Lutyens

Lutyens business card

Lutyens resides in the former Reuters building on Fleet Street and is named after the architect and designer of the building Sir Edwin Lutyens.

It’s a Terence Conran restaurant and the dining room is a rather simple yet elegantly designed space – everything’s white and very neutral and there’s a glass fronted kitchen so you can see all the action.

The dining room

The first thing that struck us (other than the extremely friendly welcome) was the price – Lutyens is far from cheap. However, we had a TopTable offer giving us 50% off food (available on Friday nights only) which made the prices a lot easier to stomach.

I started with the grilled squid and ink sauce (£9) which was absolutely divine. I have never had squid cooked to such perfection – it was some of the finest squid I’ve eaten. It was charred giving it a real smokiness which worked perfectly. Yum.

Grilled squid and ink sauce

My gentleman companion opted for the scallops, Jerusalem artichoke puree and ceps (£17). This was a simple dish but the scallops were beautifully cooked and beautifully seasoned.

Scallops, Jerusalem artichoke puree and ceps

As our third dining companion knew one of the chefs we were very kindly given the crab gnocchi (usually £12) as a gift from the kitchen. The thick frothy crab bisque covered the soft gnocchi – this was a real taste of the sea with big bold flavours.

Crab gnocchi

For main I opted for the chef’s recommendation of monkfish, root vegetables, mussels and sea beet (£24). It was a gigantic piece of monkfish which was cooked to perfection. The mussels were soft, the sea beets added texture and the buttery sauce beneath it was a wonderful accompaniment.

Monkfish, root vegetables, mussels and sea beet

The Cornish lamb, spiced aubergine and cardamom yoghurt (£28) was a generous chunk of lamb with a charred smokey outside and a tender pink inside – it was meatiliciously delicious.

Cornish lamb, spiced aubergine and cardamom yoghurt

My gentleman companion opted for the middle white pork, parsnips and crab apple jelly (£20) which he happily devoured. The pork was moist and served with a curl of crackling which was like a porky prawn cracker and tasted great. With a side of potato gratin (£4) the dish tasted even better.

Middle white pork, parsnips and crab apple jelly

Potato gratin

Desserts were rather triumphant. My quince souffle with gingerbread ice cream (£9) was huge yet so light and airy and perfectly sweetened – it was a superb end to my meal.

Quince souffle with gingerbread ice cream

The goat’s cheese cheesecake, pear sorbet and walnuts (£6) was most unusual but it worked really well. Savoury cheese with sweet pear – it was a clever alternative to a cheese board.

Goat's cheese cheesecake, pear sorbet and walnuts

The chocolate panna cotta, caramelised banana and peanuts (£7) was a rich chocolatey delight. Chocolate, banana and peanuts – what could be better?

Chocolate panna cotta, caramelised banana and peanuts

Service was actually perfect – the nicest selection of staff I’ve come across. They were efficient and professional yet really friendly and chatty.

We had a really lovely dinner and struggled to find fault with the food (in fact we couldn’t) the only thing we had a problem with was the price – but with 50% off we felt it was thoroughly worth it. If you’ve got the money, you could do a lot worse than Lutyens.

8/10

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