13th May 2008
Very easy to navigate
I had to make a play on the word there, but the title is accurate. Maze felt effortless and I’ll expand on why below.
A friend was visiting recently and we went on ‘Trusted’ tour of London. Sampled some of the best pubs, bars, nightclubs, small restaurants, pub food, but of course we had to visit a Gordon Ramsey place for the experience to be complete. Naturally, there had been very little planning before my friend arrived, so getting a table at Maze for Tuesday at 8pm when you call at 3pm on that usually unlikely. But here’s a tip. It’s hard to book a table at the restaurant, but you can still eat (very well) at the bar. And because most people don’t know that, the bar usually has some free space even you just walk-in.
Note: there is a ‘helpful’ button below this review that was specifically designed to reward such generous sharing of insider knowledge.
Now back to Maze and the fact it was effortless. Firstly, the menus. We had to go for the tasting menu, as there are simply too many very seductive tastes on offer to exhaust in one visit. At £55 per head it’s not cheap, but hey you won’t be going there every day. The thing that impressed me was that despite the amount of choice, going through the different options was simple and quick. Two pages only with excellent line spacing and some beautiful fonts made the process fast and pleasurable.
The staff was very friendly, with Mr Atherton being at the door when we arrived and dispensing a warm hello and welcome. I think he was there working on the seating plan with the reception staff. The barman was excellent and in general the whole place had an air of quiet efficiency, without being at all overbearing or stiff. Mr Ramsey himself made an appearance later greeting the diners at the restaurant across the room, although not stopping to chat at us on his way to the kitchen. For some reason he was also wearing his kitchen apron, although I don’t know if he’s still cooking while there. He may be…Seemed like a very nice guy and you could sense the slight, extra alertness on the part of the staff while he was around.
Ah and finally let’s talk about food. The tasting menu is split between small courses (starter equivalent), some more substantial ones and finally desserts. I won’t go through all eight of the courses we had, but the ones that really stood out for me were the ‘Beef ‘tongue ‘n’ cheek’ caper raisin and ginger carrots’ – with ‘tongue and cheek’ being a literal reference. I love a cow’s tongue and cheek, so combining the two was exceptional, but perhaps a bit heavy for a full course. I loved the artichoke veloute with braised duck leg and although the deconstructed pain au chocolat, required a small intro on how to eat, it was definitely worth it.
After a two hour experience we both felt fantastically satisfied and not the least bit overeaten. The bill did approach the cost of a bargain flight to New York, but who’s got the time to fly there anyway? Plus with the way airports are these is much easier to just pop over to Grosvenor Square.
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