Boyds Grill & Wine Bar - Charing Cross, London

Boyds has always been one of our go-to recommendations for members who want to enjoy a grand setting whilst eating excellent food that's reasonably priced, but in a restaurant scene as dynamic as London, even that's often not enough to keep you in the limelight. Boyds took the cue and has revamped their elegant dining room, taking care to retain its marble-rich Victorian grandeur whilst streamlining it with a contemporary design. The new layout offers a simpler, more egalitarian approach to the room - guests may sit wherever they like, whether it's the brand new Kitchen Bar; luxurious sofas in the Lounge; at a white-clothed table in the Dining Room; or pitching up at the central bar - and enjoy the same dishes. In short, rigid formality is strictly off the menu. 

Whilst we're on the subject of menus, executive chef Nate Brewster has taken pains to put together his, utilising international techniques on artisanal produce that is seasonal and profoundly local - the entirety of it is grown or reared within 100 miles of the restaurant. On a Wednesday night there was a classy, sophisticated crowd and jazz music playing over the speakers. They seemed to really like the place, as many of them were still enjoying food and drinks when we left. 

Upon arriving at the table we were immediately proffered a cold flute of champagne, which couldn't be more welcome, and perhaps a bit indulgent as we perused the drinks menu, which had cherry-picked a promising array of wines from across the globe. From this we selected a Lossterrassen Weingut Gruner Weltliner from Austria that mated brilliantly with beer-battered fish and shellfish goujons, cutting through the crisp fried carapace and the curried hollandaise with equal voracity. It was also an enlightened pairing with the Sipsmith gin cured salmon with daikon and buttermilk sorbet. 

Our mains matched the promise of our starters. There's a large section of meats that are cooked on Boyds' Synergy grill, which can run at incredibly high heats. This was handy when preparing a Sussex Wagyu ribeye, the fat folding luxuriantly into the muscle. We also enjoyed a Barnsley chop of Anglesey lamb which was matched with a fantastic Croatian red. All of the meat was served on a hefty chopping board. On the side we enjoyed triple cooked sweet potato chips, parmesan fries, and a symbolic gesture of seasonal vegetables. 

Dessert, however, very well may have been our favourite course. We were taken for a 'bar experience' by our waiter Fabien, who insisted we do an ice cream / sorbet tasting. He commenced the occasion by offering us a meringue frozen with nitrous oxide as a palette cleanser. There were around fifteen flavours at the bar, ranging from chilli mango to chocolate fudge brownie to Thai green curry and smoky bacon, with a raft of pick 'n mix treats for garnishes, including chocolate chips, popcorn and sprinkles. 

We were very impressed with our visit to Boyds, which flew in the face of the maxim that you can't teach old dogs new tricks. We're very happy to reintroduce our members to the new and improved restaurant.