A meal to remember in Avenue
Avenue is situated in the heart of Mayfair, historically an area populated by the affluent and filled with luxury. The vast interior of this restaurant certainly reflects that ethos, yet manages to do so tastefully. Originally designed by Rick Mather in the mid ’90s, it was then transformed by Russel Sage to make it reminiscent of a Manhattan loft space. It is cavernous, yet glitzy, sleek and modern with interesting design features such as the huge wine glass chandelier that takes pride of place in the centre of the vast dining room.
Aperitifs
Having taken in our surroundings, my partner and I whet our appetite whilst perusing the menu with drinks by the bar first. She enjoyed her “English 83” Gin cocktail, and as a bourbon drinker I was unsurprised yet gleeful to behold the extensive list of bourbons on offer here. Avenue is billed as an “American” restaurant after all. Of course, we’re not talking burgers here, although there is a signature Avenue burger on offer. We’re talking great steaks, tuna and lobster from the Robata grill, alongside a modern European/Asian fusion selection of starters and mains on the a la carte menu. With Head Chef Andras Katona at the helm now the menu is Asian-inspired cuisine with a fiery South American twist.
The Feast
Having been seated by the friendly staff, we didn’t take much time to order our wine and food as we salivated in anticipation. Our starters were the white crab and black ink tortellini, and the sea bass ceviche. I had the former which was served in a subtle tasty broth, but couldn’t resist sampling my partner’s ceviche as well. I can gladly confirm that both dishes were as flavoursome as they were visually impressive.
My partner and I can rarely resist a perfectly cooked steak, or for that matter, sharing food, so seeing as it was our anniversary, we plumped for the chateaubriand for our main. This also followed the fusion theme nicely with its accompaniments of Asian coleslaw and shiso bernaise. It was generously portioned, met our requirement of being perfectly cooked, and as such, was every bit as delicious as this perennial classic should be! The presentation was immaculate again, and quiet sounds of utter steak satisfaction could be heard from the pair of us.
The Finale
Replete with aforementioned satisfaction, but never ones to balk from a challenge, we bravely continued onto the dessert menu. Ok, so I embellish because if I’m honest, being a chocoholic, I had already spied my inevitable choice and the brownie with peanut butter ice cream took me straight to chocolate heaven. My partner’s passion fruit tart looked great too, but I’m never one to sully a perfect chocolate experience with a different set of flavours. I guess you’ll just have to go and sample that for yourselves if you want to know how that tasted. Go… I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
Lots on over the Easter Weekend including bottomless brunches and live music. All details here.