunks of wood which were the tables.
Another screen and then you have the seating which I have drawn you a diagram as they were possibly a bit tricky to describe.
On the left there are tables for two but instead of facing each other which is the traditional way, you are sitting on corners next to each other so you are infact facing the person on the other table who has nothing to do with you whatsoever. I wasn't exactly keen on this seating but it wasn't the end of the world.
On the right there were a few tables for two but in this area it was mainly group seating and this was set out in the traditional way. There was a low wall blocking this area from ours and as the dining area then went up a few stairs there were screens decorated with images of maze hedging.
The seating went up towards what I was told was an open kitchen - we could have had a mooch up there but there were so many staff dashing around I didn't want to get in their way.
As the wall behind us looked out over the street there were a number of large windows with cream blinds which were lowered electronically at around 21:00. The restaurant did have air conditioning which kept the temperature comfortable, however, someone must have leant on the switch as from 21:30 until 22:00 it was goose-pimply cold. There was music in the background but a lot of chatter, not deafening but a constant murmuring of lots of voices but this didn't disturb our meal.
Each table had a silver block which held your knife, fork and spoon which you keep for your starters (how ever many you have), they then get changed for your mains and again you keep these for all your mains. Each table had a silver jar containing two brown bread rolls, two massive comical breadstick type rolls and a small dish containing butter. Now I come to think of it I didn't see any salt or pepper but a good chef will season food perfectly so you shouldn't have to season at the table.
~ Never heard of Maze? ~
Me neither, until now. Maze opened in May 2005 and the Head Chef at Maze is Jason Atherton - another of Gordon Ramsey's protégée's. The idea behind Maze is that why have 3 normal sized courses when you can have 8 or more smaller ones. We were given two menus, the menu when you can pick your own starters, mains and desserts, the A la Carte menu and a small card Tasting Menu which is a set 5 or seven course meal.
To be honest I decided to take the easy option and go for the 5 course meal rather than ask the Maitre d' "What's that…..and that…." etc about practically everything on the menu. The Boyf went for the 7 course menu (piggie).
~ Service ~
At first I must admit I thought the service was way too fast. Our table was booked for 8pm and we were eating our first course by 20:30 and our second course about 15 minutes later so I was concerned it would be the fast-food version of McDonalds. Service seemed to slow down to a more normal pace once we were onto our mains and in the end we were there for 2hrs 20minutes. After the initial 'starter rush' the service was attentive but not in-your-face and the waiting staff were the kind that were seen but not heard - I always look at the waiter/waitress who has given me my food or taken my plate away and say thank you, most smile or say something back but not these guys! All food deliveries and clearing of plates was watched over by the maitre d'. ~ The Food & Drink ~
Shortly after sitting we were asked if we'd like water - still or sparkling. Once this had arrived we were given the menus and told a small 'what Maze food is all about' line by the Maitre d' who was very friendly and easy to speak to. Our menu choices were taken, Boyf asked how he'd like his salmon cooked; medium rare or medium and then he had a peruse through the massive wine list. In the end he gave up with that and the Sommelier asked what wines he liked - he said for a white (his starters were fish), he liked citrussy, fresh crisp wines; not too sharp and not too sweet. He was given a £5 glass of the "most delicious" peachy citrus wine he'd ever had and said that it was as if the Sommelier could read his mind and had picked the perfect wine.
I'm not going to list everything on the menu as you can pop along to the website to read that but I will list the choices we had and let you know my thoughts on them.
Starters Me:- 1) White onion velouté* with duck ragoût and cep brioche. Basically a small bowl of soup but it was the most delicious one ever, the duck was rich and full of flavours and the brioche was warm and soft.
2) Marinated beetroot, Sairass cheese*, pine nut and Cabernet Sauvignon dressing. I detest beetroot but this was gorgeous, not sharp, not tasteless but a nice refreshing summery starter. The cheese was like a lighter whipped cream cheese, the wine dressing not too strong and although I nearly choaked on a pine nut I still enjoyed it.
Boyf:- 1) Carpaccio of tuna and swordfish with lime and cucumber marinade, soya dressing. I wasn't keen on this, the fish was cut into wafer thin discs and as we both said, needed to be thicker to be more substantial.
2) Orkney scallops roasted with spices, peppered golden raisin purée, cauliflower. I'm not a fan of scallops but the Boyf closed his eyes in esctacy in first bite of these. The scallops were cooked so they were firm but not chewy or rubbery and the dressing was delicious although I must say I preferred my starters!
Mains:-
For the mains the Boyf went with the Sommeliers wine suggestion for a full-bodied, rich red, apparently it was gorgeous (again!) and it was only after he discovered it was £11 a glass. Good job he didn't have a second!
Me - 1) Daurade Royale* with native lobster risotto, lemongrass, Thai basil and lobster glaze. I've never had lobster before and was a bit worried that I'd hate it but this was the best main I've ever had. There was a small portion of risotto under the fish and under that was what I believe to have been spinch. Big pieces of lobster were in the risotto which tasted divine, sweet and very eastern. The fish was cooked perfectly with a crispy skin (which was so good I ate it) and thankfully was fully de-boned.
2) Beef 'tongue 'n' cheek' with caper raisin and ginger carrots. The whole idea of eating tongue freaks me out so I wasn't really looking forward to this however, it again was delicious. In the middle of the bowl was a flattened disc of tongue, on top of this was a large piece of cheek which although was cooked 'blackened' wasn't burnt or crispy. Next to that were 3 slim baby carrots. A small dish of horshradish mash arrived and the richest gravy known to man was poured over the beef. The tongue and cheek was the tenderedest, richest thing I've ever eaten - you really had no need to chew - and the Boyf loved this too. The mash had a little too much kick for me but when combined with the beef balanced it perfectly.
Boyf - 1) Twice cooked poussin with leg 'Coq au Vin', foie gras velouté* and prune purée. I had to stop myself from laughing hysterically when I saw this - poussins are teeny and a poussin leg is just miniscule however, yet again, tender and rich and absolutely gorgeous and it was so amusing to watch the Boyf trying delicately to cut the thing.
2) Duart salmon*, pork belly with choucroute* and smoked raisin reduction. An unusual combination but it went together surprisingly well with the smokeyness of the bacon complimenting the tender fish perfectly. More of a fave with the Boyf than me.
3) New season spring lamb with braised lamb neck, cos lettuce, bacon and onions, ras el hanout*. Super tender lamb, again another delicious combination with really no need to chew - just put in your mouth and let it dissolve.
Desserts:-
Me:- Peanut butter and cherry jam sandwich with salted nuts and cherry sorbet. This is THE dessert that everyone raves about, their kind of 'flagship' pud and I really didn't know what to expect. What it is:- A disc of peanut butter topped with a column of ice cream, topped with another peanut butter disc, a spoonful of cherry sorbet and you get cherry sauce poured on the side. This was a died-and-gone-to-heaven pud. The peanut butter discs are crunchy and rather than cause a landslide I lifted the top one off and ate it, nice crunchy and slightly salty. The cherry sorbet was fresh and tasted just like eating very ripe cherries (which incidentally don't taste the same now I'm older). In the icecream I could detect more peanut butter flavour, that slight peanutty-saltyness and swirled ontop of this between the top and bottom discs was a thick cherry jam. The cherry sauce was thick and delicious and I seriously had to fight the urge to lick the plate clean afterwards.
Boyf:- 1) Mango parfait with orange and anise jelly, coriander shoots. The Boyf enjoed this although he was quite sneaky as up til this point we were sharing each others foods but I was so engrossed in mine he wolfed this down without offering - despite him having a spoonful of mine! 2) Apple and caramel trifle with cider granité*, cinnamon doughnut. Something else the Boyf loved although I could really taste the cider, something I'm not keen on so this wasn't for me. Also, the donut should have been twice the size it was as the small piece I had was gorgeous, there just should have been more!
My menu was about £35 and the Boyfs was slightly more expensive. If ordering seperately, courses ranged from about £5 to around £20.
Once we had finished eating we were offered tea or coffee - the café au lait was perfect, not too strong - and we were also given 2 very rich cardomom chocolates, 2 squishy rose turkish delight (which I still think are foul) and two sorbet lollypops covered in marshmallow fluff which had been flambed slightly. Delicious!
I've done a small translation at the bottom as half of the foods I wasn't sure what on earth they were.~ The Toilets ~
Obviously I can't comment on the gents but I will say the ladies loos were very nice. There were three ample sized cubicles so no shuffling round the door to get in or out. The doors were walnut and the loos were self flushing, just wave your hand over the sensor. I'm guessing the loos were regularly monitored as the first square of toilet paper was always folded into a triangle (why?!). There were two large basins and after much confusion I managed to work out how to get the swanky taps to work (you gently nudge the lever out, not towards/away from you). Flattering lighting throughout, massive mirrors were on the wall in front of you, in a small recess in the wall were many folded white flannels for drying your hands and under the basins were two bins, one for tissues and the other a large wicker laundry basket. The soap and hand lotion was by Molton Brown and the gorgeous smelling Naran Ji at £13 a bottle and this was in the gents too. The lotion smelt so nice that before we left I went back in there and put some on my arms and legs. Yes, I have class.
~ Did we like it? ~
I must say that both of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I ate things that I would never ever in a million years have considered eating before and they were absolutely divine. Everything was cooked to perfection, everything tasted swooningly delicious and the whole evening was a delight. This is a place that you could easily adapt to suit your budget, you don't have to have 2 starters, 2 mains and a dessert, you can have one of each although you will probably be a little hungry when you leave! ~ Opening hours, address, dress code, families, etc ~
12:2:30 for Lunch 18:00 - 22:30 for dinner
Smoking only at the bar (although we noticed hardly anyone was smoking).
This place is relaxed when it comes to families, we saw one group that had 3 children all impeccably behaved and not long after we arrived a young couple with a baby in a pushchair arrived. All were seated without any ifs or buts. There was one chap who had to walk with the aid of two walking sticks, the restaurant would have been easy for him to navigate however there was a small flight of stairs from street level to door but I am guessing the doorman would have helped him if he required it. I didn't notice a wheelchair ramp but find that when you are able-bodied, you rarely pay attention to these things.
The dress code is casual. The Boyf wore a pair of smart jeans and smart trainers and was still allowed in. Other guys had come straight from the office and were suited; other women were wearing casual shirt dresses, tops and trousers/skirts and so on. One woman did arrive dripping in jewellery and in a sleeveless puffy dress and she gained glances for all the wrong reasons - far too dressy.
velouté ………………....…Rich white sauce or soup. Daurade Royale………… Sea bream. Duart salmon…………….The Loch where it's from. Choucroute………………Sauerkraut. ras el hanout…………..…Blend of up to 100 spices. Granité………………….....A kind of sorbet. Sairass Cheese……… Goats cheese (very mild, very creamy, not sharp at all).
~ Recommended? ~
Most definitely. A real 10 out of 10. Go, enjoy and make sure you have a jam sandwich!
