By Emily Lawler
Earlier this month we launched our series on baby-friendly restaurants in London for grown-ups. This time we’re just north of Oxford Circus at The Wigmore, a former banking hall transformed into a glamorous eatery.
Ooft. This place, man. Gorgeous room. Gorgeous food. It’s calling itself a ‘modern tavern’ but honestly this is just an excellent restaurant with a bar in the middle. It’s also maybe an unofficial gentlemen’s club. As a woman, it’s always a bit weird going somewhere with your eight-month-old when almost every other diner is a dude. It sort of makes me more adamant to eat there, the more the dudes in expensive navy suits stare at me.
The Wigmore is a high-ceilinged, impressively green room with a lot of Art Deco lighting. A pleasant low hum, warm, gracious and effervescent service BUT THE FOOD. I really wasn’t prepared. The reviews had all been complimentary but it is, I think, better than the reviews it has received thus far.
Now I’m obviously a dilettante because I only had a vague idea of who Michel Roux Jr was. It turns out he is quite famous and already has a few Michelin stars at his other gaff, Le Gavroche, and also he’s been on the telly a bit. So imagine Michelin-starred pub, sorry ‘modern tavern’ food. The last time I had gammon was at boarding school in 1996, which as you imagine wasn’t thrilling. (I’m from Australia and it is less weird to go to boarding school there.) Imagine Michelin-starred gammon, egg and crisps though. Phwoar.
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What’s good? Every single starter. We had the devils on horseback, the buttered crumpets with cock crab and *those* scotch eggs. All phenomenal. We’ll be back for the XXL stovetop cheese toastie. The gammon and egg and crisps were so delicious too. The crisps, a perfect balance of crunchy and greasy, the gammon accompanied by sriracha mayo.
Kid friendly? Unexpectedly. I had sort of prepared to be turned away as we’d not booked and there were no low tables available when we arrived. We sat at a high table and towered about Max in his buggy but it worked. Some suits looked a bit perturbed at our presence but it was otherwise a triumph of a baby lunch.
Rating:
✓baby change facilities
✓highchairs available
✓cool with breastfeeding
✗loads of other parents
✓space for buggies
✗children’s menu – technically no but you could make it work.
✗toys/play area
