It’s always interesting going back to a restaurant you haven’t visited for many years. You have memories of what it was like, but restaurants change, your tastes change and, let’s be honest, sometimes your memory isn’t quite as reliable as you think it is. It is also refreshing to see the restaurant still exists, which is never a given in the current climate.

Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill in Mayfair was one of those places for us and one that has definitely stood the test of time. We’d first visited many years ago, but hadn’t been back since, despite making plenty of trips to London in the meantime. I have no idea why we haven’t, but it’s London and it feels like there are restaurants on every corner, and always somewhere new to try.

So, when we were looking for somewhere to eat on a recent trip to London, we decided it was about time we returned to Bentley’s.

Back to Bentley’s

Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill has been part of London’s seafood scene since 1916 and is now owned by chef Richard Corrigan, who took over the restaurant in 2005. It’s still very well known for its oysters and seafood, with the original oyster bar still on the ground floor.

Walking into Bentley’s again after all those years felt strangely familiar. I’m sure plenty has changed, but it still had that classic, white-tablecloth feel that I remembered.

We were shown to our table upstairs and, before long, had a glass of Champagne in hand and were looking through the menu.

Oysters, oysters and more oysters

We started with a selection of bread and butter before getting stuck into a selection of oysters – Oysters Rockefeller, Vietnamese dressed oysters and plain oysters.

If you’re going to return to Bentley’s after all those years, you might as well embrace the seafood theme from the start.

The Oysters Rockefeller were rich and indulgent, while the Vietnamese dressed oysters brought something a little fresher and lighter to the table. That said, there’s still something hard to beat about a really good oyster served simply.

And this was only the beginning.

Lobster and shellfish

For my starter, I went for the half grilled lobster with lemon, garlic and almond butter.

It was every bit as indulgent as it sounds, with the lobster beautifully cooked and the lemon, garlic and almond butter making a suitably rich combination.

My husband chose Bentley’s shellfish cocktail, which seemed like a pretty safe choice in a restaurant specialising in seafood.

By this point, we’d definitely committed to the seafood theme.

Pan-seared cod

We both chose the same for our main course. There was already enough food envy at the table without ordering different mains as well.

We went for the pan-seared cod with langoustine sauce.

The cod was beautifully cooked and the langoustine sauce added plenty of flavour without overpowering the fish. It was a simple dish, but very well done.

And yes, by this stage I was beginning to wonder whether I’d left enough room for dessert.

Because obviously, we weren’t going to skip that.

Dessert – because obviously

I had the Craquelin Choux with hazelnut praline, while my husband went for the sticky toffee pudding with pecan and Pedro Ximénez sauce.

Sticky toffee pudding is usually a favourite of his, and this one didn’t disappoint.

Two very different desserts, but both suitably indulgent ways to finish the meal.

Just when we thought we’d finished, the staff brought out a plate of petit fours. A nice little extra, although I’m not sure either of us really needed any more food at this point.

Final thoughts

It was good to go back to Bentley’s after such a long gap. It’s always slightly risky returning somewhere you’ve remembered fondly, but this was a return visit that worked.

The seafood was excellent, the service was relaxed and we had a very enjoyable evening.

Maybe we won’t leave it quite so long before we go back again.