Few will require an introduction to Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing, head chef at The Berkeley. He’s one of the country’s most revered professionals, who has long stamped out a reputation for near-perfection.
The short video below perfectly capturesMarcus Wareing’s passion for food, 2 minutes of pure food delight
And at The Berkeley (known in a former incarnation as Petrus) Wareing and his team have created a restaurant which critics and inspectors fall over themselves to find superlatives for and accolades to give it.
It looks as you’d expect a high-end dining room in one of the city’s landmark hotels to – decked out in burgundy and white, all crisp linen and manor-house comfort, with attentive and quietly formal service. It’s an undisputable haven for fine dining and the standards that the patrons are expected to follow are as high as those set by the kitchen; smart dress is the order of the day. This is a real destination restaurant rather than a place to come for an informal evening out; people come here for the food, to impress and be impressed.
The menus at The Berkeley take in a number of global influences in the search for fine dining perfection. There are several to choose from, depending on your requirements and budget – with ingredients allusive to the season and matched in intriguing ways. Examples include beef fillet, truffle, baby leeks, radish and parmesan, or blackberry, cobnuts, hyssop, milk and walnut bread; the dishes arrive presented stunningly and packed with surprise.
Venison, chocolate, fig, turnip and Brussels sprouts
Wareing’s recipes for home cookery have been credited with their relative simplicity you’ll see great examples in Great British Chefs collection of beef recipes – allowing food lovers to gain some of the inspiration that drives Wareing; but here, he really shows what he’s capable of.
Find out more about Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley onGreat British Chefs website, where you can also subscribe to Great British Chefs’ bi-monthly newsletter for competitions, recipes and more from Britain’s greatest chefs.