Lutyens

Editor's note: In June 2018 it was announced that Lutyens would close as part of the bankruptcy of the Terence Conran Restaurant group, along with the other restaurants Albion in Clerkenwell and Parabola in Kensington.

On my second visit here, on a Friday lunch, the dining room was busy. Starters were priced from £8 to £16, main courses £14 to £36, side dishes £4 and desserts £7 - £9. There was also a cheap lunch menu available at £26 for three courses.

I began with salmon tartare, garnished with salmon roe. I am a fan of bold seasoning, but this was distractingly so, very peppery indeed, though the dish was quite pretty and the salmon had decent flavour once my palate had recovered from the pepper (13/20). Braised beef short rib was tender and in this case seasoned with restraint, served with wild garlic and salsify and some rather dense smoked mashed potatoes (14/20).

Yorkshire rhubarb crumble was a modern take on the dish, the crumble base topped with a yoghurt sorbet encased in a light rhubarb mousse, garnished with pistachio. This was very pleasant, perhaps a little lacking in enough rhubarb flavour but an interesting idea (14/20). Service was excellent.

Overall, Lutyens delivers a very enjoyable experience, with its appealing menu, smooth service and nicely decoarted dining room. I can see why it was so busy.

Further reviews: 01st Jan 2010