Tuttons, Covent Garden
Classic British cuisine in a beautiful setting - yes please.
Review
Itchy couldn’t wait to sample the delights of recently re-opened Tuttons in Covent
Garden, especially after finding out that our parents used to go there
while “courting” as a “special treat” – aw.
The restaurant has a Parisian bistro in the 1920’s feel, with beautiful booths, ornate lights and lots of mirrors. There seemed to be all sorts of clientele, from the “first date” couple to the “Ooh we’re in London” group of tourists. Itchy settled at a window table, slightly envious of those in booths, and got down to business: what did this classic British restaurant have to offer?
It was clear from our first glance at the menu that this is a restaurant for meat eaters – steaks, burger and pork were prominent. There are fish dishes, along with salads, but it seems that the emphasis is on good, juicy meat. No problems there for us, but you may want to bear this in mind if your other half/visiting relative/boss is a veggie.
We were also pretty excited by the extensive wine list, complete with the following key at the bottom: “Wines marked with [T] are Tuttons favourites for quality at their level. The grapes in wines marked with a [B] are played Baroque music 24/7.” Naturally we went for a wine marked with both [T] and [B], as we are also big fans of the harpsichord.
As we had picked up on the meaty vibe, we opted for a burger AND a steak. And we weren’t disappointed. The burger was Itchy’s idea of heaven. It came with this amazing relish that we just wanted to bottle up and sneak into our handbag/manbag (but in the end we just ate it all and licked the little bowl...) The steak came rare, as requested (although the picky steak eaters among you may have considered it to be slightly more medium-rare – all was forgiven as soon as we dipped a chip into the delicious peppercorn sauce), with a side salad and perfect chips.
Actually, a few more words about the chips: If you’re addicted to McDonalds chips but can’t bring yourself to be caught with them, go to Tuttons. Their chips have the same perfect skinny shape with soft inside and firm outside, but come in a metal serving pot, not a paper packet. Win.
We left just enough room for dessert and managed to greedily devour a chocolate brownie and sticky toffee pudding. We had no regrets. The brownie was moist, chocolate-y and drowning in lovely chocolate sauce. The pudding was EXTREMELY flavoursome, but not so filling that we felt like we’d overdone it.
Itchy highly recommends Tuttons if you fancy an upmarket meal in a lovely place - they have a gorgeous outdoor terrace as well as indoor seating. If you want to sample their delights without breaking the bank, they have a pre-theatre menu, offering 2 courses for £13.95 from 12-6pm... ideal for a late lunch or early dinner treat. (And if that wasn't enough, we noticed that the brownie is available in this offer. YES.)
The restaurant has a Parisian bistro in the 1920’s feel, with beautiful booths, ornate lights and lots of mirrors. There seemed to be all sorts of clientele, from the “first date” couple to the “Ooh we’re in London” group of tourists. Itchy settled at a window table, slightly envious of those in booths, and got down to business: what did this classic British restaurant have to offer?
It was clear from our first glance at the menu that this is a restaurant for meat eaters – steaks, burger and pork were prominent. There are fish dishes, along with salads, but it seems that the emphasis is on good, juicy meat. No problems there for us, but you may want to bear this in mind if your other half/visiting relative/boss is a veggie.
We were also pretty excited by the extensive wine list, complete with the following key at the bottom: “Wines marked with [T] are Tuttons favourites for quality at their level. The grapes in wines marked with a [B] are played Baroque music 24/7.” Naturally we went for a wine marked with both [T] and [B], as we are also big fans of the harpsichord.
As we had picked up on the meaty vibe, we opted for a burger AND a steak. And we weren’t disappointed. The burger was Itchy’s idea of heaven. It came with this amazing relish that we just wanted to bottle up and sneak into our handbag/manbag (but in the end we just ate it all and licked the little bowl...) The steak came rare, as requested (although the picky steak eaters among you may have considered it to be slightly more medium-rare – all was forgiven as soon as we dipped a chip into the delicious peppercorn sauce), with a side salad and perfect chips.
Actually, a few more words about the chips: If you’re addicted to McDonalds chips but can’t bring yourself to be caught with them, go to Tuttons. Their chips have the same perfect skinny shape with soft inside and firm outside, but come in a metal serving pot, not a paper packet. Win.
We left just enough room for dessert and managed to greedily devour a chocolate brownie and sticky toffee pudding. We had no regrets. The brownie was moist, chocolate-y and drowning in lovely chocolate sauce. The pudding was EXTREMELY flavoursome, but not so filling that we felt like we’d overdone it.
Itchy highly recommends Tuttons if you fancy an upmarket meal in a lovely place - they have a gorgeous outdoor terrace as well as indoor seating. If you want to sample their delights without breaking the bank, they have a pre-theatre menu, offering 2 courses for £13.95 from 12-6pm... ideal for a late lunch or early dinner treat. (And if that wasn't enough, we noticed that the brownie is available in this offer. YES.)
