It was one of those Friday nights when I was getting together with a fellow foodie, so I knew there was bound to be food, alot of it, banter, jokes and some more food!
As per Friday night routine, we headed down to Mayfair and decided to go to CUT at 45 Park Lane. For those of you that are not aware, CUT,located almost opposite The Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, is part of The Dorchester Collection and celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck’s first restaurant in Europe, following the success of CUT in Beverley Hills, USA. As the name might suggest (or not), CUT is known for its steaks and rare cuts of meat. The Dorchester Hotel being owned by the Brunei royal family, you would expect for it to be halal which is amazing! A good quality halal steak in London is hard to find and once found, share the secret tenfold! However, never assume as there are only specific dishes on the menu that are halal and surprisingly, this does not include the chicken. (I will detail later on in this post what is halal and what is not)
The ambiance of the restaurant is cool yet very romantic – the large curtains draped from floor to ceiling give off a boudoir-like vibe and it really fits in well with the dim lighting and sofa’d seating on one part of the restaurant and the more formal tables on the other. The mirrors elongated the already long room and the beautiful chandeliers sparkled as though it was the Queen’s birthday and added to the overall grandeur of the restaurant.
(Please note, this is not my photograph – but the rest all are!)
Now, I need to put a disclaimer here, unless you and your other half are rolling in the £50s or you have just hit the jackpot on the Lotto, better leave CUT for a special occasion, unlike the rare specimen that my friends and I are, who headed down to CUT to celebrate the fact that it was a Friday and we were alive! (A good enough occasion as any I guess) Luckily, it was just after payday so I left my “shocked face” of my card getting declined at home!
CUT is not exactly cheap but what you are really paying for is the quality of the foods, and well, you are at one of the most prestigious places in London so you would not expect it to be any different – after all, the dark blue Park Lane is the most expensive on the Monopoly board for a reason. Things don’t come cheap even in the make-belief world of a board game!
We had asked for halal meat when we made the booking and would always advise you to do the same and we were advised that not everything on the menu is halal. Please note, the Chicken is NOT halal at CUT, and only certain steaks are halal.
I knew I wanted to try the steak as CUT is famous for them so wanted and some even claim that their steaks are the best in London, so I had to try it out for myself. When we arrived, our waitress advised us of what was halal and what was not. She went through the menu with us and told us what dishes had alcohol in them, and took the wine menus away. I love it when the waiters are so prepared and understanding about our religious needs, and really put me at ease.I have to add here that our waitress, Francesca’s service was something else altogether. She was attentive, left us to it when we wanted and even offered to charge our phone for us and take photos! 10 out of 10 for service!
Another waiter came over to explain all the different types of meats and cuts, which was great because a lot of restaurants just presume that their clients will know the different between a rump steak and a fillet mignon! I for one do not and this was brilliant and so visual, I can’t really explain how he did this so I did what I know best… Took a photo of it!
A charming young French man, our waiter explained the different types of steaks and cuts and told us what his personal preferences were too. He advised that the only halal steak on the menu was the Australian Wagyu Beef.
Now we were both starving so we went for a few starters, steak and dessert, because go big or go home!
We started with the Big Eye Tuna Tartare with Wasabi Aoili, Ginger, Tagorashi Crisps and Tosa Soy.
This dish was amazing! The tuna had a sashimi-like texture and was so smooth and full of flavour. The tuna was so finely cut that it almost melted away in your mouth. The tuna was of good quality and the seasoning was accurate. The tuna was topped with an avacado paste which complimented the strong taste of the tuna tartare well. Not a fan of wasabi, but try everything once is my motto in life, not learning from any of my previous encounters with wasabi, I took a small dollop of the wasabi with a bitefun of tuna and, low and behold, I felt the pain shoot right up my nose so fast it almost made me cry and choke all in one go. Word of advice – chill out on the wasabi!
The Tagorashi Crisps that came with the Tuna Tartare were deliciously light yet somewhat a little chilli, really working well with the blandness of the avacado and the flavouring of the tuna.
The next starter was the Dorset Crab and Lobster “Louis” with Spicy Tomato Horseradish. Now any dish that says Louis in it and I’m sold! But I enquired a little more about this and the waiter very charmingly described it as a posh prawn cocktail.
Paying £25 for a prawn cocktail as a starter might seem extreme, but as I had seen this dish described as their signature dish on their social media a few times, I had to try it. And, alas, the delicate combination of crab and lobster, with the well-seasoned dressing meant that this dish lived up to its’ reputation as expected.
Please note, the only halal option for Starters is the Australian Wagyu Steak Sashimi with Spicy Radishes is also halal
Onto the meats! The only halal steak on the menu is the Australian Wagyu/Black Argus Beef, Queensland. I decided to go for the New York Sirloin with Wild Mushrooms and my friend went for the Fillet Mignon with Fried Organic Egg.
First my one – New York Sirloin with Wild Mushrooms…
I always have my steak medium-well done as a rule of thumb, although our waitress suggested that this steak was best served medium-rare. I resisted and stuck to my original choice, the steak was exact how I wanted it – the perfection of a medium-well steak. The steak itself was of such intense quality and well flavoured. There was some fat around the steak, but not too much. The wild mushrooms were a perfect combination with the steak. Although not sure whether it was the mushrooms or the the way the steak was cooked, but it was a little too oily for my liking. At £84 a piece, I was not expecting to feel the oil when biting into the steak. I have to say, it wasn’t the best steak I’ve had for this reason and felt really bad not being able to finish it off as it was so expensive. In hindsight, I should have gone for the fillet which had little no fat.
My friend on the other hand, got the Fillet Mignon with Organic Fried Egg…
Even though, the fillet looks pretty insignificant hiding under the egg on the plate, it was perfect (I know this because I ate most of it too!) The steak was so beautifully cooked to the epitome of a medium-well steak, and even though it would not have been my first choice of sides, the egg was a perfect addition to the taste of the dish altogether.
By this point, I was ready to pass out on the couch with my foodcoma… but we are not quitters so soldiering on, dessert time!
My friend ordered for us both… She ordered the Coconut Baked Alaska with White Chocolate Buttermilk Cake…
I went for the Sticky Toffee Medjool Date Cake with Maple Vanilla Ice Cream…
I have a bit of a sweet tooth anyways, but this was one of my most favourite desserts of all time. Now some of you will recognise Medjool as we all have them in Ramadhan, Medjools are the mac daddies of the date world and are very sweet. The Date Cake itself was no different, it was smooth, sweet and scrumptious, topped with a sticky toffee sauce and I almost died and went to dessert heaven! However, the Maple Vanilla ice cream did not compliment the sweetness too well and almost felt as though there were too many flavours, so I pretty much did not touch it.
A special shout out for the mocktails though.. with names like Looking For Love and InThe Name of Love, I was totally sold and these drinks true to their names were both so deliciously loveable!
Overall, I would really recommend you all to try out CUT at 45 Park Lane, the ambiance, service and vibe of CUT is unparalleled and I would definitely go back, although possibly not just for the steak but try some other mains. Although at almost £150 per head, do not expect to get much change from your meal. If its been a tough month, maybe wait for that bonus before visiting. But if you are looking to splurge on a fine dining meal with no expenses spared (literally) CUT is the place for you!
Address: 45 Park Lane, W1K 1PN
Instagram: 45parklane
Have you guys tried CUT at 45 Park Lane? Let me know your thoughts… Would love to ehar from you as always!!
Love,
TLH xxx
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