34 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 2UD

34 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 2UD
28/07/2012
http://www.34-restaurant.co.uk/

She said: 34 is a restaurant you make time for.  It’s easy to walk past the entrance on South Audley Street but that would be a mistake because as you enter you will find a sophisticated, inviting space of a bygone era. I may be laying it on thick but this is a classic, luxury market eatery with excellent service and food (and prices) to match. It’s somewhere you’ll want to take your time, people watch and savour and takes you into a different world removed from the hustle of nearby Oxford Street and Park Lane. I started with a watermelon and goats cheese salad with honeyed walnuts with was full of flavour and a perfect warm up. For mains I had a perfectly creamy risotto which melted in the mouth. I made way for desert and opted for the chocolate bombe which looked amazing but I actually preferred his peanut crunch (snickers-like pudding) as the chocolate bombe was a case of design over substance for me, with a tasty chocolate shell but a mish-mash of popping candy and ice cream inside. I like my chocolate puddings to have more chocolate. But putting desert aside, I would come back to 34 – especially for a special occasion or if someone else is paying (£106 for two).

He said: 34 is just what you expect of a Mayfair grill: it's well-appointed, efficient, and expensive. The clientele is also representative of the well-heeled, truly cosmopolitan denizen of the neighbourhood, which makes for good people watching. From my point of view it was fine; there was nothing to dislike, but there was also nothing to love - it is just another decent restaurant. Being vegetarian I'm sure that I missed out on 34's USP - amazing grilled meats, and this must be what you might just love about it. It won't be the room which, being long and narrow, is somewhat unmemorable. But what I ate, a cold soup of various green veg, tortellini, and a desert which tasted like a really great, posh Snickers bar, was all really well accomplished, and really nicely plated. But throw in a cocktail each, and the bill for lunch for two tops the £100 mark. There are so many amazing restaurants in London in this price bracket; I just don't think 34 delivers enough to stand up to them. I guess the rent is high in that neighbourhood... It must be why the management feels compelled to charge for cover; a practice which, this day and age, is barely forgivable even in a Spanish beach resort. Do leave a comment if you've tried the grill and it's out of this world, as some say.