The Athenaeum Restaurant (Mayfair, London) review on Fluid Eating

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Fluid Eating's Review of The Athenaeum Restaurant

Make no bones about it, The Athenaeum is grown up. A five-star hotel on the main road opposite Green Park, it has suited and booted doormen to greet you as you enter and waiting staff to whip off your coats. When we arrived at 7pm on a cold and wet September Tuesday, we were shown straight to seats filled with cushions in one of those intimate English bars where you’d expect to see rich men drinking brandy and smoking cigars (at least in the days before smoking bans). We both indulged in a pre-dinner cocktail - mine was a refreshing blend of raspberry vodka, elderflower, lemon and pineapple titled Petticoat Lane while Seb’s Garden Of Eden comprising apple vodka, fig, cranberry, peach liquer and elderflower, sounds like a flavour overload but was perfectly balanced -and deliberated the food on offer and nibbling on olives and glazed almonds.

We plumped for a la carte although the set menu also had plenty of choice (and is very reasonable at £21 for two courses and £26 for three) with a rota of traditional Best Of British dishes including Cottage Pie and Medallions Of Pork. The menu tells diners ‘Remember to note your favourite day’ suggesting that many come back and again and again.

As newcomers we were also treated like old regulars. Our friendly waitress knew her menu well and was keen to share the venue’s best aspects with us. All of the staff we came across seemed genuinely proud of the place. We wondered whether this was a result of The Athenaeum being family-run? Or perhaps just because its owners know how to get the formula right – their portfolio also includes award-winning hotel The Grove in Hertfordshire and Berkshire’s Runnymede Hotel & Spa.

We were taken into the dining room in time for our starters. It was spacious but not sparse and our table gave us plenty of room. My tall, wide velvet chair (complete with more cushions) felt like a throne. I was recommended a classic fishcake to start, which with its opulent caper butter sauce was probably a little too much and could probably have sufficed as a main. However, I had no option but to finish it as it tasted so rich and comforting. Seb went for a slightly lighter crayfish millefeuille tart, which he described as ‘outstanding’.

We opted a fresh and light house white to accompany our meal, which was probably a little lost against the rich food but was welcome respite especially during the main course. Two mouthfuls into my salmon fillet, which was served with a risotto on the side, I felt so full that I feared I wouldn’t be able to go on eating. My head said I should consider throwing in the towel but the risotto/salmon combination worked so well together I knew I'd have to soldier on. For a moment, I resented the delicious fishcake that had got me into this full-stomached mess. Seb struggled at times with his rather large grilled dover sole but cheerfully munched his way through and was pleased with his choice.

We glanced around at our fellow diners. An elderly couple, a group of young European socialites and several businessmen in suits surrounded us. As two twentysomethings, we didn’t really fit in but never felt uncomfortable or out of our depth. After we’d polished off our desserts (mine a light raspberry millefeuille with cream, Seb's a box-ticking crème brulee) we were invited into the garden room for tea.

We sat down in a light and airy conservatory-stye room with fresh flowers. Our conscientious waiter (who took his tea very seriously) brought over a wooden menu containing descriptions of each tea’s properties and tiny windows with samples inside. Despite both feeling like we couldn’t put anything else in our mouths Seb had a camomile tea and I chose peach.

We loved The Athenaeum and spent four hours there! It is decadent, luxurious and the sort of place you’d chose to come to as a treat. The food (and the bill) reflects this, making you feel like you shouldn’t eat again for a week. Unlike many of London’s other premium restaurants, The Athenaeum doesn’t waste its time trying to be cool. So, if you want to spoil yourself in a traditionally British way, put on your posh frock, head to Piccadilly and prepare to indulge.

Lucy Edge (Updated 19/04/2012)

Average price per head: £30.00
Additional Info: No additional info for this venue.

The Athenaeum Restaurant Food & Drink Menus

Listed below are few sample food and drinks items available at The Athenaeum Restaurant. These lists are not enhaustive, but are instead designed to give you an overview of the venue's offerings and assciated prices.

The Athenaeum Restaurant Food menu

With a glamourous décor and mouthwatering menus, Athenaeum dining embraces every occasion. Intimate meals, relaxed chats, vital business dinners and celebratory cocktails are all effortlessly accommodated. We take great care sourcing ingredients of exceptional quality, all our dishes are cooked to order and our menus change seasonally in celebration of the best fresh natural produce.

Item	Price

The Athenaeum Restaurant Drink menu

Boasting a selection of over 270 whiskies, the Whisky Bar at the Athenaeum Hotel on Piccadilly is a whisky lovers dream. The selection of whiskies is unrivalled in London, and not only offers the finest single malts, but a wide range from around the world as well as the very rare whiskies from mothballed distilleries.