Type of cuisine: Modern French
Nearest station: Oxford Circus or Bond Street
Prices:
- A la carte – £95 for three courses
- Set lunch – £55 for three courses or £80 for six courses
Who to take here:
A meal at Square is not to be taken lightly. This was definitely one of more formal Michelin starred dining experiences I’ve had. The dining room, as it happens, is square in shape which in turn means all the diners can see and hear each other and if you think you can get away with your loud banterous chat or giggling, you are mistaken. Most of the diners were eating with such attention and passion that they weren’t even speaking!
Who to take here:
Someone who loves food and will enjoy the Michelin standard dishes instead of looking to get drunk and have a laugh.
Service:
- Speed – The lunch time meal can be served within an hour but since we weren’t in a rush, our three course meal took about 2 hours. We had about 15-20 minutes between each course and they brought us amuse bouche and petit fours and other canapes between courses.
- Staff – Very professional from pulling out our chairs to bringing us extra canapes and folding our napkins when we went to the toilet, the service was really one of the most polished I’ve seen.
The food:
- Taste – 4.5*. I couldn’t really fault the dishes.
- Portion sizes – 2.5*. The dishes are quite small in size, so a main course alone is most likely to be insufficient.
- Presentation – 4.5*. The dishes, even the simplest ones, looked like works of art.
- Creativity – 4*. The dishes showed a lot of imagination in taste and presentation.
What I recommend trying:
- Velouté of Trout with Smoked Eel on Toast, Oscietra Caviar and Kombu – A creamy, luscious velouté of pea, watercress and trout, topped off with a creme fraiche souffle and served with a side of smoked eek on toast. A really original combination of eel and trout and very delicate.
Veloute of Trout with Smoked Eel on Toast, Oscietra Caviar, Kombu - Roast Duck with Candied Orange and Cherry, Kale, Fois Gras and Potato Dauphinoise – The roast duck was perfectly cooked- pink and succulent and the delicate towers of potato discs filled with fois gras were exquisite and complemented beautifully by the glazed cherries and candied orange.
Roast Duck with Candied Orange, Cherry, Kale, Fois Gras, Potato Dauphinoise - Chicken with Corn and Girolles – An impressive twist on a simple dish of chicken cordon bleau served with sweet corn puree and an earthy reduction made of girolles and balsamic and topped with fresh sweetcorn and pan fried girolle and porcini mushrooms.
Some of the other dishes that I enjoyed a lot but that didn’t make it to my recommendations are listed below.
Value for money – 4*
If you go for the set menu, you really are getting to try masterpieces produced using harmonious and classical French flavours and with service that’ll make you feel like royalty. Hence, definitely value for money in my opinion.
Truffle and Toast 