Scotts Restaurant, London

If you are in the market for a wonderful fish restaurant in the heart of London then look no further than Scott’s of Mayfair. It was named as the BMW Square meal Restaurant of the Year in 2008 so I was very excited to try it. I had heard lots of things about it too and had seen it in the celebrity pages due to the fact that a number of stars go there for dinner frequently.

The restaurant is located at 20 Mount Street, London, ...
...or Bond Street so it’s right in the middle of town, a really good location actually.

I made a reservation on line quite a few weeks before we wanted to go as I had heard that it books out very early. I actually had to try a number of different dates before I found a time that would accommodate us. In the end I booked a table for 6pm on a Saturday in the knowledge that the table had to go back by 8:30pm. This was actually plenty of ... more

If you are in the market for a wonderful fish restaurant in the heart of London then look no further than Scott’s of Mayfair. It was named as the BMW Square meal Restaurant of the Year in 2008 so I was very excited to try it. I had heard lots of things about it too and had seen it in the celebrity pages due to the fact that a number of stars go there for dinner frequently.

The restaurant is located at 20 Mount Street, London, W1K 2HE. The nearest tube station is either Green Park or Bond Street so it’s right in the middle of town, a really good location actually.

I made a reservation on line quite a few weeks before we wanted to go as I had heard that it books out very early. I actually had to try a number of different dates before I found a time that would accommodate us. In the end I booked a table for 6pm on a Saturday in the knowledge that the table had to go back by 8:30pm. This was actually plenty of time for three courses and we did not feel rushed at all which was nice. At 6pm we were one of the first couples in the restaurant but by the time we left it was packed.

Walking up to the restaurant we noticed a doorman in a top hat who opened the door for us and wished us a good evening which was very nice and classy and set the tone of the evening well I thought. As we walked in we were greeted again and had our coats taken and put in the cloakroom. We were immediately shown to our seats.

Inside the restaurant the décor is beautiful. The restaurant is not very big, I would probably say enough for 100 or less diners. According to their website, the Martin Brudnizki interior is inspired by the ostentatious glamour of the restaurants past. It’s the epitome of Bond-esque glamour in the 1960’s. It did have a very cool, upmarket feel about it without being over the top as I thought it was quite a welcoming restaurant. When you walk in, in the middle of the floor is a rectangle bar which you can sit around if you wish. The middle of the bar has a huge section where they put ice and fish on as a display, it’s really a sight to see. Then all around the edge of the room there are leather benches with tables in front of them where you sit for your meal. It did get a bit cramped once other people were in there but that did not put us off our meal or take away our privacy really. Their website describe it as, “an oak panelled dining room furnished in burgundy leather, a floor of oak chevrons with a chartreuse-green marble-mosaic with a bar topped in onyx and finished in sting-ray skin!”

Like I said the restaurant menu is a wonderful mix of traditional fish with seasonal meat and game. Again, on their website they say that the setting works its magic but it’s amazing fish that really lures the crowds who come for the sexy delights of raw bivalves, high-class renditions of the classics and regional curiosities. I was very impressed with their menu as I was with their food. Of course, you really have to have the fish if you come here but there is something on the menu for everyone in case you are not so keen on fish.

We had three courses, starter, main and dessert. You can order just fish as a course if you wish too. For example they have clams, prawns, shrimps all available as a course. The people sitting next to us had the Plateau de fruits de mers for two which did look great if you like that sort of thing. Starters featured various salads and some great fish options. They then had fish mains or meat mains but of course we went for the fish. Expect to pay around £20 for a fish main course with things like lobster and shellfish more like £40 to £70 per person. You can then order various side dishes such as beans, carrots etc for about £4.75 a dish. These were quite small so I do recommend ordering a few if you are hungry. I had cod as my main course and it was absolutely divine, cooked to perfection and wonderfully tasty.

Dessert was amazingly too. I had a rhubarb tart that was well presented and tasted amazing. We had one bottle of wine between us as well as some water and the whole bill came to £160 which I did not think was too bad. The staff were very attentive and definitely knew what they were talking about when it came to the food. There is no need for men to wear a tie and I did wear smart jeans but some people were very dressed up which was nice and didn’t look out of place. I definitely recommend Scott’s for a great evening of food and atmosphere.
 

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