Wiltons: the home of regulars
In 1884 Wiltons was awarded a Royal Warrant as Purveyors of Oysters to Queen Victoria though by that time, Wiltons had already been in business well over a hundred years. They in fact date their business to 1742 so to describe Wiltons as 'old school' is to significantly understate the meaning. It is though the best of old school, and their own description on their website of 'understated quality' is a reasonably fair one. If you like Rules, you will certainly feel at home in Wiltons and of the two, my preference would in fact be Wiltons.
For sure, Wiltons ticks none of the boxes of London restaurant trends but when you've been around 250+ years, you aim for a steady course, not bandwagons to jump on. According to Urbanspoon, there's been only one previous blog post on Wiltons and that was in 2010. People who go there however tend to love it and tend to return and it is a restaurant that I would guess boasts more 'regulars' than perhaps any other restaurant in London. Regulars also tend to be regulars for a lifetime, not just a year until the next new thing comes along.
Wiltons is also the sort of venue where something like three of the five red wines offered by the glass are clarets (of which I totally approve), electric lamps on the wall were possibly converted from gas lamps and where the waitresses wear outfits that make Downton Abbey serving staff look positively avant garde. My waitress said that she had worked at Wilton's for 20 years and it does have that family feel to it.
Rather than a single large space, the restaurant at Wiltons is a series of connected smaller rooms, again giving the place a more intimate feel. My visit here was on a whim, persuaded to Wiltons that particular day to try the Carving Trolley where you can enjoy leg of lamb on a Monday, pork on a Tuesday, beef on Wednesday etc sliced and served at the table. Alas, by the time I had arrived and ordered, the trancheur was already dispensing the last of the lamb to the table next to me and another choice was needed.
There's both an a traditional la carte and a seasonal a la carte with the latter having a game selection that includes grouse, partridge, teal, wild duck, fallow deer (from October) and woodcock (from November). On the traditional alc, there's a meat and a fish section. Lobster is stated as 'market price' and on enquiry I found this to be a whopping £60 for a whole lobster which was a bit of a shock even though I had already discovered that prices at Wiltons are not cheap.
My starter was a twice baked Cropwell Bishop Stilton soufflé. This was a decadence indeed and full credit to Wiltons, it was good enough to make the indulgence worthwhile. The soufflé itself was light, the sauce creamy and everything laced with the marvellous tang of Cropwell Bishop Stilton. As all good starters should do, it saw me finish wanting more.
twice baked Cropwell Bishop Stilton soufflé
Having been denied the lamb from the carving trolley, the waitress recommended instead the lamb cutlets and I readily agreed. While not cheap (£29), they were of the highest quality and I can hardly remember having enjoyed lamb cutlets in a restaurant more. The cutlets themselves were generously meaty, possessed no more fat than was needed and cooked through perfectly. They were so good, I really didn't mind the price. I was however a little outraged that the side of French Beans that was suggested to me was on the bill at £5.20, talk about margin. Most likely it reflects the cost of the butter that the beans were doused with (don't get me wrong, that made them taste pretty good).
lamb cutlets
A soufflé to start so why not one to end. Chefs are clearly loving raspberry right now and I think I've had raspberry in every dessert I've eaten this month, and so it was here. Again, excellently done, exactly what a soufflé should be though I remember thinking at the time that a slightly bigger ramekin would have been nice.
I really can't fault the food at Wiltons: they know the menu they want to serve and execute it very well indeed. The restaurant itself dates back hundreds of years but so it seems do the manners of the staff who deliver a polite civility that, being in their DNA, seems unable to be captured by newer establishments no matter how hard they try. All of this is somewhat reflected in the prices and it's by no means a cheap eat, but it is a classy eat and a good eat and Wiltons will always have a place in my book of restaurants to return to.
Wiltons website