Review of 'The Wigmore'

With a menu overseen by the renowned Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr. you would expect “The Wigmore” to be a cut above a normal pub…and it is. But is it Michelin-quality? No.

Ever since we heard that Roux was opening a pub next door to his Roux at the Landau in The Langham Hotel we were anxious to visit. As it was my birthday we had enough of an excuse to finally go.

Pub Area

Only a short distance north of Oxford Circus you would be forgiven for just walking on by the entrance which looks like any up-market pub in the city. On entering you are in the main pub area which is generally crowded but warm and welcoming with the soft furnishings and grand, but not overwhelming, interior complete with classic wooden bar. A reservation is not generally needed here but no doubt it will be hard to find a spot when busy (as it often is, according to our waiter).

Dining Area Interior

There are several rooms off of the pub section where you can actually sit down and eat at rather low tables (and chairs). Again, these rooms are cosy and have a nice buzz about them with the walls decorated with fine art in a typical Roux touch. Here you most definitely will need a reservation at busy times with dining times of 6 and 8 pm in the evenings (though we were also told you can often be slotted in if you come during slightly off hours such as 7 pm or 8:30 pm…). The “food” menu is tiny though it is changed every day, likely to take account of what is available and the seasonality of ingredients. Split into “Snacks” – the largest section with nine options when we visited, “Mains” (6 options), “Sides” (3) and “Desserts” (4) this is most definitely a pub.

Devils on Horseback

We decided to begin with two “Snacks” the first being “Devils on horseback” (£6.50) which is what might be better known as “pigs in blankets” - Small sausages wrapped in bacon and, in this case, in a thick, sweet, honey sauce. This was absolutely delicious though ferociously hot when they were first delivered to the table. The sausages were deliciously meaty and the bacon was wonderfully firm with the sweet sauce somehow not overwhelming the flavour of the meat. It was, however, extremely rich and after 3-4 of these you could really feel it…

Scotch Egg

My companion ordered the “Masala spiced scotch-egg, dahl relish” (£6.25) which I have to say was the star of the entire meal. The scotch-eggs were surrounded by a spiky shell of (we were told) vermicelli noodles with a wonderfully meaty layer of sausage and a perfectly oozing quail egg interior. This coupled with the slightly spicy masala sauce surrounding it made it a true stunner. Absolutely delicious.

Pie

It is really the mains that we were most let down by. I had the “Beef and bacon bourguignon pie, mash” (£15). The pie had a wonderful casing but the interior was dry as a bone with the meat lacking any sort of flavour. The mash, on the other hand, was truly amazing and probably some of the best I have ever eaten - Creamy with a slightly sweet note to it that had me savouring every forkful. The small pot of gravy (not jus) on the side was very helpful in adding some moisture and flavour to proceedings. A side of “Hispi Cabbage” (£4.5) was unremarkable but not mushy.

Burger

My companion decided to go a bit off-piste with the “Plant-based vegan burger, red pepper relish, saffron emulsion” (£14) with a side of “Fat chips” (£5, though missing the “Bloody Mary Salt” advertised in the menu). The burger was quite tasty and juicy while the chips were truly a work of the Gods - Perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

OK, so perhaps not so much of a disaster, but I was seriously disappointed with the pie…

The drink menu is small but quite well represented though we had multiple servings of their lemonades which can optionally come with a shot of alcohol. I had the grapefruit (£4.5) and my companion had the ginger (£4.5). These were both very pleasant indeed without the harsh lemon taste that often can be found in these drinks. It was also nice to see that the house water was provided bottomless at £1 for the table.

Dining Area Walls

The service was pleasant and extremely efficient though perhaps the later as they were keen to get us off of the table which was required at 8 pm (having a 6 pm booking) but we were all done after only an hour. This did not really give us a lot of time between courses to enjoy the atmosphere and company so perhaps it was a bit too efficient?

At just over £79 for the two of us including drinks and a 12.5% service charge the price was reasonable and I would certainly consider dropping in at some point again in the future. Perhaps not for a “meal” (per se) but perhaps for a light bite/drink before a nearby show or something. I was disappointed with my pie but otherwise the simple, but well prepared, pub food did not disappoint. Not quite fine dining but quite good as far as pubs go…

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2019-10-26


Cuisine: American/British

Address: 15 Langham Pl, Marylebone, London W1B 3DE ENGLAND

Public Transport: TUBE Oxford Circus

Location: London (England) - Marylebone

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Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7965 0198

URL: https://the-wigmore.co.uk/