Two weeks ago, Jon and I celebrated our (seventh!) wedding anniversary at the Square. Because it was a weeknight and we were likely to order the tasting menu, Jon made our booking at the ungodly-early hour of 6:30 pm.
If there’s anything that makes me feel old, it’s dining out before 8 pm, and sure enough, we were the first ones to arrive – as in, first in the whole restaurant. I was mildly anxious that we’d spend the entire evening stared at by an army of waiters, but we shared a laugh about it with the staff, and from there on, the rest of the evening was a treat. If there’s any single thing that marked the Square as the sibling of the Ledbury (whose service I love), it was the restaurant’s attentive, friendly service. Despite the corporate-beige scheme of the dining room and the sea of jackets and ties among diners, the Square feels welcoming thanks to the professionalism of the Square’s staff.
Par for the course at a 2-Michelin-star resto, we started the evening with a series of amuses bouche. My faves were the foie gras mousse cornet and the squid ink crackers with taramasalata. When we ran out of squid ink crackers, we just dipped our oven-warm bread in the taramasalata’s salty-fishy goodness.
The tasting menu was a non-stop parade of beauty, textures and flavors. And the best part was the leisurely pace of our meal. For example, at Hibiscus, we stuffed down the tasting menu in just under two hours, and in contrast, at the Square, we savored our courses over four hours. Having all that time to enjoy your food makes a huge difference, and our time at the Square continues to confirm my belief that restaurants shouldn’t offer tasting menus to diners who show up after 8 pm unless they’re prepared to stay open until well after midnight.
The numerous photos above don’t capture all the food we sampled that evening, actually, and yet, seemingly in the blink of an eye, we were introduced to the Square’s cheese cart, which was a tour de force. Our server patiently and helpfully described all the choices to us and then served us a generous portion of six or seven of them.
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but the Square’s dessert courses could convert me. The rice pudding soufflé was textbook-perfect – airy but rich, sugary with a hint of tart.
Mignardises: a rainbow of jellied fruits and salted-caramel truffles, which were wrapped “to go” so that the next day, I could savor them on an emptier stomach and reflect back on a lovely dinner.
The Square’s tasting menu is £100 a person, so it wasn’t a cheap evening. But we had a magical time. For a restaurant that must see its share of anniversary celebrations, the Square managed to make ours feel like the only one that mattered. Our dinner at the Square stands head and shoulders above our relatively-recent meals at the Greenhouse and Hibiscus, both worthy competition.
The Square, 6-10 Bruton Street, London W1J 6PU, 0207 495 6519; closest tube station: Green Park
Congrats on your wedding anniversary (jeez, 7 years sounds like a looong time). I’ve only been to The Square once for the wife’s birthday. Been tempted to go back again since the reviews are consistently good.
Great review. My husband and I are returning to London in three weeks for a short holiday to celebrate his birthday. In March, we had dinner at The Square, but did not have the tasting menu. This time we will. Just curious, did you make substitutions on the menu, since what you describe is not the menu posted on the website. I am eager to repeat the crab lasagne and maybe switch around one or two other courses. We are also returning to The Ledbury during this trip, as well as The Harwood Arms. All three are my top London places — all around better than what we can get here in New York City. Thanks again for your great work.
I do remember a friend of mine telling me that this was London’s best kept secret. Obviously that was a while back but from your post, I fully understand where he was coming from !
Wild Boar – Thanks, and seven years *is* a long time. I like to claim I was a child bride. : )
Nancy – I had only one substitution (due to a food restriction), but otherwise, it’s not surprising that the menu online differs from what was offered the evening we ate there. I haven’t been to the Harwood Arms, but the Ledbury and the Square are two of my favorites in London, too. In defense of New York, there are some great places to eat there, too. What is it that makes you prefer London?
Mr. Noodles – Well, I wouldn’t consider the Square a secret, but perhaps your friend ate there a *really* long time ago. And although I had a great time at the Square, no question, I’ve also read a few negative reviews by reviewers I trust. For example, Laissez-Fare had a “neutral to slightly negative” experience there, and in Jay Rayner’s book, he writes about how disappointing a return meal there was. Perhaps the Square has a consistency issue or – more likely? – it’s just hard to live up to v. high expectations (which I’m not helping lower, I realize).
So glad to hear you had an amazing meal there – I knew you would love it. Congratulations on your anniversary!
Many thanks, GC, and looking forward to reading about your recent trip to Ibiza, you party girl, you.
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