Harden's survey result
Summary
Fans and foes alike agree on the essential value trade-off at Martin (the “M” in question) Williams’s large ‘Gastro Playgrounds’ in the City, and Canary Wharf (Victoria and Twickenham branches having fallen by the wayside). To fans, they are “a bit expensive for what they are, but you can’t fault the food or wine”: to foes, they are “good but not worth the money”. Japan and Provence provide the culinary inspiration for the steak-focused menu (Williams is also the CEO of the Gaucho group); and the menu is backed up by a very wide-ranging wine list, with a broad range of options (including some trophy vintages for over £7,000 per bottle). The least popular part of the formula is the atmosphere created by their ultra-glossy, London via Miami interiors: “chic but soulless”.
Summary
Martin Williams’s “customer-centric ethos” is on display at these slickly run and business-friendly ‘Gastro Playgrounds’, in the City, Victoria and – launching in August 2022 – in Canary Wharf, which deliver a mix of “amazing steaks”, plus extensive wine (and the availability of memberships with access to the ‘M Den Portal’). Its ratings were dented slightly this year though by one or two disappointing reports relating to “pedestrian dishes” and “awful mark-ups”.
Summary
Martin Williams’s duo of glossy ‘gastro-playgrounds’ (that’s what they call themselves) in the City and Victoria combine no-expense-spared, Miami-esque design with a top-of-the-range assortment of grills which incorporate non-beef options but go large on luxurious steaks, including top USDA, Kobe, and Wagyu cuts and with meat sourced from Somerset to Argentina. Feedback was limited this survey (both branches are in office-dependent locations) but all of it was very enthusiastic. The Twickenham ‘bar and grill’ is a more casual outlet, and in late 2021/early 2022, a further branch will open in Canary Wharf, occupying the ground floor of the 58-storey Diamond Building, serving a menu of surf ’n’ turf, split into four distinct areas; ‘Smoke’, ‘Coal’, ‘Wood’ and ‘Ice’.
Summary
Martin Williams’s glossily-glam steakhouses have a touch of Vegas-glitz to their ritzy design, and particularly win nominations as impressive venues for business, boosted by the range of top-quality meat (the highest grades of USDA, Wagyu and Kobe beef) and an extensive wine selection. Since the top man returned to rescue Gaucho as CEO, however, some reporters feel “it’s lost its way since the wonderful early days”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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