Peter Morrell finds a great atmosphere and very inventive food at Marcus Wareing’s new West End eatery

I have always been a fan of Marcus Wareing since celebrating a landmark birthday a number of years ago at the Savoy Grill when he was in charge. So I was interested to hear that he had recently opened a new restaurant. Tredwell’s, offering an informal atmosphere with a menu that had British food as its focus.

The location is at Seven Dials, just a few steps away from Leicester Square tube. Outside the restaurant there is a terrace for alfresco eating and a huge front window floods the ground floor and mezzanine dining space with light during the day.

Settling in to a comfortable booth on the ground floor my wife and I enjoyed the buzzy atmosphere while perusing the menu and sipping a cocktail from the imaginative list on offer. Our choice was Down The Apples And Pears made by mixing Belvedere vodka with apple and pear juice, elderflower and thyme and then lightly carbonated, its pleasant dryness sharpened our appetites

The menu is good and solid with lots of British ingredients, ribeye steak from Cornwall, sirloin from the Lake District, Rhug Estate smoked short ribs, and for those with more adventurous palates a good range of more international dishes.

My wife and I were tempted by a number of the starters, which had innovative fusions of taste and texture. The grilled marrow bone with a shallot, parsley and caper salad looked interesting as did the harissa glazed aubergine with peanuts, coriander and chilli. Our eventual choice was the Taste of Tredwell’s, this was a sharing plate which gave us an opportunity to sample three distinctly different flavour combinations.

The first from the plate was their famous pork sliders, tender pulled pork with lots of flavour, the second, chorizo jam with charred sour dough, had the bread acting as a foil to the vast depth in the jam. Finally the sticky glazed chicken wings gave us meaty morsels encased in a sweet, piquant sauce. It was a good introduction to the style of food.

There is something on the mains menu to suit everyone, from a veggie burger to calf’s liver and a range of beef steaks and pork chop cooked on the charcoal burning Robata grill. Fish also features prominently so my wife’s choice was hake with pea purée. ham and braised gem lettuce. This is a very underrated fish but when cooked well, and this was, the flesh is moist and delicate.

My main was slow cooked pork belly and cheek with fennel and juniper, elegant touches on this were the sprinkled crackling crumbs and the deep fried mint leaves. We had skinny fries as a side lined up with a couple of things that were rather special. The kale slaw was a clever twist on an old favourite and the broccoli cooked on the Robata grill, served with almond butter and capers was a unique, smoky sensation.

A special word of thanks here to manager Mark Cesareo who as well ensuring we were well looked after, made some excellent wine matching suggestions. With our starters we had an Argentinian Torrontes, the Terrazas de los Andes 2012. Grown at nearly 6000 feet above sea level in Salta, the temperature extremes produce a very aromatic wine with strong floral notes which develop on the palate into tropical fruits and spices and ends with long finish.

The pairing with my wife’s hake was from the U.S., the Sokol Blosser, pinot gris 2013 from Oregon. Apple and citrus is underpinned with an earthy minerality that didn’t overwhelm the fish. The wine with my pork was a Rioja, the Ratos Uva 2013. This was smooth and complex with strong red stone fruit and spice on the palate and a lingering finish.

For pudding we considered the muscovada sponge with coffee and walnut, and even the virtuous chocolate brownie but, because the first two courses had been so satisfying, shared one portion of warm chocolate, salted caramel and chocolate cornflakes, for us the perfect finish.

The cumulative skills of Marcus and head chef Andrew Ward, who boasts Chiswick’s La Trompette and Chez Bruce on his CV, have developed an inventive unpretentious menu that lets the underlying, natural flavours of the food shine through. This combined with an upbeat atmosphere, comfortable surroundings and a good front of house team all come together to create a relaxed and memorable dining experience.

Tredwell’s
4A Upper St Martin’s Lane
London, WC2H 9NY

To book call 0203 764 0840 or go to www.tredwells.com

As well as dinner Tredwell’s offer a fixed price Express Menu for lunch and pre / post theatre dining. It is also open for Sunday Roast available from 12:00pm to 9:00pm

On 19th April 2015 Tredwell’s are hosting a Special Gin and Jazz night, click here… for details