Wiltons
what is Wiltons?
Wiltons. What the hell is Wiltons anyway?
I’m glad you asked.
plaque
There are a few notable things about Wiltons. First,
Wiltons is older than (on some accounts) Australia (est. 1788). It is also older than the house we currently live in (1882-ish).
It’s old.
Second
Wiltons was(?) the purveyor of oysters to the royal household … for a time. What happened in 1938? Who knows. Was it a bad oyster? Was it wartime austerity?
George VI became King in 1936 following the abdication of his brother. Abdicating for some American floosy was obviously quite the scandal. The Second World War was imminent (1939). George conducted a trip to France and Canada, and became the first British monarch to visit the United States.
Perhaps the Wiltons folk thought this an unforgivable breach of protocol, and refused to serve George any more oysters.
The main point is that Wiltons is really old.
The oyster purveying is important, because this is how the restaurant got its start. Young, aspiring purveyor, George William Wilton ran a shellfish cart near Haymarket (based around a street near Picadilly) in 1742. At this time, it would have been a rough and ready market area selling hay (obviously) and all sorts of things. It would also have had all of the usual Victorian market adjacencies - ale houses, cafes, prostitutes, and (gasp) hotels would all have been local neighbours. These days, all of these services are far too expensive for the kind of people that might be in the market for a bale of hay.
Nevertheless, Kristina & myself ventured down to the old oyster cart man’s new place on Jermyn St.
just down the road from buck pal.
Wiltons is the kind of place that wayward Antipodeans and Magyars are unlikely to be found. It has some serious history, clientele list, and a price list to match. During the war, it was one of the few restaurants exempted from the wartime legislation requiring all meals to be a maximum of five shillings.
It has the old fashioned gentleman’s club vibe of dark mahogany and green velvet curtains. Subdued lighting everywhere ensures you cant read the menu (or prices), and the waitstaff are so incredibly uptight (in a good way) about making sure that all proper standards are met.
The female waitstaff are referred to as ‘nannies’(not by me - this is research). They still wear the kind of outfit which reflects the title, and would keep them eligible for a role in some sort of innuendo laden romance novel. If you are the kind of person (you may say but I could never) who has ever thought that British culture had some sort of odd quasi sexual hangups which it hasnt quite resolved, this place might reinforce that view.
The current location is actually fairly new - 1984. This is what it looks like now.
What kind of people attend this place?
Its London Establishment types. Royalty and general aristocrats, politicians, business types, stars of music and film etc. Some notables include:
Queen Victoria. Wiltons received its first Royal Warrant in 1836 (some sources say 1868) as “Purveyor of Oysters to Queen Victoria,” and the restaurant has held over six royal warrants throughout its history.
The Prince of Wales (Bertie - Edward VII). Noted as a loyal customer.
Lord Jacob Rothschild was mentioned as dining there shortly after a major business deal, where he and his business partner spotted their counterparty at another table
Olaf Hambro of the Hambros banking dynasty famously purchased the restaurant in 1942 when, during a German bombing raid, the then-owner announced she was selling up. Hambro simply looked up from his oysters and said “Put this place on the bill”.
Winston Churchill was a devoted regular who apparently had difficulty settling his accounts, though the restaurant was unofficially exempted from wartime rationing legislation that limited three-course meals to five shillings - possibly due to Churchill’s patronage. The restaurant has preserved Churchill’s favorite table by the far fireplace, which he prized as “the premier vantage point in London” where he could observe the town’s Who’s Who .
Princess Margaret was a regular patron during the 1960s
Michael Heseltine, the former Deputy Prime Minister and co-founder of publishing house Haymarket, memorably described Wiltons as his company’s “work canteen” due to the number of clients entertained there. Lord Heseltine has been spotted dining there in recent times, sitting “quietly in a discrete corner”
Camilla Parker-Bowles (now Queen Camilla) has been mentioned as having Wiltons as her favorite London restaurant Wiltons.
Wilde and Dickens are also, alleged, to have attended.
The thing is that it is difficult to be clear on who has dined there. They pride themselves on their discretion, so famously, the famous are happy to be there.
Lets just assume that it has had quite the recognisable guest list.
So. Why would we go to such a place?
Well. I have a cousin who is a liar of outlandish proportions. Due to corresponding with this lying cousin, I was given to believe that she wanted to treat her mother (my aunt) to a special night out in London.
It was a ruse. The sad and (I wish) unmentionable fact is that I turned fifty years old some months ago. I am still not used to the concept. But Kate is similarly unmovable in the insisting that I celebrate it. And she isnt above lying to me to make her point.
Well. Kate won. Here is the result.
Leaving home. Try to pretend that the rubbish in the street isnt there. It isnt ours. Im sure this is how it was for George VI trying to get an oyster or two.
Obviously, for such a night out, only the finest of carriages would be acceptable.
Luxury travel is the only way to get to Wiltons
Our fine carriage got us to Piccadilly Square. From here it was a light stroll down to Jermyn Street. Jermyn Street has a statue of Beau Brummell in a nod to the area being an historic centre for gentlemens fashion, and a timely reminder that my wardrobe was (is) not up to scratch.
We succeeded in making it past every fine gentlemans accoutrements emporia without purchasing a new cravat. We entered and we were sat down, and both water and champagne were offered. I am sure that this is what Churchill would have expected (probably would have been less fussed on the water), and I think he was onto something.
The next problem we faced was what to select from the menu. Having a freshly poured glass of bubbles takes the edge off that whole dilemma, nevertheless it was a sizeable challenge.
What to eat? (also …yes, I need glasses now)
While we waited, dinner rolls came out (gluten free for some) all served with seaweed butter to help with the thinking.
Since we already had the champagne, I thought it would only make sense to sample some of the oysters. Wiltons famously started as a shellfish cart, and was (as you now know) the purveyor of oysters to the royal household. So now they are the purveyors to another well known, establishment, London residence (…at least this once)
Oysters… what else?
Oysters. A selection of Irish, French and British oysters. All served up with your favourite toppings - spicy tomato , vinegar onion, lemon, soda bread(not sure that added much)
So what does one eat at such a place? In short, it is surf n turf. Obviously the menu does not describe it this way, so Kristina had the Cornish sea bass with Crab sauce (surf). I went for the Beef fillet with Bearnaise sauce (turf). There were also a series of sides - peas, mushrooms, and (quite a lot of) chips in different formats..
Kristina’s fish with crab sauce, and some delightful tiny green balls (peas)
The whole arrangement - mushroom gratin, peas, and many configurations of deep fried potato.
Despite the seeming simplicity of the food, it was probably the best steak I have had in living memory. The oysters were similarly some of the best I have had. Even the peas were great.
Obviously, there was simply not enough food, so we had to consider a dessert. (…its only proper)
Table cleared and reloaded.
Yorkshire Rhubarb Souffle - Kristina
70% Amedei Chocolate Fondant - Paul
All gone!!
Still able to stand and walk - just
That’s it. Thanks so much to all involved for this incredibly rare treat. This was a great experience which I doubt we will ever be fortunate enough to replicate. I am not intending on being fifty again any time soon. In fact, I think I will go with mid-thirties from now on.
Thanks and love to all.
P&K