Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill

Having been pretty excited about visiting MPW, I am disappointed to say that it was really massively underwhelming from the get-​go. The service was inattentive and generally poor, the food was average at best and it was expensive, to boot.
Although we had booked on the itison deal to eat from the market menu, we all opted to «upgrade» and order steak — this was no problem, though the waitress had to go and ask if this was allowed… why you would have to check if it’s OK to take over £100 off 4 guests you thought were not going to spend much, I cannot fathom.
The décor is quite nice apart from all the massive pictures of MPW looming over you. The leather tablecloths though — ugh. Heavy and sweaty! The starters — salmon rilettes and blue cheese salad were fine — nothing to write home about.
The steaks themselves were acceptable — nothing special, again. Having asked for a medium ribeye, I got a ribeye that was medium-​well at one end and rare at the other. This after having been told that the chateaubriand could not be cooked to two temperatures — the chef should have more confidence in his abilities, as he managed to do this to my steak without trying!
Triple-​cooked chips were really good though needlessly served in a minature copper saucepan. Onion rings a touch greasy. Sauces were hideously expensive — £3.75 for a tiny dish of bearnaise that was more of a solid spread than a sauce.
The desserts were a mixed bag — brownie and ice cream were all right — again, nothing mind-​blowing. My partner had the lemon posset which was served with shortbread biscuits that were not only clearly not made in-​house, but had been sitting out for ages as they were stale and soft.
On top of the underwhelming food, we had to wait for 105 minutes before we could get a second round of drinks, and that was after we complained. The manager did, to be fair, take one round of drinks off the bill — a cheap apology for him, as 3 of the 4 diners were driving, so on soft drinks! Service for the whole evening was pretty dire — long waits for food, had to remind them to bring the over-​priced sauces, no one seemed to know the answer to any questions. It was a bit like being served by 6^th year students on a work placement or something. The supervisor on the night had the resigned air of a man defeated by his staff’s inadequacies — he could really have done with hiding his annoyance at them a little more, but to be fair, we all felt the same as him! I also later discovered reviewing my bill that I was charged for a plate of crudités which the waitress said was fine to substitute for a starter. Exasperated does not cover my feeling at this stage and it’s for this reason I have downgraded my review from a 2 star to a 1.
Overall, I would not be in a hurry to return. It’s extremely galling to have service charge added to the bill after you’ve already complained about the service. The manager has since contacted my partner to offer us 20% off a return visit, but it will probably be a while before I can bring myself to return. It’s in an out-​of-​the-​way location, and everyone else I spoke to (3 other diners) was there on a discounted voucher, so I get the feeling that it’s already on the slide. And no wonder, with such little attention to detail paid. Really needs some experienced staff and some motivation to sort it out!

Wow, MPW has an ego, you walk in to his über-​chic restaurant and he’s glaring at you from every part of every wall, rugged, unkempt and unsmiling. He could at least have got photographed in a few Scottish locations in keeping with his wild look to make the décor more interesting, but no. I guess we can be thankful that at least his penetrating gaze isn’t spotlit!
It has a bit of class, a bit of elegance, and efficiently taut service, but with a bit of humour. I had no problems with the surroundings, or the staff. It was lacking a bit of atmosphere though with uninspiring music and few patrons.
We chose the market menu, mainly cos we’d never had picanha steak — apparently a Brazilian cut of rump cap — sounds a bit ‘orrible when I put it like that, but apparently it’s tender, juicy and highly flavoured. For a start we both chose potted beef, again we’d never had that either.
The potted beef was literally a pâté, served with toasted bread and an onion relish. We enjoyed it. Then the mains came out, strangely devoid of «cheffie» flourishes. The chips were thin-​cut and a bit over-​crispy, a few well over. The steak was cooked slightly under medium-​rare, so not quite as we had both requested, making it bloodier and more juicy, and creating more red splashes over my top. It was tasty, but not as tender as I hoped for.
The city now has a number of superb steakhouses and so I have to compare it to those, and frankly on every measure except possibly service it was playing second fiddle on this visit. It’s still better-​than-​average to good, so is it a high three or a low four. Mmm

Smart, elegant restaurant in Waterloo St. Marco Pierre White took
over the restaurant last year, although soft furnishings are pretty much unchanged the general ambience is of a much higher standard. Good quality food, excellent waiting staff. Can’t fault it.

Having eaten at a Marco Pierre White in Birmingham a few years back, we were keen to see what a local version would bring differently.
First impressions walking in, is that I’m expecting a fine dining experience with front of house ushering us to our table like VIPs (nice!).
Considering the online booking was showing full until the end of December, I was really quite surprised that there were only 4 other tables dining during the evening. Was not busy in the slightest. Maybe folk are still yet to hear about Marco coming to town?
Relatively decent selection of mains, but felt the starters were limited in terms of lightness and variety. Opted for fishcakes and calamari and a chateaubriand for mains, that came with two portions of chunky chips, onion rings and two sides for £75. Not a bad price given the sides included. New Zealand Pinot Noir for the poison and it was spot on!
Our server was lovely and friendly (or servers should I say over the course of the evening!). Didn’t wait long for anything & the timing was good between courses. The starters however, were nothing special and for £7/​8 each, I would have wanted to be wowed. Calamari was bog standard and average, whilst the fish cakes I could have mistaken for good quality frozen ones.
Chateaubriand though, was DELICIOUS. Having had The Butchershop and various others over the years, this is the finest one yet. So much meat, that I took some back for a piece the following day!
Deliberately kept room for dessert & opted for the £11.95 sharing plate of fresh strawberries, rice pudding, chocolate brownie, sticky toffee, vanilla ice cream and fruit tartlets. (PHEW!). All miniature sizes and great value to try out all the desserts. Clear winner though was the sticky toffee, hands down.
You could say we went a little all out here on the most expensive things on the menu and you’d be correct at an eye whopping £145 bill (service charge is already included). You could however, easily eat here for £20−40 per head.
Why no 4 or 5 stars you ask? Well… Pictures of Marco himself adorned every square inch of the walls as part of his ‘branding’. Frankly, I don’t want to see the ego of a chef emblazoned everywhere I look sitting down. The food should always do the talking. Lastly, the Chateaubriand was the only stand out dish we had. Out of three courses, I can’t give it more based on that.
Service though, was lovely & we didn’t feel rushed. Great banter and warm friendly staff, can’t ask for more than that.
You Gotta Eat Here (after payday!) — For Sure! :-D