Tuttons, Covent Garden
Known for its iconic red awnings and vivid al fresco dining terrace on the corner of Covent Garden’s Russell Street, Tuttons has often been overlooked as a restaurant solely catering to day trippers and tourists. Never has this misconception been further from the truth than now. Having recently undergone a significant refurbishment project and a revision of the menu, Tuttons reopened in June. Every bit the modern brasserie and more, Tuttons is well worth a visit.
The restaurant has been completely transformed by interior designer, Russell Sage, and head chef, Alan Southwell. Sage, known for his work with Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants, has reinvented the Tuttons interior, whilst Alan Southwell has created an accomplished and cohesive menu that works in perfect harmony with its new, stylish, brasserie surroundings.
I was fortunate enough to enjoy a delicious meal, featuring warm, roast Gressingham duck salad with golden girolles, broad beans & pomegranate as my starter.
The refined main course comprised of pan roasted corn fed chicken breast with Charlotte potatoes, asparagus, pearl onions and a red wine & tarragon sauce.
I completed the meal with Kentish raspberry cheesecake with biscuit crumb. Delicious!
Another equally fascinating element to the Tuttons dining experience is the history of the restaurant.
Tuttons was once known as the Hummums of Covent Garden. Since the late seventeenth century, the Hummums stood on the corner of Great Russell Street and Tavistock Row, providing a myriad of services ranging from a hotel and restaurant to Turkish baths. The Hummums also features in the literature of both the eighteenth and nineteenth century, in the works of Britain’s literary greats such as Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and Charles Dickens. The building has not had an uneventful past. It has undergone all but destruction by fire and demolition. Like a phoenix, it has repeatedly emerged triumphantly from its ashes.
The eponymous Tuttons restaurant was introduced to Covent Garden in the early seventies, carrying the surname of the owner. It has changed hands several times since then but arguably at no point in its history has the restaurant looked as grand as it does today.
Tuttons, Covent Garden
11-12 Russell Street, London, WC2B 5HZ
Twitter: @TuttonsLondon
Online booking available here
Opening Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 08:00 - 23:30
Thursday to Saturday: 08:00 - 23:45
Sunday: 08:00 - 23:00
Current Deals:
Prosecco Pre-Theatre Menu - 3 courses for £17.95, 2 courses for £15.95
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