MAZE GRILL

Maze Grill by Gordon Ramsay in Mayfair was the first of the three Maze Grills to open (the other two are on Royal Hospital Road and Park Road) and sits adjacent to Maze, the original fine dining establishment that bears the word ‘Maze’ in its name. Whereas Maze offers an eclectic European menu with an Asian twist in a more formal setting, Maze Grill took its inspiration from the Manhattan grill rooms where steaks are the order of the day. Maze Grill is the kind of place where select US and British cuts of aged prime steaks are brought out on a board for customers to choose from. But also prevalent at the restaurant is a range of sushi and sashimi. On Saturday afternoons, Maze Grill Mayfair offers a bottomless bubbles and sushi menu for £40.

We visited Maze Grill on a Sunday afternoon, during which time the ever popular Sunday Roast is served. For £25, diners can have a 35 day dry aged sirloin beef with slow braised shin of beef, Yorkshire pudding, rich bone marrow gravy and unlimited sides such as buttered carrots, honey glazed parsnips and wagyu fat roast potatoes.

But before tucking into the Sunday roast we decided to try a number of starters. Salt and Szechuan pepper squid (£5) with chilli and lime was fairly tasty with a crispy coating. Deep fried onion rings (£4.50) were fat and big and nicely done. Also pleasant (and also deep fried) were the buffalo chicken fillets (£5). These were crunchy and well made, but at £5 for a few measly pieces, this plate felt a tad overpriced.

Moving onto the Sunday roast – the flavour of the sirloin was good. It came out medium pink and was very tender. The slow cooked shin was soft and rich, and the gravy was well made. What let the Sunday roast down was that it was all a little bit cold.

I liked the sides and the fact that these were bottomless. The mushrooms had been nicely sautéed and were well-seasoned, the carrots were well cooked with lots of butter and still had a bite to them. But what disappointed were the wagyu fat roast potatoes. What promised so much, actually delivered very little. Precooked and reheated, the potatoes weren’t crispy and had lost their lustre.

We shared two desserts, both of which were a let-down. Monkey bread (£12 for two to share), effectively a cinnamon roll with pecans and vanilla ice cream looked good, but tasted bitter as the caramel sauce was burnt. Blackberry and brown sugar Eton mess (£6) didn’t look particularly appetising. The meringue was a little soft and the blackberry coulis running through the dessert tasted odd. In truth it tasted a mess.

Maze Grill is a beautiful restaurant, expensive looking and spaciously appointed. It’s also in a fabulous location in the heart of Mayfair. Service wise, I liked our waitress who took fairly good care of us and was rather accommodating. But the food is pretty much run-of-the-mill type stuff. The starters were tasty, but unexciting. The sirloin Sunday roast was yummy but cold, and even though the sides were nice on the whole, the roast potatoes were rather drab. And I didn’t think much of the desserts.

Admittedly we didn’t try the prime cuts of steaks, but Maze Grill feels like a standardised Gordon Ramsay brasserie outlet – beautiful setting, reasonable service and reasonably tasty if unremarkable food.

SUMMARY INFORMATION:
Likes:
1) The beautiful decor.
2) The £25 Sunday roast with unlimited sides wasn’t bad value.

Dislikes:
1) The disappointing wagyu fat roast potatoes.
2) The desserts.

Food rating: 3.5/5
Service rating: 3.5/5
Prices: £25 for the Sunday roast, excluding drinks and service.

Website: https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/maze-grill-mayfair/

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