It’s reassuring to know that some things are dependable. Like the fervor of transport geeks over the opening of the Elizabeth line (or should that be Crossrail? Or even just “the new one”?) or the fuss we made about the jubilee. Aspects of the British psyche may not be for everyone but that doesn’t mean they aren’t occasionally great.

If we wished to stretch that analogy as thinly as it can go, the same could be said for seafood: still one of the great culinary dividers. No one quite likes oysters. No one is ambivalent about lobster. You love it, or you run screaming. And yet despite this, it would be hard to leave Scott’s, Mayfair’s famous fish joint, with anything other than a full belly and a smile on your face.

You’re aware that you’re approaching somewhere special as you turn the corner onto Mount Street. A school of well-heeled diners dart around the terrace tables, and in through the heavy-set doors.

Once inside the reassuring buzz of people unafraid to make noise while they eat means your fellow diners feel at ease speaking freely. Tune in to the tables around you for a moment and you’ll pick up news of a half-million-pound deal struck for fun, or a landmark birthday, delivered over portions of slip sole or bass, bowls of oysters or plates of crab. All fresh, light and unobscured on the plate. 

These dishes are left to their own devices. A little butter here, a dollop of devilled mayonnaise there, Scott’s doesn’t fuss with the excellent produce they have. They focus instead on the business of serving it.

Mind you, if fuss is what you’re after, try the Paris Brest. The pastry chef at Scott’s has decided that what this famously calorie-dense dessert needs is.. pistachio ice cream.

They’re not wrong. It is an absolute show-stopper. Sweet, chocolatey, refreshing and moreish. Whatever you had for your first two courses (we had a delicious bisque, crab, sole and black cod), finish up with this and satisfaction is guaranteed.

Click here to book a table at the fabulous Scott’s restaurant.

Getting there: Scott’s, 20 Mount Street, W1K 2HE
Tel: 020 7495 7309

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