Maze Grill
11 Park Walk, London SW10 0AJ
Telephone: 020 7255 9299
I love Mazes! In fact, some of my best memories as a kid were of being hopelessly lost in the maze at Hampton Court, despite being assured all you had to do is continue to turn right! And now I have another lovely memory of a Maze, this time courtesy of Gordon Ramsey and the Maze Grill, Palk Walk.
The restaurant is on the same site as Aubergine was, where the infamous contretemps between AA Gill, Joan Collins and Gordon happened, but this was in the 1990’s and things have changed considerably since then. This is in the smart part of town and I am reliably informed that this is a favourite haunt of many celebrities and it is easy to see why, with such warm and welcoming de´cor and top notch food.
The concept is delightfully simple, being a fusion of Japanese and American served impeccably in a comforting environment, and the staff deliver this perfectly.
As you enter Maze Grill you know instinctively that you are going to have a good time, as the staff are attentive, but not overly so, and I was soon seated in a spacious avocado coloured leather banquette facing my wife over a fabulously designed table. I have never seen one in the shape of a squashed oval, and the design gives plenty of room for the food, whilst allowing you to get closer to your dining partner - a perfect combination!
It is heartening to see that Gordon’s restaurants follow the same advice that Gordon gives to restaurants on his various TV shows, which is, that to turn themselves around, they need to keep it simple and make sure everything is fresh, and that is exactly what Maze Grill does.
Whilst we scanned the menu we nibbled on some Buffalo Chicken Fillets with chilli and lime (£4) and Shrimp Toast with Siracha mayonnaise (£4) from the small bites menu designed to share. My wife decide to select a number of dishes from the daily Japanese Kozara menu which is served Monday to Friday between 12 and 6, and the concept here is that you can choose either 3 or 5 kozara, or small plates (£15/£20) from a selection of vegetarian, fish and meat sections. I plumped for dishes off the main menu and I am glad I did. Whilst my wife was served 4 perfectly created Snow Crab California Rolls, I had the Soft Shell Crab Sliders (£11), and we were both delighted with our choices. The Californian Rolls were packed with crab and avocado and the sticky rice encased the wonderful texture contrast between the smooth avocado and soft crab. My sliders were just as delicious, with a subtly spiced cocktail sauce giving just enough heat to the crunchy crab which bursts out from the bun. This snow crab roll is also on the main menu, as the Kozara menu ends after 6, so don’t worry, you will be able to enjoy this dish whatever time you are there.
For mains, whilst my wife tucked into Steak Yakitori, Chicken Satay, Beef Tataki Wakame and a kale and seaweed salad, I cast my eye over the marvellous array of steaks available. Steaks come in 3 categories, the British Native breeds which are dry aged for 21 days and come with little fat, the Rare Breed selection dry aged for 28 days and fed to increase the marbling and taste and then the US & Japanese Breeds (the cattle are solely grain fed) with USDA steaks and the ultimate, Wagyu triple seared fillet at £14.50 per oz. Every steak is matured in Maze’s Himalayan Salt Block ageing cabinets which I understand allows the salt and minerals to be absorbed by the meat improving its flavour. I finally plumped for a 12oz rib eye (£36) from the rare breed selection as I personally love more marbling, triple cooked chips (£4) and a portion of onion rings with two dips ( £4). The steak was charbroiled at 400 degrees on a Montague grill and my medium rare was just heavenly. When the crispy outer layer yielded it gave way to a succulent core which just melted in my mouth. I have tried many steaks in my time and this was right up there with the best. The triple cooked chips also followed the example the steaks did with a crispy outer layer cocooning a light and fluffy interior, making them a perfect accompaniment. The onion rings also didn’t disappoint, and the hot sauce dip was a winner.
Having delighted in the first two courses we were unsure as to whether we had room for a dessert and that lasted right up until we saw the dessert menu. I selected the Chocolate Cake with cre`me fraiche (£6) and was rewarded with a rich and smooth chocolate rush accompanied with a light cre`me fraiche subtly flavoured with lime. This was good, but Helen’s Frozen Lime Yoghurt with toasted meringue (£6) was for me the perfect end to the meal. The yoghurt was light with just enough lime and sat on a bed on granola which added a lovely crunch, and the meringue added just enough sweetness.
Gordon Ramsey is renown for his straight talking, and it is a pleasure to go to a restaurant that follows a similar path. The menu is plain talking, and so rather than using words you need to google to understand, it simply describes the dishes just how they are, and how they are is fresh, generous and bursting with flavour.