Something that London restaurants don’t always deliver on – compared to Paris and New York, anyway – is the wow factor of the room. Of course there are exceptions, not least all the Jeremy King establishments, but there is often a sense of shrugging indifference when you walk in, rather than the feeling that you have taken your place in the stalls for a grand theatrical experience, and that you are now going to be in for a real treat for the next few hours.
This cannot be said of the Berners Tavern, which has a real take-your-breath-away quality in the dining room. Festooned with pictures and deeply flattering lighting that makes all its clientele look like models or film stars, it’s the perfect setting for food and wine, overseen by chef patron Jason Atherton, that doesn’t attempt to reinvent the culinary wheel but offers up a selection of British favourites with aplomb, helped by really excellent and friendly service (step forward our waiters Isaac and Fernando, who brought real charm and personality to the dinner) and a general sense of professionalism.
We began with a couple of cocktails from the near-legendary bar, the temptingly named Art House for me and Muse & Moonlight for my chum Boothby. Alas, Art House wasn’t wholly to my tastes – heavy on the mezcal, it was beautifully made but a tad too strong as a curtain-raiser – but the Muse & Moonlight was a superb short combination of rum, raspberry and Pedro Ximenez that really lit up the evening, as befitted its name. Coupled with some excellent sourdough malted bread and marmite butter, everything started very well.
It swiftly improved as soon as we tried the first couple of dishes that feature on the new spring menu, the prawn cocktail and the yellowfin tuna tartare. Both had an unexpectedly spicy kick, courtesy, respectively, of avocado-wasabi puree and Japanese dressing, and the prawn cocktail, especially, took a classic British comfort food dish and made it exciting and decidedly modern; something, in shorthand, that could be applied to the whole of the Berners Tavern.
And then it was time for the main, which Isaac blithely recommended as the signature Cote de Boeuf, a behemoth to share that came festooned with all the trimmings. It was fantastic; probably the best steak I can remember having in London (sorry, Hawksmoor) and all the additions, from the truffle oil-drizzled house salad to the impeccable Koffmann’s fries (portion each) made it a real winner. And the sommelier’s suggestion of a bottle of 2020 Boroli Barolo, the perfect match, made the whole thing feel like a real treat, in marvellous surroundings.
Under normal circumstances this would be the point to call it a night, not least because a tube strike made getting home more than usually tricky. Thankfully, we could have our arms twisted by the possibility of dessert, and everything on the menu looked suitably appealing. Boothby plumped – operative word – for a sublime lemon posset, while my old English trifle was daringly heavy on the cream but as it’s vanilla bean Chantilly, it was hardly as if I was going to object to something this naughty but nice.
All good things must come to an end, but as we stood up to leave the truly magnificent surroundings that we’d been lucky enough to be a part of for the previous couple of hours, it was with a genuine sense of regret. Berners Tavern is one of London’s stalwarts, and the new menu has given it a shot in the arm that means that even those who haven’t been here for a little while will find new reason to return. And we, happily, will be amongst their number.
Berners Tavern, 10 Berners St, London W1T 3NP. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.bernerstavern.com.
