The Wolseley is owned by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King and was famed for being the late Michael Winner’s favourite restaurant in London. Corbin and King also own The Delaunay, Brasserie Zedel and Cafe Colbert – a selection of restaurants that I simply adore and the same can now be said for The Wolseley after my visit for dinner with my parents.
The dining room was very grand with gigantic arched ceilings, huge chandeliers and marble pillars. The lack of soft furnishings made for an echoey space with a great atmosphere; it was a really impressive restaurant.
We were first seated at a table right by the entrance (oh no not another Ivy moment!) but on request we were kindly moved to a much nicer, more central table. Phew!
The house bread served with salted butter started things off and was delicious; soft white sticks served warm and replenished once devoured.
The soufflé Suisse (£11.25), that’s cheese soufflé to you and I, was as good, if not better than the one we’d eaten at two Michelin star Le Gavroche. It was light, it was fluffy and it was super cheesy.
The steak tartare (£10.50) was served with some toasted white bread. It was more of a traditional tartare than the ones I have been accustomed to as of late where the meat is cut into larger chunks. The raw beef here was much finer and was so smooth it was spreadable; but delicious none the less and seasoned perfectly.
For main, my Mum couldn’t resist ordering her Delaunay favourite; weiner schnitzel (£19.75). It was a massive portion and one which she couldn’t finish, luckily for me! It had a crisp, golden exterior and succulent moist meat beneath it. A good squirt of lemon helped cut through the richness of the meat. The side of pickled cucumber (£4) was the perfect accompaniment.
I decided to order the grilled tiger prawns with garlic and parsley butter (£24.75) and a portion of chips (£4.25). Prawns with a buttery sauce and chips has to be one of my all time favourite meals. Whereas I’ve been disappointed by the prawns at two top London seafood restaurants (Scott’s and J Sheekey) the prawns here are some of the finest I’ve tasted. Plump little beggars that pop out of their shells with the merest touch of the fork. The chips, although looking a little anaemic, were in fact cooked to utter perfection and a side of creamed spinach (£4.75) added a touch of decadent greenery. I was in heaven!
Saving barely enough room for dessert I opted for the treacle tart (£6.75) which was served warm (a must!) It was as sweet and sticky and gooey as I could possibly hope for and the little dollop of creme fraiche valiantly cut through all that sugar.
The lemon polenta cake (£5.50) had the desired lemony flavouring yet it didn’t whallop your tastebuds. It was a moist delight and the butter icing was delicious.
So now I’ve completed the set, I’ve been to all the Corbin and King restaurants and I love each one. The Wolseley is the priciest of the lot and there’s even a £2 cover charge per person added to your bill. If you have starters, mains and desserts the bill might make you wince a little but I really do feel it’s worth the dollar. A grand restaurant with charming service and delicious food – and the best prawns in London.
9/10
