A dark rainy night in Mayfair is the perfect time for some British comfort food. A left from Oxford Street onto North Audley Street brings you to the newly opened GrEAT British Restaurant, a stylish restaurant serving up traditional British fare.
Arriving at the restaurant, I am surprised at how small it is but there is everything you would expect to see in a traditional British space – dark wooden panelled walls and benches, old black and white photos on the walls and dim candlelit tables.
The menu is strictly British, with all ingredients sourced in Britain with items like Suffolk Lamb, Devon clams and Yorkshire pork belly to chose from. Even the wines are sourced locally. There is a wide variety of white and sparkling options but only a few red wines as the English climate makes it very difficult to produce red wine apparently.
The staff are friendly and helpful and help us to select the Sharpham Pinot Noir after we find the house red too sweet. Scanning the menu, we know it will undoubtedly be a heavy meal, but diets start in January right? We start with Beet Root Salad and the soup special of the day – artichoke, mushroom and King oyster in a cream broth.
The salad is fresh and flavourful but the soup was very rich in tarragon, which ended up overpowering everything else. The selection of mains represent all the classics – pot roast chicken, pork belly, Shepherd’s Pie and Fish and Chips among them. I try the Sussex Cheese Sausage, which was heavenly. The sausages were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; I couldn’t have eaten them faster.
My guest chooses the Suffolk Lamb that comes with a side bacon hot pot. Both are delicious but may be best put separately on the menu as it was very hearty and the plate could have benefited from some side veg instead.
Desserts were another highlight with the Chocolate Pudding and Salted Caramel Ice Cream being beautifully rich and the ‘proper’ apple and blackberry crumble, complete with a mini pot of custard to pour over, was delicious.
The relaxed and cosy atmosphere makes The GrEAT British Restaurant the perfect place to linger while recovering from a satisfying meal and there is a nice selection of English teas to help things along. Authenticity is the focus here and they really nail it. Country classics are well executed with the freshest ingredients and unique pairings. With a number of options for British fare in the city, The GrEAT British Restaurant is definitely worth a visit.
Concierge’s Tip: There’s a private room in the back of the restaurant available to hire for an intimate dinner or party.
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