CUT at 45 Park Lane, Mayfair

Wolfgang Puck is the celebrity chef. He has 18 restaurant chains across the world, has written seven cook books, sells his own range of cookware, appliances and gourmet food, and caters for weddings of the rich and famous. Oh, and then there’s the app, website and social media channels. What a busy motherpucker.

CUT at 45 Park Lane is the start of his London empire. The luxurious steak restaurant smells of money, from the mahogany and leather furniture, to the clientele (I’m pretty sure there was a James Bond villain sat next to us). It also serves bloody brilliant food, even though that comes with a hefty price tag.

A friend told us not to bother with starters. ‘We’d be too full’, she said. So, we moved straight onto mains, enjoying complimentary cheese puffs and beautiful bread along the way.

So beautiful, I’ve decided to spend a paragraph talking about it. There were four  types, but the pretzel knot stood out. Sprinkled in salt, it pulled apart like mozzarella and had a flavour that would make Paul Hollywood question his career.

Before choosing our CUT, the waiter talked us through the options, using his handy prop – a giant plate of raw beef. We nearly went for Wagyu, but couldn’t justify the £84 price tag. So, decided on two cuts of USDA Prime Black Angus Beef, aged 35 days.

Mine was a medium rare 6oz Petit Cut Filet Mignon (£34) and The Boyfriend went for a rare 10oz New York Sirloin (£38). Both steaks lived up to expectation – they were precisely cooked and had the consistency of butter.

For sides, we ordered the signature Creamed Spinach with Fried Organic Egg, Rapini (a type of broccoli) with Chilli & ‘Fiore de Sardo’ (an Italian sheep’s milk cheese), and an impressive stack of French Fries (all £7). The creamed spinach was particularly moreish, but a richer accompaniment than we needed.

Sauce wise, we went for Argentinian Chimichurri, Shallot Red Wine Bordelaise and Béarnaise. At £1 each, they were the most reasonably priced items on the menu, but we were a little annoyed to find béarnaise served with the fries – something they could have pointed out.

We (I) homed in on the Warm Dark Chocolate Valrhona Soufflé for dessert (£11) – an excellent choice as it turned out. More than enough for two, the waiter poured whipped creme fraiche over the ginormous soufflé, before making a hole in the middle for a neat scoop of Toasted Hazelnut Gianduja Ice Cream and covering the lot in chocolate sauce. It was a beauty to behold.

As it was The Boyfriend’s birthday, a candlelit Baked Alaska made its way to our table. The white chocolate buttermilk cake with strawberry sauce was a yummy touch by CUT and one that went down very well. Much better than the Petit Four, which we didn’t need, but ate to soften the blow of the bill.

Other than the price, I can’t find fault with CUT, so give it a very respectable and well deserved LLE Rating of 9/10. Time to start saving for my next visit.

CUT at 45 Park Lane, London W1K 1PN

*First exterior shot ‘borrowed’ from the telegraph.co.uk