The quintessential English restaurant, Simpson's-in-the-Strand, 100 Strand, London WC2, began life in 1828 as a coffee house and was soon attracting London's most accomplished chess players - a fact still recognised in the institution's logo. Dragged reluctantly into the modern era, it was only relatively recently that female diners were permitted to use the imposing Grand Divan - the very heart of Simpson's.
While much has changed since my first visit - not least among the staff and clientele - Simpson's remains one of the unforgettable dining experiences London has to offer. The food has never been of the finest - think public school meets Gentleman's Club - but it comforts and restores on a level difficult to find nowadays.
A particular feature is the Carving Trolley. On any day, at least two of these silver-domed juggernauts roam the carpeted expanses of the Grand Divan. Conveying huge cuts of rare beef, Sussex-bred lamb or roasted fowl, they park alongside tables demanding of their service and positively seduce with their sheer magnificence and odours of well-cooked meat and gravy.
But the menu keeps on giving. A particular favourite is the steak-and-kidney pudding. Attractively priced, this suet-based classic will satisfy even the most voracious of appetites. And sticking with the puddings, Simpson's renowned 'Spotted Dick' is the only way to finish a meal, and perhaps you along with it!
Much as I love Simpson's, I greatly regret the influence of the 21st century on dress standards. Once a stickler for jacket-and-tie, Simpson's has joined the rest of the world in relaxing sartorial standards, to a point where standards of any description now barely apply. As a consequence, you're just as likely to find yourself seated next to a male diner for whom wearing socks might be considered 'dressing-up' as to a crisply-suited businessman. But, as they say, one man's meat...
Located upstairs from the ground-floor Grand Divan (for which booking is pretty much essential), there are two other dining rooms. Used predominantly now for private functions, they're worth a peek, if only to see where the ladies were once banished to enjoy their smoked salmon and roast beef.
On the same level, is Simpson's cocktail bar. Always popular, it overlooks the surging thoroughfare that is the Strand, and offers the usual selection of pre-and post-dinner stimulants and relaxants. They used to serve real ale in wonderfully-battered metal tankards, but I think this charming idiosyncrasy has now gone the way of the dress code.
Hugely popular with visitors from the U.S., Japan and the Continent, Simpson's might be in danger of becoming a parody of its former self. I hope not, because once lost, it can never be restored. To those who say change cannot be halted, I say that change is not necessarily progress. Simpson's is a living reminder of a different era. It will not be to all tastes, but visit while it retains a vestige of its true past.
Top Tip: If ordering meat or fowl from the Carving Trolley, be ready to tip your splendidly be-hatted chef. The rough rule is a couple of pounds per person. To ensure generous servings, make it 'discreetly obvious' you intend to tip (a trick you learn over time), but never tip in paper money - very American, very Japanese.
Nearby Watering Hole: The Savoy Hotel is just a few yards away and you could take a chance on bagging a table in one of its two bustling bars (the American Bar is better than the Beaufort Bar). However, I would head for 'Gordon's Wine Bar' in Villiers Street (5-7 minutes heading west along the Strand). Located just to the side of Charing Cross main railway station, it's London's oldest wine bar and boasts an expansive, heated terrace and vaulted cellar. Popular with Spanish expats and professionals working in the capital, it provides a nice contrast to the English-ness of Simpson's.
Attributed to Bob Sturges, Head of Communications at Omni Capital Partners Limited
Leave a comment