The Traditional English Restaurants of London

Greig’s lays claim to the reputation for serving the finest steaks in London, in the heart of Mayfair, a mere nightingale’s trill from Berkeley Square. For over half a century, long before the present day emphasis on properly hung, possibly organic, meat, the cognoscenti quietly made their way to 26 Bruton Place, confident in the knowledge that once there they would find well-cooked, coal-grilled Scottish beef, beautifully presented and served with elegance and charm.

I suppose in some ways you could say that Greig’s has been one of the best-kept culinary secrets in London’s West End, where competition at every level is razor-sharp.

Recently there has been a major refurbishment at Greig’s, the menu has been broadened to meet the times, the premises have been given a facelift, whilst maintaining all the qualities for which Greig’s has become so renowned over the years.

There are three beautifully oak-panelled dining rooms, and in passing let’s be clear we are talking about the real thing, creating rooms in which the well bred would feel at home and the rest of us would feel. . . well, flattered. All of these rooms are available for private hire and seat up to 40, 16 or 8 guests respectively. Normally no hire charge is made and set menus are available on request.

For everyday customers there are two menus offered; the lunch and pre-theatre and the a la carte, with a special menu for Sunday lunch. As so often happens lunch and pre-theatre suppers are often taken at the run, though this is certainly not obligatory at Greig’s, and the menu is geared accordingly. The value offered is nothing short of incredible, starting with one course and one glass of wine at £9.95 and topping out with three courses and three glasses of wine at £16.95. Taking into account the quality I know of no better value anywhere in London.

For starters there could be avocado vinaigrette, a mixed salad or soup of the day. Main courses might be drawn from amongst shepherd’s pie, fish pie or Cumberland sausages with mashed potato, followed by crème caramel, chocolate mousse or cheesecake. For an extra £4 the choice could include a Dover sole, mixed grill or 12 oz sirloin.

The Sunday lunch and alternative pre-theatre menu offers soup of the day, the traditional roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and accompanying cast, followed by Turkish Delight and coffee.

Moving to the a la carte, Greig’s has made its name through its handling of grills, so no risk of any disappointment here. From 16 oz Scottish sirloin the story is one of the contentment that stems from complete enjoyment. Some Argentinean beef is also used and the customer is left in no doubt about country of origin with every meat dish. Lobsters weigh in at 16 oz, and tiger prawns can be taken on their own or as part of the excellent surf and turf dish.

A cheeseboard of fine British and French offerings sits well with the menu overall, and puddings are simple and designed to complement the full effect, with raspberries or strawberries (for all I know they might be persuaded to mix a dish if you cannot bear the thought of missing one of the choices) or, say, a chocolate mousse.

The wine list so carefully built up over the years is most unlikely to disappoint, with good wines by the glass, including a decent champagne, amongst the house list and sound choices from the main. There must be many like me who have not heard of Greig’s until now and I suppose the sensible thing to have done would have been to keep mum and enjoy, but hey! there are livings to be earned.