It had been three years since I had eaten at Marcus, and since then the grand luxe Berkeley hotel has had a bit of a make-over to its main entrance and foyer areas, making it look a bit more contemporary, and the hotel continues to attract A-listers to this Knightsbridge haven: last time I went Diana Ross was in reception, this time Roger Federer was just leaving, with his racket bag over his shoulder.

Post make-over, though, to get into Marcus, one still has to walk through a cramped tea lounge, full of people having light lunches, or, later, afternoon teas. This is a strange inconvenience, that negatively affects Marcus further, because loud chatter permeates into the otherwise calm dining room.  Said dining room is somewhat underwhelming, but it is mightily enhanced by a colourful and vibrant pop art

painting of Jackie Kennedy, which I was told was by Andy Warhol, hung in an adjoining room which looked as if it could be curtained off to provide a private dining space.  I was seated at a large oval table, facing into the dining room, so I could watch the comings and goings of the many front of house staff. They all wore similar clothes, but they looked a little scruffy and would definitely look better of they all wore the same colour of suits, and better fitted.  The Maitre d’ offered me a newspaper to read, which I thought was a very nice touch, given that I was dining alone, so I was without conversation between courses. A waiter welcomed me to Marcus, then said, “actually, it’s welcome back, isn’t it sir”, which was very much appreciated.

I declined an aperitif but asked for “lightly sparkling water” and was delighted to be offered Badoit. Then came an Amuse of foie gras puree on a small silver spoon, with a few tasty additions which I can’t recall, but it tasted great. 9/10
I chose to go for the 5 course Taste of Autumn menu at £49, and the accompanying Somelier’s selection of wines at £38. A Prestige selection of wines was also available at £49.  The menu was left at the table, to refer to each course and the wines as they arrived. So civilised. I love it when restaurants do this, because although the waiters always describe what they’re placing in front of you, I find things easier to understand and appreciate, when they’re written down.

A basket of fresh warm bread slices was delivered with Irish butter. The fennel seeds in it came through and ate well with the first two courses.

My starter was described as ‘Poached sea trout, trattolino pepper, buttermilk’. The (wild) trout was a beautiful piece of orange red fish, which appeared to have been cured rather than poached. I loved it. The buttermilk puree added a nice tang, but I couldn’t see a reason for the pepper being there, as I didn’t detect any flavour. The accompanying French Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and herby and balanced the oily fish nicely. 8/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up was ‘Salt baked celeriac, hazelnut, truffle’ and the wine was Ribeiro Godello 2015 from Galicia. This was a wonderfully comforting dish with warm autumnal flavours. The wine had a good balance of minerality and fruit. The dish’s tasted hazelnuts added a great flavour and texture to the soft celeriac. 8/10

The fish course was ‘Cod, sweetcorn, clam’ with perfectly cooked cod, beautifully plump clams, and 3 1cm cubes of ‘chips’ which really packed in the flavour of well fried fluffy potatoes. This was a very good contemporary twist on the British classic of ‘fish and chips’. I continued with the Spanish white, as no new wine was offered with this course. 8/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main course was ‘Chargrilled Cumbrian veal neck, Cornish beetroot, Lautrec garlic’. I hadn’t eaten veal neck before, and I was apprehensive that it would be tough and fatty. But while yes it did have a bit of fat on it, the meat itself was wonderfully soft and tender, and with the extra flavour from the charring, I would say this was among the most enjoyable pieces of veal I have ever had. The garlic puree had a good kick to it, but I did miss the lack of potato on the plate. 9/10
The Barbera d’Asti 2015 was pleasant, but a little high in tannins.

I declined the offer of a cheese course at £15.

My dessert was ‘Apple Tarte Tatin, salted caramel ice-cream and clotted cream’ which came as a larger portion size than the other dishes. I found the pastry slightly underdone, but overall the dish was delicious. 8.5/10

The dessert wine, a French Chenin Blanc with Botrytis, was pleasant, but not as sweet and unctuous as my preferred dessert wines.

The final dish on the menu was ‘Nutmeg and custard’ but it didn’t turn up for a while. Assuming it was to be an accompaniment to coffee, I ordered a double espresso, but I had drunk that still long before the cube of custard tart arrived, which perplexed me. My coffee left a dusty taste in the mouth, which was disappointing, especially as it cost £5.  But the custard tart was excellent; the set custard was so light and smooth and the grated nutmeg tasted really fresh. 10/10

OVERALL this was a competently cooked meal which was appropriate for the season. Everything had good flavour, but an overall rating of 8.5/10 is simply because nothing had the ‘wow factor’, which I had hoped for in a 2 star Michelin restaurant.  Portion size was adequate, though the glasses of wine on the wine flight are not very generous.
Service was good, but, as I often find, it slowed down too much after the main course. I was at the table for 2 hours, which, while being quite relaxing for a couple, is a little long for a single diner to endure at lunchtime.