Located in the former Reuters building in Fleet Street, Lutyens includes a large bar on Fleet Street with a charcuterie counter, 130 seat restaurant, crustacea and sushi bar, members club and 4 private dining and meeting rooms.
Lutyens Restaurant
French Restaurant in The City
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Opening Times
| Monday |
Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:30 - Closes 22:00 |
| Tuesday |
Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:30 - Closes 22:00 |
| Wednesday |
Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:30 - Closes 22:00 |
| Thursday |
Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:30 - Closes 22:00 |
| Friday |
Open 12:00 - Closes 15:00 Open 17:30 - Closes 22:00 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
All In London Review
Lutyens stands out like a shining beacon because of its exceptional staff
To start with, I was perplexed at its location. I know Fleet Street extremely well – spending a lot of my working life in the area. Yet I couldn’t recall ever seeing it. But lucky I have my new iphone with GPS. I was only slightly embarrassed to find that I was standing right opposite it (the former Reuters building) when I was just outside Boots – near the Ludgate Hill end. Discrete.
Anyway. Even before you enter that imposing grey stone entrance (peering at the relatively small sign that tells you that you are in the right place) you are greeted with genuine warmth by a rotund commissionaire chap who can’t fail to make you smile. In a flash you are guided from one highly professional and smartly uniformed member of staff (think of almost twee little shift dresses for the women and couture suits or smart black French aprons for the men) to another until you pass through a bar area (apparently they do a good breakfast) and into the main restaurant. You can’t fail to notice the large colourful and fragrant display of flowers in the side windows of a lobby. So far, so good. I feel welcomed and looked after. And almost in Paris.
The interior has Conran stamped all over it. Not literally. It’s just that upmarket Art Deco canteeny feel (and relatively high ambient noise) that is reminiscent of Quaglinos – but on a much smaller scale both in ceiling height and in the number of covers. The walls are a calming pale duck egg blue and there are tiny (French, one assumes) pictures on the walls. And a nod to Eastern culture with the occasional grid hidden in the décor that reminds me of paper doors in Japan. The pipework is exposed but decorated. And the high octane kitchen staff are on display for all to see. Another Conran trade mark – a fresh fish and shell fish counter – is also visible. The occasional standard lamp makes it feel homely (a very tidy and minimalist home admittedly).
Tap water appeared as if by magic. We ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (very nice – I admit to taking another shortly after) and a glass of Fleurie (no complaints from my companion). Armed with menus, I could see from the corner of my eye that the waiting staff were attentive but not pushy – reading the situation carefully to see signs of when we were ready to ask questions or order. But not pestering or rushing us. I felt appropriately looked after.
The chef here “combines simple French cooking with his own energetic Irish personality”. And whilst I kept trying to remember what I knew about Lutyens (I was scrabbling around in furniture design section of my brain) on my way to the loos I saw all the downstairs private dining rooms with plan etchings – named after famous buildings – and after enquiry learned that Sir Edwin Lutyens was a top architect during the first part of the 20th Century. Close. Worth noting is that the downstairs Cellar Rooms are open to everybody throughout July and August and then become part of a private members club.
Feeling like I wanted something plain and light and knowing that Conran excels at fish I ordered dressed crab (£15) to start. Shellfish perfection – beautifully prepared and presented, a little garnish of rocket and a side pot of what I think was mayonnaise. Chilled but not so cold that the flavour was lost. And there really was a lot of crab there – a really good portion size. My companion choose feuillete of quail eggs (£8.50) – a sort of savoury flaky pastry on which there were three little eggs and a healthy smothering of hollandaise sauce. Apparently, it is quite a feat to get the eggs cooked to the right degree and the sauce at the right temperature – so full marks there. I must admit that when I saw the artichoke vinaigrette (£8) delivered to a neighbouring table I wished that I could have sampled more starters here.
For my main course I ordered Skate with shrimps (£16.50) which also had cooked cucumber on it – my ex-chef expert said that it was cooked well. I found it a little watery. And was envious of his choice – Roast rabbit, bacon and mustard (£13.50) which was delicious. We had ordered a portion of mixed vegetables (£4.50) which had only four tiny roast potatoes, some greenery and some of the finest looking carrots you could ever expect to see. Bet the rabbit was sad he couldn’t enjoy them.
I don’t usually do dessert but was tempted by the Saint Emilion au chocolat (£6.50) which was magnificent but sadly contained amaretto biscuits so I couldn’t eat more than a taste. So I was allocated my companion’s crème brulee (£5) which was, as it should be, crisp on the top and soft, warm and liquid in the centre. Coffees were good too – and the petits fours.
I was there at lunch time – on a Friday. And the place was almost full. And with almost exclusively business (suited) folk. Well, if you have an expense account this would be a very good choice of establishment in which to flaunt it. And it wasn’t particularly pricey (our total bill came to £117.84 which included a service charge of £13).
The décor is pleasant and the food is pretty good. But what makes Lutyens stand out like a shining beacon at the edge of the City is the exceptional staff. Observant, attentive and friendly but not pushy. Genuinely polite and not obsequious. A warming experience. And that private members club may be worth considering too – the Cellar Rooms were stunning.
Reviewed by KimT
Published on Aug 7, 2009
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