the wolseley

i'm a great admirer of chris corbin and jeremy king and what they did particularly with le caprice and j sheeky were textbook case studies in the londonrestaurantmarket. their comeback to the capital probably post the end of a non compete period is anot

summary: traditional european cafe in mayfair that is bound to impress. great for a bit of celebrity spotting. i like to to think i know the londonrestaurantscene pretty well. i make a conscious effort to try them all – the trendy new restaurants that seems to pop up regularly around town as well as those old london institutions that have been here long before i was. that being said, it still baffles me how i have never been to the wolseley.

the wolseley is owned by chris corbin and jeremy king and was famed for being the late michael winner’s favouriterestaurantin london. corbin and king also own the delaunay , brasserie zedel and cafe colbert – a selection of restaurants that i simply adore and the same can now be said for the wolseley after my visit for dinner with my parents. the dining room was very grand with gigantic arched ceilings, huge chandeliers and marble pillars. the lack of soft furnishings made for an echoey space with a great atmosphere; it was a really impressive restaurant. we were first seated at a table right by the entrance (oh no not another ivy moment !) but on request we were kindly moved to a much nicer more, central table. phew! the house bread served with salted butter started things off and was delicious; soft white sticks served warm and replenished once devoured. the soufflé suisse (£11.25), that’s cheese soufflé to you and i, was as good, if not better than the one we’d eaten at two michel

the food was excellent and very tasty..

on that day i had that cravings for the sea food and the dessert's, so i searched this on google and found the wolseley, a place known for its tasty food and beautiful architecture...

i ordered salmon, fresh crab, oyster and chicken with some dessert's...
the sea food was appetizing and taste's good with a perfect french wine..

the berries pancakes were yummy too...

this is my favoriterestaurantin london for now for perfect sea food
if you are looking for something to eat, you should try this restaurant.

i like the history of the building. it was guest a car showroom, then barclays took over. later on a chineserestaurantopened. however, it didn't stay running for so long. you can see traces of all three places when dinning there (chinese doors, barclays clock & the showrooms chandeliers and marble floor).

this is a lovelyrestaurantset in an old car showroom. i know it doesn't sound too glamorous till you get down there yourself and feel the old victorian magic of london with there out of the world amazing tea and lots to eat. high ceiling with hanging chandelier and black and white tiled floor gave it a very royal feel.
a menu to die for and amazing collection of fine wines and tea. excellent place for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea.
afternoon tea is jaw dropping and a collective 'oooooh' when they bring out the tower of sandwiches, cakes, scones, cheese cakes, chocolate cake, eclairs and the list goes on .......😍😍😍😍
we had a wonderful afternoon champagne tea and delicious bites.
avocado croustade is a must try here which is unique and really delicious, mashed avocado on a crispy millefeuille-like base. ebb benedict and pancakes were amazing with fresh fruits.
hot chocolate was good too!
the atmosphere was buzzed and the service was exceptional.
a must try place in london to experience the very traditional english afternoon tea which is so royal in experience and taste ❤️.

went there without a reservation on a sunday morning and loved that they have a no reservation area! such a charmingrestaurantwith lots of lovely interiors. the staff is so friendly and the food is amazing.
must try the doughnuts!!!

it's a grande cafe alright! the dining room just exudes black and white elegance. caught up with a friend over brunch and a basket of pastries, arnold bennett omelette and the wolseley fishcake with egg benedict.

pastries were nice but not impressive. i did like that it was such a nice assortment of baked goods. my favourite was the arnold bennett omelette. it was rich, creamy and comforting with generous chunks of fish and sharp parmesan.

one of the more famous dishes here is the wolseley fishcake which is a breaded smoked haddock fishcake with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. whilst it tasted nice, i thought the fishcake was a little dry.

a beautifulrestaurantin a bustling city!

thisrestaurantis situated near the ritz in mayfair and is as glitzy and busy as its posh companion! it has a large downstairs area and mezzanine sections. the menu is european with a french influence and has a large choice of meat and fish. unfortunately we had some problems with our service and meals not arriving as ordered but the manager dealt with the issues well and discounted the bill accordingly. he then checked back to see if everything was ok. lovelyrestaurantwith good ambience.

whilst grand and one of the must-tries of london, it is totally free of pretence or stuffiness. the atmosphere is light-hearted and buzzing, with therestaurantfull of people up for an ultimate london experience.

tables are packed in cosily, adding to the 'buzz' of the restaurant. waiters are friendly and aren't afraid of having a jolly with their customers, whilst never slacking on service or professionalism. 

the wolseley is particularly good for steak and seafood, although it is not too pompous to serve the usual favourites such as hamburgers, kedgeree or navarin of lamb.

for a fun finish, try an ice cream coupe; perfect for sharing, and exploring an exciting combination of flavours. the lucian is luscious; pistachio, hazelnut and nougat ice cream are drizzled with whipped cream and a butterscotch sauce, providing a nutty, soft sweetness to the end of your meal.

whilst certainly not cheap, it is worth a visit to try accessible meals done in fanciful ways within a warm, buzzing ambience.

in 1921 william curtis green was commissioned to design a rather illustrious car show room for wolseley motors limited. he created an incredibly grand interior, resplendent with venetian-style pillars and archways and towering stairways.  in 1926 wolseley motors went bankrupt and barclays bank acquired the building, opening a new branch in april 1927.  in 2003 chris corbin and jeremy king secured the site and it was restored to its current glory, opening as arestaurantin november 2003 and named the wolseley after it's first occupants.  in march 2015, an adventurous london kiwi sent an email to see if anyone fancied meeting for breakfast at this grand dame of a restaurant.  in his book, breakfast at the wolseley  a.a. gill states 'breakfast is everything. the beginning, the first thing. it is the mouthful that is the commitment to a new day, a continuing life.' and with that being the case a group of six bloggers, iphones at the ready and cameras in hand descended upon the piccadillyrestaurantto enjoy their first meal of the day together.  making up this sextet / hashtag of bloggers were: our wonderful organiser, emma from adventures of london kiwi sam, an expat aussie adventurer who writes the blog globetrotter postcards jaime from angloyankophile , an american girl living in london and working in publishing kiwi travel blogger, kara, who blogs at social, write, travel play and yannick, a london tour guide from luxembourg whose photography, thoughts and musings are recorded on london unravelled in front of us was menu of classics such as full english, eggs benedict, healthy choices such as fruit, yogurt and porridge and items to satisfy the sweet tooth. it was hard to know what to have... but being bloggers, we all know the most important thing...if you don't instagram it, it didn't happen. fully caffeinated, satisfied and happy we talked blogspeak for hours but as people began to filter in for lunch we realised it was probably time to leave our illustrious surr

the vibe

this grand european café in st james’ has a history that, for want of a better phrase, is really rather ‘money’. originally an expansive marble showcase for expensive motors, the wolseley car company sadly never made it through tough financial times and the building was bought by barclays in the 1920s. then finally, once the world had tired of banks and bankers,restauranttitans corbin and king transformed the wolseley building into what it should always have been – a haven for decadent dining.

in the great european tradition, you can take breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner here. interiors are high and fancy – arches, pillars, gold touches, embossed crockery – and the atmosphere is as buzzy as the dining section of a posh victorian railway station. it’s london meets vienna and, for dates, a vital tick box if showing someone the town or simply treating them.

the order

rich food, simply presented on large white plates. for breakfast, an eggs benedict is the classic. they present it on only one muffin half, piled high with treats – a nice alternative to the quantity over quality of other breakfast joints. similarly, a poached egg arrives on a single slice of toast with a quiet ‘whatsup’ of mushrooms on the side – delicious and to the point. for a light saturday morning date, order 2 glasses of champagne, several pastries, a caramelised grapefruit and a pot of black coffee. morsels of the good stuff.

the game

whilst the lunch and dinner menu are great, this tends to be the time of tourists, wealthy families, business men and fashion editors. what you want on a date is to meet for breakfast, as part of a longer day of activities. pick them up in a taxi and alight directly opposite the restaurant. tell them in advance to dress up a little – crisp shirt, fur stole.

coax them into the champagne and talk intelligently on a couple of pre-prepared topics. use up your full 90 minute sitting, then wander to dover street to window shop and end up at the royal academy for an early show. then make your way to the curzon mayfair for a naughty morning film in an empty cinema where anything can happen….

the faults

rien (nothing). it’s classic glamour.

sex factor

2. pre-game my friend.

the old car-show room, bank and nowrestaurantlet you drift in time. does the great gatsby sits next to us?
i had a nice schnitzel in a high cholesterol variation. excellent side-dishes.
definitely worth a visit.

we ventured to the wolseley for breakfast and my first time visiting with my gluten free dietary requirement.

i had notified therestaurantof my dietary requirement in advance however when we arrived i was told that basically the only thing i could have was the cooked breakfast or eggs with gluten free bread.

i went for the cooked breakfast and requested extra bacon as the sausages weren't gluten free (i had to make them aware of this fact) however the full english breakfast was disappointing.  it was delivered to our table warm with a skin over the baked beans.

if you are going to spend £60 for breakfast then i would recommend visiting claridge's for breakfast which is far superior.

the wolseley is good for celeb spotting - we saw ron howard and claudia winkleman when we visited.

the wolseley is absolutely gorgeous, with its high ceilings, imposing columns and large chandeliers. the main room is very large and spacious and definitely reminds one of glamorous 1920s architecture. this is a great place to have breakfast or tea on the weekend. it is elegant but not stuffy and the food is delicious. 

the menu is very classic but the selection they have is quite tasty and well-done. i had poached eggs with salmon and a bowl of fresh fruit; both dishes were perfect, both simple dishes but done very well and made with fresh ingredients. 

i definitely recommend the wolseley, it's an elegantrestaurantwith great service. the waiters are quick and attentive and even through all the grandeur you are still made to feel comfortable.