London Marriott ,
10-13 Grosvenor Square,
London,
W1K 6JP
0871 971 3541
The ViewLondon Review
Posh tapas-style cuisine from Gordon Ramsay protege Jason Atherton. Maze is a modern and stylish setting for a gorgeous meal.The VenueThe restaurant is part of the Marriott Hotel in the fabulous Grosvenor Square. You enter through a side entrance of the hotel and are greeted by a trendy room designed by architect David Rockwell. It is L shaped and has a great looking bar where you can stop by for drinks. Try to request to sit in the raised area so you can look into the open plan kitchen as it creates buzz and excitement.
The AtmosphereThis is so different to the rest of the Ramsay restaurants; it has a chic but still formal experience. Friendly and attentive staff in dark suits or shirts along with the beige and brown interior with its clean and shiny backgrounds give Maze both a business type and fashionista feel to the place. The clientele is very much linked to the location of Grovesnor Square - Mayfair types swarm to this popular and stylish bar and restaurant. Tables are fairly close together but not so close that you’d feel uncomfortable. There is also an option of sitting at the chef’s table that is situated in the kitchen so you can eat in the middle of the fast-paced and crazy atmosphere.
The FoodItsy bitsy dishes are presented beautifully (you won’t want to touch them as they’re so perfect!) but unfortunately there just isn’t enough on the plate to be able to get a true tasting of the dish. Once you have shared it between everyone on the table, as you’re meant to do, you end up with a morsel of food from each plate.
For starters try the Cornish crab salad with pickled golden beetroot and avocado and Bloody Mary sorbet, a delicate and interesting mix of flavours. Sweet from the sorbet and sour from the pickled beetroots, it’s a great appetizer to get the taste buds started. Duart salmon with fine beans, foie gras, smoked bacon, verjus reduction and pommes cocotte, is moist, perfectly cooked and ideally matched with the buttery foie gras and salty bacon. The pork is served with whipped olive oil mash, parsnip and spiced lentils; the meat is rich and bold and the dish as a whole is very elegant. These quirky little dishes all have their own sophistication and range in prices from about £15.00- £30.00.
Desserts include peanut butter and cherry jam sandwich with salted nuts and cherry sorbet drink; although it’s a nice combination of sweet and salty, ultimately it’s not as exciting as it sounds. On the other hand, the banana and caramel trifle, passion fruit granite, chocolate jelly and warm almond fancier is extremely interesting and tastes great. There’s also an option of a tasting menu and they cater very well for people with allergies and vegetarians.
The DrinkThere are many options from the drinks list, and some cool drinks on the bar’s cocktail list include a fig sour and a rhubarb mule. Along with this you’re also able to have a few tasting dishes at the bar. The wine list is long enough to decide exactly what you want and include many wines from all over the world, half bottles and also wines by the glass.
The Last WordMaze is an extremely exciting addition to the Gordon Ramsay group, and although it’s an interesting take on tapas dining, it’s more the experience than the food that will keep you coming back for more.