A short one today.
Wiltons has been around forever - it’s quite close to my office in London, and I’ve walked past many times. The reason why I’ve never gone until now is that they’ve always rejected me at the door. You see, in accordance with its classic British tradition, they have a very strict dress code - highlighted by a rack of ties at the door, and I’m always under it.
Tradition is the name of the game at Wiltons, which prides itself as being the oldest restaurant in London. It first opened as a oyster stall close to Haymarket in 1742 by one George William Wilton, and eventually moved into a permanent restaurant and ownership was passed down over successive generations of the Wilton family. In 1868, it received the first of six Royal Warrants. It managed to survive the first and second world wars, and they moved to their current location at 55 Jermyn Street in 1984.
Over the years, a variety of chefs have come and gone, but the current head Chef, Daniel Kent has been running the kitchen at Wiltons since 2011. In keeping with British tradition, there have been very few changes to the menu over the years, and Chef Daniel prides his restaurant on highlighting the best of British seafood with classical British recipes.
The decor is quintessentially British, with patterned wallpaper, velvet seating and oil paintings all over the walls. All six royal warrants are prominently displayed on the wall when you walk in.
The plates highlight the restaurant’s 275th anniversary in 2017.
Going a bit lighter on the drinks after a weekend of debauchery, I went with a French 75, a gin-based cocktail with champagne dating back to the 1st world war. The kick of the gin reminded soldiers of the French 75mm howitzer, earning the iconic drink its name.
Arriving on a dreary day of typically January London weather, I warmed up with the soup, a Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke with Perigold Truffle. Everything I wanted on a cold day - rich, thick, warm with strong truffle flavour throughout.
Next, one of the signature dishes at Wiltons, the Twice-Baked Stilton Souffle. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and perfectly cooked, in a rich sauce of stilton and parmesan cheese with nearly a whole stick of butter and a liberal sprinkling of chives. The souffle was more of a delivery mechanism for the sharp, cheesy sauce. I can see why it’s one of the signature dishes, and it’s full of artery clogging flavour.
One of my favourite British seafood dishes, the Dover Sole meuniere, served off the bone because I’m lazy, and slathered in melted butter. Simple and delicious.
All this richness was extremely filling, and for a side, I wanted a bit of acid. I went with the winter tomato salad, with lilliput capers and spring onions. A hit of sour, salt from the capers and very refreshing to the palate.
I wanted to keep it relatively light tonight, so I decided to skip on dessert and head back for an early night.
Overall, I quite liked Wiltons. I didn’t like the dress code, but I preferred the food over other famous Mayfair seafood haunts like Bentleys or Scott’s. This is a definite return for me, upending the others and rising to the top of my “Mayfair Oyster House” list.
Total Damage: 150 GBP/head