The Wallace

Nicely place for lunch in pretty and peaceful courtyard. We ate beautifully cooked fish. There was some confusion about the availability of our chosen wines but we got them anyway. Friendly staff and a delightful gallery to walk around.

Walk two blocks north of Bond Street underground station and you will encounter one of London’s best-kept artistic secrets – the Wallace Collection. Located on Manchester Square, it houses an extensive collection of fine and decorative arts, and is free for anyone to visit. If this were not reason enough to visit, then the restaurant too is worth checking out. The inner courtyard of the Wallace Collection got a facelift (and a glass roof) in 2000, and here diners can find the Wallace. Billed as an all-day brasserie and operated by Peyton & Byrne (who are also behind the dining outlets at the National Gallery, Royal Academy etc.), this is an impressive offering. No art is visible from the Wallace, although diners do have to pass through several of the galleries in order to reach their destination. The space is light and airy (think high ceiling, pastel pink walls, pale wooden furniture and palm trees), ideal either for a croissant and coffee or a more serious meal. Retired art lovers make up the dominant demographic, so the vibe is hushed rather than buzzing. Perhaps in recognition of this, my comrade and I found the service somewhat slow and lacklustre on our recent lunchtime visit, although this was more than compensated for by the food. The menu is refreshingly brief, with the angle being to pay homage to classic French cooking but updated with a more modern twist. Diners get to choose from around five starters and mains, the former priced at around £10 and the latter close to £20. Vegetarians also get a great deal, with two courses on offer at lunch for just £18.50. I began with a smoked mackerel dish and followed this with another fish option; this time, a pan-roasted hake fillet, paired with leek velouté, caviar, radish and clementine. As the photo attests, huge emphasis is placed on presentation – perhaps the idea of food as art pervades – but what it gains in this respect is not lost in terms of taste. I was not only impressed with the visual aspect, but more fundamentally the daring combination of ingredients, which was delivered here with panache. Neither my comrade nor I could fault the taste or composition of any of our dishes. Word of warning, however: beyond the quibble over service, I would highly recommend visiting either in summer or dressing warmly for a visit in the winter months. A high-ceilinged conservatory-style courtyard may look very nice, but it can certainly get very cold in early January!

Very good

Thought this restaurant would be a great idea to break up a visit to the wonderful Wallace Collection. There is so much there to see that it is difficult to take it in without a break. The situation is lovely, in the light-well of the building and it looks nice and feels airy. However as a restaurant I'm afraid it just does not work. Having been given our menus with no comment it was incredibly frustrating to be told on ordering that so-and-so main course was off. Why not tell us when handing out the menus? Then to compound the issue the bottle of wine we ordered was also off! Mind you, when we did get a bottle it was parked in its ice bucket yards away from the table so we had to chase the waiters when our glasses were empty. The food was – well small! Tasted and looked good but just felt seriously poor value for money. My Italian friends were impressed with the coffee which really did not make up for the rest of the meal. With about 40 restaurants within a 5 minute walk there really is no reason to go to the Wallace for lunch – even if visiting the Collection

We chose the Wallace restaurant to celebrate a friend's significant birthday as it was supposed to be “special” Specially awful was a better description! Everything we chose from the menu was “no longer available” – this included starters as well as main courses. There was no menu du jour only the vegetarian menu. We couldn't have chips as the chip maker was not on duty. When I asked the maitre d' for an explanation, I was told that the restaurant had been very quiet over the Olympics so they had cut back on buying in food and had been caught on the hop the day we went because “so many people had turned up” However, if we were happy to wait, she would pop over to Waitrose and get something…! The birthday celebration turned out to be a bit of a damp squib and The Wallace has lost 7 potential repeat customers.

Not many people know that a few yards from the bustle of Oxford St is this oasis of calm and tranquillity, set inside a beautiful historic home, surrounding by a fascinating free museum. It’s not trendy, but it’s charming and attractive, with the courtyard feeling warm and cosy even in winter. It’s a great place for a casual lunch with a friend, but would feel an odd choice for a business lunch. The restaurant has two parts, a proper restaurant and a lighter food part. I ate in the latter and three of us emerged for only £19 with main courses but no drinks. Service was fine and I would definitely go again