Patterson's, a new restaurant in London's West End
9 Jan 2004 by JR
Mill Street, which runs north from Conduit Street to
Maddox Street, is quiet and unprepossessing. The recently opened
Patterson's restaurant is on the left as you walk up, next to an
equally unprepossessing barbers' shop and below the blue, rather
old-fashioned neon sign for The Georgian Club.
Patterson's
interior is far more striking: white walls and table linen; plenty of
glass and, consequently, natural light and a reasonable amount of space
between the tables leading to acoustics better than in most modern
restaurants.
The food and service are equally impressive. Raymond Patterson was the
chef at the Garrick Club for ten years before finding his independence
here where he is ably assisted by his wife, Maria, in the evening; his
daughters Hannah and Lucy at the weekend; and his elder son, Tom, who
begins his working day at 6am baking bread before putting on a suit and
transforming, Superman-like, into the restaurant manager.
The menu reflects Patterson's classical training and native pride in
the best Scottish ingredients. Dishes in the evening include roast
scallops and cauliflower puree; venison with poached pear and celeriac
rosti; sea bass with mussels, cockles and clams; tournedos Rossini and
Dover sole with a champagne sauce.
And although Patterson provides a more-than-satisfactory rendition of
the set price lunch (an inescapable fact of restaurant life today)
which included a warming lentil soup and a cleanly filleted and rebuilt
whole red mullet, the surprise on the menu - well, for oyster lovers
anyway - is the £12 oyster menu.
This comprises ten Rossmore pacific oysters, a plate of five different
farmhouse cheeses from the renowned Patricia Michaelson's La Fromagerie
and coffee. With a glass of Brocard's flinty Chablis, this is
unquestionably as close as you can get to a wholly natural lunch in the
centre of London.
Patterson's,
4 Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2AX, 020-7499 1308. Open seven days.
Lunch £16 three courses, dinner £35 three courses.