Cut At 45 Park Lane, Mayfair, Restaurant Review

After the hype died down from the launch of Heston Blumenthal’s Dinner, the word went out that American superchef Wolfgang Puck, famous for his lavish chain of Cut steakhouse restaurants, was opening one at the new Dorchester Collection hotel, 45 Park Lane. Given the enormously high reputation that these existing ventures have, in addition to Puck’s extremely high standing, people began to lick their lips and prepare their steak knives in expectation. With early visitors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Tom Ford, it’s already attracted a reputation as a star magnet, and in a city where there are numerous excellent steakhouses it’s certainly got its work cut out (sic) to live up to the hype. So, does it?

Thankfully, the answer is ‘yes, with bells on’. After a slightly shaky opening, in which we were left alone for a few moments too long for comfort without anyone coming to take our orders, this soon settled into a flawlessly timed, paced and constructed experience. Often, a really great meal resembles a night at the theatre in the delicacy and timing with which the various ingredients all slot into place, and that’s undeniably the case here. Before you even start your meal proper, you’re besieged by a variety of top-quality ingredients including excellent bread (including pretzels, presumably a nod to Puck’s Austrian roots) and a Kobe beef ‘slider’ that’s so delicious and mouthwatering that you instantly want another one.

The menu is simple, accessible and primarily aimed towards carnivores. This seems appropriate; it’s unlikely that committed vegetarians are likely to head towards somewhere called ‘Cut’ after all. That said, a couple of starters of scallop carpaccio with wasabi and a crab and lobster ‘Louise’ salad offer big flavours with confidence and flair, and not a piece of red meat in sight. That said, you’ll probably already have seen your pound of flesh as the waiters make great play of bringing the various cuts of meat to the table for your inspection and edification. If you’re excited by what you see, you’re in for a considerable treat.

Out of a desire to try as much as possible in reasonable-sized quantities, we ordered a ‘tasting of New York sirloin’, which was three small pieces of US Black Angus, Devon Angus and Australian Wagyu. They all tasted subtly but interestingly different, especially when paired with sauces that include Chimichurri and Bearnaise. Cooked to perfection, they were more than enough to satisfy the bloodiest of meat-eaters. For those not quite so enamoured of cow, the grilled Iberico pork chop is very nearly on a par with that at Dinner, offering a rich and complex flavour. Side orders of perfect skin-on chips and creamed spinach topped with a fried egg were exquisite, and the whole shebang was beautifully complimented with a lovely 2005 Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, expertly chosen by Vanessa, the friendly and decidedly expert sommelier.

Desserts are splendid – a banana toffee cake was a superb mix of banana, toffee and cream – and is highly recommended for those with gargantuan appetites. If you want things to quibble about, the prices are high, even by London standards, the soft rock soundtrack feels a bit incongruous (though it at least means that it feels nothing like the majority of most hotel restaurants) and the service, though never less than charming, is occasionally slightly haphazard, though this will surely be ironed out soon. Though the best line of the night went to one of our charming waiters, when someone else accidentally brought over a side order of carrots as we were eating dessert. Deadpan, he looked at us and said ‘Can I get you some more chips at all?’ He’ll go far, as will this place – definitely a cut above. (Alexander Larman)

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