Simpson's in the Strand — Restaurant in London

After badgering the manager of Simpson’s in the Strand for more and more information about a high class establishment that I can’t afford but have become increasingly curious about, I was kindly offered a tour of the restaurant so that I peer through a social window into a different world.

My guide was the assistant general manager, Quentin, and like all the other staff I’ve met at Simpson’s and The Knight’s Bar, was very kind, polite but also patient with my disabilities and slowness. Quentin explained that Simpson’s was established in 1828 as a coffee and cigar house for wealthy gentleman to play chess, accents of which can be seen throughout the décor of the building. In 1848, Mr John Simpson implemented a food service and the all famous carving trolley as the patrons (all men at the time) wanted the food to be prepared in front of them. On the first floor in what they call the West Room was where men and women could eat together but today, the whole establishment is rightly unisex.

The main restaurant is something else. From entering the room itself, the sense of regalia overwhelmed me. Centuries old wooden panelling on the walls with the red leather seats and silver serving dishes complemented each other to give me a feeling I was stepping back to an age long gone but not forgotten. In the far left corner of the room, I was show the exact table where Sir Winston Churchill often ate and then remembered that Sir Author Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame also frequented this restaurant. And I should correct myself as the staff don’t call Simpson’s a restaurant but an institution in the same way they don’t have menus but stay with the traditional term, “Bill of Fare.”

Downstairs in what would normally be the basement of any other building was the Bishop’s Room, a darker location where the gentry of old would gather for drinks at the bar whilst smoking cigars and where chess tournaments would be held. Now currently unused except for tours, the somewhat clandestine atmosphere lead me to imagine the business deals that would have been exchanged through the thick smokey air back in the day.

Having finished my tour, I was hungry to taste the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding sandwich that Andrea had told me about a fortnight ago. I was quite surprised when he brought the biggest Yorkshire pudding I had ever seen, lightly spread with mustard and served with gravy. The meat inside was tender and cooked to perfection though, in full honesty, I don’t know what perfection normally tastes like. Only that this tasted a damn site better than all of the meat I’ve had in large chains and restaurants outside of Japan.

As a special treat, I discovered that Andrea has created his own Martini using the Niigata sake I had given him a fortnight previous as a tip. The Knight’s Bar is creating it’s own cocktail menu and, as I think Andrea’s sake Martini is a world’s first and was genuinely delicious, I hope they’ll be including it on their cocktail’s “Bill of Fare.”

Summing up Simpson’s in the Strand is a double edged sword for me. For someone like me who enjoys pie and mash with a pint from a gastro pub for 12 pounds, this sort of establishment isn’t cost effective. As I’m discovering with high society bars and restaurants, going to a place like this without knowing it’s history is like watching a film that has no sound. You are simply missing out on so much that you’re paying for. Once I factor in and appreciate the prestige, the tradition, the history, the quality and the service, then the price starts to make sense. As somewhere to get a meal, I can’t afford the main restaurant as I’m disabled and temporarily unemployed but the food at the Knight’s Bar is closer to what I can afford on a once a month basis. As a location where I’d get a drink to escape the outside world for an hour or two in London, the Knight’s Bar is top of my list but not every fortnight. If any of my overseas friends come to visit and I want to impress them with a quintessentially British meal and/or drink, this is the place I’ll be...

We saw the restaurant on The Hairy Biker's British Beef episode and so decided to come for a meal with high hopes for quality produce and outstanding traditional cooking. Sadly, it was just ok, maybe ok. The staff were wonderful and very attentive but the food was quite poor relative to the price we paid. Fairly, the starter of beetroot and goats curd was pretty tasty. Also the roast beef was cooked beautifully and nearly melted in your mouth.. but the flavour of good produce was absent. The horseradish sauce had no bite whatsoever, more like a celeriac remoulade.. mild and undistinctive. The Steak & Kidney pudding was rich so thankfully small, but the filling was strongly tomato based and the meat somehow dry, not the moist and indulgent meal I was anticipating, it was disappointing. The whipped potato was fantastic.. but shouldn't really have been the centre stage. We are trying to eat less meat so when we do, we want it to be produced from animals who have been respectfully and ethically treated and well cared for in life through to the end and furthermore, cooked to a really high standard to celebrate the beast. I felt sad that this wasn't the case. We chose not to complain as it was clear that this was the standard and not an unfortunate mishap. What could have been done?! And we had a train to catch. So, it was, what it was. It wouldn't take much to reestablish itself I'm sure. A closer eye to detail as such which was demonstrated front of house. Don't get lost in the money Simpsons, stand up for what you believe in and where you came...

Three stars, that got you looking. The room is classic. It is the classic restaurant serving the Sunday joint done up fancy. However, compared to the modern incarnations in the States like Lawrys and The Prime Rib, it pales in comparison. Live piano music in the background. The music was the right volume and tempo, but it was odd to hear "House of the Rising Sun" being played. Service was generally excellent, although they had trouble keeping water in the glass. At the price point, and the length of time they've been doing things, it should be perfect. Perhaps it was perfect in the 50's and 60's, but it doesn't match what others are doing. It doesn't really seem to matter how you ask for the prime rib, they just slice it off the end they are working from. I asked for rare. I always ask for that knowing it's going to be medium rare, but it gives them the hint I want the meat from the middle, not the ends where it's more cooked. Unfortunately, I hit them when they were working from the end on a new piece. Indeed when they got to another table later asking for medium, they got the medium rare from the middle since that's where they were at. The horseradish isn't very good. The yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes were very good. The cabbage, OK. All in all, OK food at best for the price. Good service. A...