Gone are the days when Jason Atherton was making a name for himself as the main Maze man, but a spot on atmosphere and cuts to rival the recent swathe of quality steakhouse openings ensures that this place won’t be left in the shade.

The Venue
Housed discretely within a grand Victorian terrace, Maze Grill certainly looks the part, and if you can grab yourself a window seat then you’ll be able to gaze out over Grosvenor Square, watching the well-heeled step out of their expensive cars and saunter toward one of the many salubrious local venues. And this is certainly one of them, with the kind of sophisticated look you’d expect from the area, balanced nicely by the kind of relaxed feel you’d expect from a steakhouse. Immaculate service, dazzling glassware and crisp linen keep things formal, whilst swooping chrome lampshades, an open kitchen and olive leather banquette seating give a gentle little nod to the New York steakhouse influence.

The Atmosphere
As with many venues over this way, it’s filled with an international mix, so expect to hear well-to-do accents from all over the world talking about exploring the capital or discussing Very Important Deals. Even though its location and pedigree insist on a certain refinement, the steakhouse feel ensures it’s a mile away from the haughty atmosphere some might expect. The staff are lovely, helpful and well-drilled, from the waiters and sommelier right through to the skilled hands in the kitchen who’ll happily take you for a tour of their impressive – and very hot – workplace.

The Food
The steaks are obviously impressive thanks to the sourcing of some very high quality cow, so get ready to tuck into cuts from grain-fed Casterbridge, the grass-fed Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, and USDA graded corn-fed Creekstone from our special friends over the Atlantic. The pick of the bunch though (if you can afford it – it’s sold at market price which is usually about £90 per steak), is the Wagyu ‘9th grade’ Gold style from Australia. A 10oz sirloin of this lucky cow (they’re massaged daily) is beautifully marbled, with the fat melting into meat that becomes almost unfeasibly soft and flavoursome. The handiwork in the kitchen obviously helps, with a perfectly thin layer of char giving the perfect amount of bitterness to sweet meat that, even if you only try it once, is worth every penny. A fillet of the Hereford (£30) doesn’t compare, but is still very good indeed, and every bit the match of the Goodmans and the Hawksmoors of the world.

The accompanying sides (£4) are excellent, with some seriously good fries and spinach with gruyere being the highlights, but there are some things Maze Grill doesn’t quite do perfectly. The crispy soft shell crab starter (£12) can be a little limp, though the spicy mayonnaise is very nice, and the Ortiz anchovies, confit tomato, olives and toasted sourdough (£9.50) is simple and a little uninspiring. However, ignore these starters and go instead for the delicate, impeccably balanced combination of beetroot cured salmon with golden beets and horseradish (£14); small but exceptional. Desserts are good, with a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce (£9) being suitably decadent, but the selection of British cheeses (£10.50) are an absolute must thanks to a well-sourced selection that’s left out for long enough and served with Madeira jelly and divine homemade chutney.

The Drinks
A lengthy, comprehensive wine list handily categorised into colour and countries makes things a lot easier, but the sommelier is superb anyway, so feel free to leave yourself in his very capable hands (he might even suggest – correctly - that a sherry will work perfectly with the anchovy and sourdough starter). The list obviously extends into the extravagant, but there are plenty of affordable options, especially amongst all those reds keeping the carnivores quaffing. There’s a perfectly good Chilean organic Cabernet Sauvignon from Soleus at a very reasonable £24, with a Vina Hormigas Malbec Reserva at £52 representing Argentina very well indeed. More excellent examples come from Italy, the US, Spain and Portugal, but if you do want to flash the cash then there’s plenty of scope to do just that.

The Last Word
It might not be as fashionable as some of its steakhouse competition but the meat is every bit the match, served with the kind of sophistication and elegance that you should expect from somewhere with a postcode as prestigious as this.

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