Tuttons, Covent Garden – Review

After my recent visit, this is probably my favourite restaurant in Covent Garden and by quite some way. Tuttons specialises in classic English food and does it very well. Recently been refurbished and can be found on the east-side of Covent Garden`s famous Piazza, therefore placing it smack-bang in the epicentre of London life. On the same day as our visit to Tuttons, we dropped into other local establishments and were really disappointed by their service and quality. Thankfully, this restaurant bucked that trend.

We found the new décor, designed by interior designer Russell Sage, to be classy and fun; we enjoyed the dark wood setting and traditional red seating booths, it felt really comfortable. But for me, the most enjoyable part of the new aesthetic is the collection of London art dotted around, in particular the sketches of day-to – day scenes – they were really reminiscent of pieces by Cruikshank and James Gillray, lovely. But you don`t have to sit inside; there is a lovely al fresco dining area, which made for a perfect seating area for us, especially on a day that was pushing 28 degrees.

The menu is a strong collection of classic British dishes; for example Gressingham duck, Rock Oysters, Braxton Manor Lamb and belly of pork.

To begin with we plumped for the warm roast Gressingham duck salad, with golden girolles, broad beans & pomegranate. The sweetness of the pomegranate really complimented the duck well and made for a well-balanced dish. Unfortunately, I didn`t order this, as I would have really loved my own portion. I tried the Tuttons cured salmon, with fennel, salmon caviar, horseradish & dill créme fraéche. Although, the salmon was wonderful as an individual component and the salmon caviar added a lovely little ensemble to the flavour, I did feel that the fennel over powered the subtle fish flavours, which was a bit of a shame.

For my main I went for the special of pan fried Dorset sole with a tomato, lemon and butter sauce, with sautéed potatoes. This was utterly gorgeous and the sole melted in the mouth. As you would expect, the butter and lemon made for a great partnership, which was only improved by the addition of sun blushed tomato. My guest and I both decided that this was the dish of the day – beautiful. If they were to offer this again, I would love to try this a second time! The fish also worked well with the house white, a Chenin Blanc Torrontes, Argentina 2011 (£16.95). To accompany your dish I would recommend the leek and cauliflower cheese or the green beans with garlic, as both were fabulous.

For desert we tried a few of the deserts and two stuck out in our minds; firstly, the Kentish Raspberry Cheesecake with biscuit crumb and the decadent Dark & White Chocolate Brownie chocolate sauce & Dorset clotted cream. I should begin by saying that the cheesecake is open and forms a rather interesting offering, albeit a tasty one. Somehow, it runs the boundary between looking a bit messy and looking rustically delectable, but I have to say it comes down on the side of the latter. Have a look at it below. The silky raspberry works really well with the biscuit crumb and makes for the ideal summer desert. For those who are more chocolate inclined, the chocolate brownie is a hearty journey through cocoa and leaves you feeling very satisfied, if not a little greedy.

We would like to thank the staff for being especially helpful and attentive – they really did do their best to take care of us, and from what we could see, everyone else around us. For example, it was a very busy day, so when we asked to move outside to enjoy desert we didn`t expect this to happen, but thanks to good organisation and swift movement, a table outside was prepared and we could enjoy the sun. Our waitress was also fantastic and really made the effort to make all of the customers at ease.

To make your booking please click here: http://www.tuttons.com/