THE SQUARE RESTAURANT
LONDON
http://www.squarerestaurant.com/
I was very privileged to eat at The Square many years ago when it was on the corner of Hanover Square in what looked like the ground floor of an office block.
There is no restaurant there now but at the time it felt very ‘Manhattan’ to eat in a styled venue but we had wonderful food, with an impressive wine and a stylish St James international cliental.
We followed it to a couple of other venues until it nested permanently into the exclusive Bruton St address and it became more business like.
Gone were the short lace shirts, high metal stiletto heels, low cut black lace and red painted nails and in came a more understated Armani, Zegna clad group with intelligent conversation, with a reason to be there other than some hedonistic desire to eat.
Partially out of fondness, and partially because I had truffles with me in Bond Street on a brisk cool winters day I opened the door and slipped into The Square to see the chef.
“Hello” said a very nice young lady who thought I was probably a customer coming into book as it was far to early for lunch and as I explained the reason for the visit her expression turned to pain.
“He’s not here,” she explained after we negotiated she check the kitchen.
The contemporary simple sophisticated interior looked better without the ‘grey suits’ cluttering up the place- save one person cleaning some glasses- as the restaurant has become more of a public ‘board room’ in later years.
These kinds of interiors didn’t cater to wannabes, ‘look at me’ types but rather negotiated equals who want to secure an alliance out of the office, with style, over great food and wine.
“Here is the business card for Head Chef Gary Foulkes” which I took, studied and was grateful to receive and left.
Bruton St is a common artery between Bond St and Berkeley Square, which I often found myself on cutting from one part of Mayfair to the next.
Any chance of exchanging words with the charming manager Charles Peto is another good reason for visiting as he’s usually a lot more interesting, informed and opinionated than many of the guests-shame he cannot take a seat at my table.
I would like to adopt Charles into my family as a new relative, and would willingly remove someone and create a position for him, all in time for Christmas.
Then I begun to wonder what a fine dinning experience really was…. a dream? A rainbow of sensory intensity? Which we kept on trying to recapture?
It was a wonder past customers weren’t hanging around outside the door literally pressing their noses onto the windows to glimpse those enjoying delicious rare delicate morsels.
Was fine dining the zenith of mans experience or was that between the sheets? Perhaps it was easier to attain than other pleasures if you could afford it?
The Square restaurant and team are serious about food for people who are serious about eating.
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