This sleek city haunt is ideal for business lunches and romantic dinners. It’s not cheap but you do get your money’s worth.

The Venue
Located between Oxford Circus and New Bond Street on a quiet road opposite Savile Row, Pattersons facade does not betray the culinary delights that lie within. A light and airy room with wooden floorboards and fresh seafood on display has beautifully laid tables and elegant tall leather chair strewn throughout. Though it is not the largest of rooms, the spacing is generous and the tables are large.

The Atmosphere
A mixture of young and old pass through in the course of an evening – affluent couples in their twenties, husbands and wives in their forties, and pairs in their sixties are all found in the convivial dining room. The long table at the back of the restaurant seats larger groups, but the noise levels never verge on the irritating, and a gentle hum of conversation pervades. Service is formal and, though friendly at times, perhaps overly starchy. Somehow you never quite forget you are in a restaurant.

The Food
The menu, which is a fixed at £13-£17-£10 (with supplements for the more expensive choices), changes frequently, which means that there are always new dishes to try. An amuse bouche of celeriac veloute with truffle foam is velvety and refreshing. Both the walnut and raisin bread and Guinness bread are exemplary with a perfect balance of sugar and salt. A starter of squab breast on potato and apple parmentier, with foie gras parfait and Madeira jelly is a medley of flavours with the jelly bringing out the subtle Madeira taste of the parfait. Hot smoked salmon with duck confit risotto unusually combines meat and fish to superb effect.

A main course of roast duck with fondant potato is perfectly timed and everything on the plate is carefully chosen, down to a chewy but juicy baked tomato. A beef sirloin with oxtail and potato puree gratin (£3 supplement) is of the highest quality and also perfectly complimented by various accoutrements. Dessert is the highlight at Patterson’s – Poached pear with waffles, bitter chocolate sauce and Poire William mousse sublimely blends perfect textures, flavours, and aromas. The cheese plate is well-balanced and the home-made chutney and crackers flawless.

The Drink
Pattersons focuses on wine, with no cocktail list and a limited choice of beers. This said, the list is impressive – French-dominated, though this is balanced by a roughly equal offering from the rest of the world. House bottles start at £22, with glasses from £5.50. There is a fair selection of half bottles, including sweet wines, and a fine wine selection for those with more money to spare.

The Last Word
If you’re looking for great Mayfair food, excellently presented, but without astronomical prices, then Pattersons is right up your street.

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