The Michelin club had a bad year with illness and had to cancel our reservation twice at Marcus Wareing before we finally succeeded the third time to visit this 2 Star Michelin restaurant at The Berkeley, Knightsbridge, London chosen by Carlos. The restaurant however was very understanding when we had to cancel a few times – so have to give them some credit for that.
The restaurant is located in the very nice Berkeley Hotel and therefore when we turned up early as usual we got directed to their lovely cocktail bar, which was a really nice experience with some gorgeous cocktails. When we got seated in the restaurant a waiter immediately came and asked if we wanted a glass of champagne, which was nice in away – but you also felt a bit like you didn’t had any choice and when we later found out that we paid £17,- for a glass – it seemed a bit like a rip-off.
This time we had the choice between the Chef’s Menu or the Taste Menu – so 3 of us went for the Chef’s Menu and 1 picked the Taste Menu, so really nice that there was a choice and not the whole table had to pick the same – so something for everyone. Unfortunately the Wine experience completed failed – because as soon as we said we wanted something different than French wine – the sommelier had no idea what to recommend and literally left us to it. Seemed very unprofessional and not what we expected at all based on our previous experiences. Also meant that we didn’t get the best of wines matching the food – so ruined a bit the whole wine and food experience.
The food however was really nice and the 3 of us having the Chef’s Menu all agreed that this was the best Foie Gras we have ever tasted. We also got a really nice surprise when Marcus Wareing himself in the end of the evening suddenly came out of the kitchen and went around to all the tables to talk to the guests and to make sure everyone was pleased by the food. The only low point at the table was again the wine waiter, who did not pay a lot of attention to when the glasses were empty and several times forgot to pour in time.
In the end of the night we furthermore got a tour of the kitchen, which was a really nice experience and really make you realise how hard they work at very little space. Overall it was a very nice night but also the most expensive restaurant we have been to so far. Was quite disappointed when we saw that they even charged us £27.50 for 5 bottles of water, something we never asked for but which they just poured in our glasses – so not something we would have expected to pay for at all at such an expensive place.
The ladies left the evening with a bag of homemade chocolates – so a nice present to bring back home.
