Scott’s has been in business since 1851, serving British fish and shellfish with seasonal favorites in the Mayfair area.  Founded by a fishmonger John Scott as an oyster warehouse it evovled into a seafood restaurant.  The first 100 years it was on Coventry Street before moving to its present location in 1967.   The story goes that Ian Fleming, a regular in the 1950s, conceived of the idea of “shaken not stirred” for the James Bond series here.  Many celebrities have dined there including Steven Spielberg, Michael Caine and King Charles and Camilla, to name a few.  In 2005 Richard Caring bought the place and did an extensive renovation.  It’s a large place with a formal feel although there is no dress code.  The space is divided into many section with chairs also available at the long marble and brass bar.  Dark wood surrounds the large white cloth-covered tables, some set as banquettes.  Frosted glass covers the windows to the street but it is still quite bright.  Art is on the walls, no music is in the background and the service is first rate, as is the food.  They serve many classic dishes and if you want seafood, it’s the place to go.

Set-up

 

Food

Bread and butter were thick slices of both white and wheat breads with a nicely softened round of butter.  Both breads were dense on the interior with a good crisp to the crust.  The accompanying butter had just enough salt to nicely accent both.

 

 

They offered a good selection of raw oysters from different locations with differing prices.  We chose a half dozen of the Achill Rocks and Jersey Rocks oysters on the half shell.  They were medium-sized with lots of juice in the shell.  They came with vinegar or red sauce as well as some tabasco and lemons.  They seemed fairly similar in flavor.

 

Dover Sole was cooked on the bone and served with meuniére sauce.  It came in two sizes 16 or 22 ounce and we both chose the smaller.  They brought it to the table before de-boning but whisked it away too fast for me to get a photo but their de-boning was excellently done.  It was superb and served with an extra little pan of meuniére sauce if you wanted more. The perfectly cooked fish had a beautiful presentation and was heaven on a plate.

 

A side of Potatoes-Chipped was small but plenty for two.  They were crisp, hot and wonderful.  Perfect texture with good potato flavor.

 

Rocket Salad with shaved parmesan and balsamic dressing was a large mound of young arugula with tasty parmesan slices mixed in.  The dressing was light but added just the right seasoning to the fresh greens.  Very good.

 

Bakewell pudding with almond praline ice cream was a shared dessert.  It was a flakey buttery crust containing a layer of jam topped with egg and almond paste and garnished with sliced almonds.   OMG – this was out of sight.  The buttery, sweet filling was perfect with the nuts.  The sticky, sweet interior was fantastic with the crisp lovely crust.  I would go back just to get this dessert. Yum x3!