Suzy G.
Covent Garden
100 reviews
Britain Food
29 Apr 08, 12:50
Beyond expectations
A friend of mine told me that this is the most ancient and famous restaurant of London so I've been there for curiosity. The Rules preserves the original Britain atmosphere (you can see it on the furniture, the wall painting and the paintings). The restaurant is specilized in fowl and meat.
Groups: Lollypop
Quintessentially English
13 Sep 07, 17:47
Beyond expectations
Rules is, apparently, the oldest restaurant in London, having been established by Thomas Rules in 1798.
The relatively unostentatious facade belies the opulent interior which is reminiscent of some Victorian private gentleman's club. Sturdy wooden chairs provide the bulk of the seating, although curved, velvet-upholstered banquettes provide a intimate setting for larger groups.
The staff are excellent and well-turned out (the men sport tail-coats), universally polite and efficient in that oh-so-quiet English way that one associates with the butler in costume dramas.
Rules specialises in game, but the menu for both lunch and dinner is extremely varied. The food is quite excellent, evidently freshly prepared and whilst it is filling, one does not feel bloated.
The wine selection is also wide-ranging and there is bound to be something that you have never tried. I would, by the way, heartily recommend the Kentish Tenterden Estate Bacchus: quite simply one of the most delicious whites I have drunk in years.
Rules is not cheap: an average starter is about a tenner, a main course about £20 and wines are around £30 per bottle. However, if you have the means and want to go to a restaurant at which you feel more than satisfied even after paying the bill, I really cannot recommend Rules enough.
