J Sheekey

www.grumblinggourmet.com

Going to J Sheekeys for their fruits de mer platter is for me the equivalent of walking into a spa. A brief respite of pure unadulterated luxury, a heady healthy hit that generally goes a long way towards improving my state of mind. The definition of a treat in other words.

It hasn’t changed here in years, an I mean that in a very good way. Nicco Polo and I settle into a luxurious banquette with a self-satisfied sigh entirely at evens with the surroundings. Acres of luxurious linen cloths, a friendly and superbly well drilled FOH team and an awesomely good selection of shellfish. Nothing else needed.

Given my frothing tone so far, I should stress that while Sheekeys is luxurious, there’s nothing pretentious about it. Seeing that we were struggling and wasting time with the faff of peeling the succulent little brown shrimp, our waiter gave a handy seaside tip, pinching head and tail together to pop out the sweet, fresh goodness. If I were a newbie contemplating attacking a platter, then this level of thoughtfulness would be even more appreciated.

If there’s something vaguely erotic about the eating of an oyster, then fruits de mer is the culinary equivalent of no holds barred, hanging from the lampshade sex with a fruity, nubile and entirely innapropriate ex. A plethora of succulent, juicy little nubbins, blushing creamy pink morsels and taut sinews, each begging to be sampled next. Like the aforementioned illicit tryst, there’s a wild menu of differnt styles, types and positions, everyone has their favourites and it’s all so borderline lewd that nobody wants to imagine their parents at it.

After that, an ice cold buttery white wine and something to mop up the juices (see, I said you didn’t want to imagine your parents at it…) we collapse back into the banquette. Perfect, absolutely perfect.

We visited in October 2011, on a Saturday lunch time, and they were offering ‘Saturday specials ’ , the choice was good, the food excellent, as was the service.We’ll definitely visit we are in London next time.

Went on the recommendation of friends. Had a lovely meal with excellent service. The dining area is split into smaller more intimate areas which was nice. Thoroughly enjoyed the food but it wasn't exceptional. I would go back for lunch and would go for dinner again but not for a special occasion.

Been a couple of times with friends, once without booking!
Both times a great relaxed atmosphere, enough to ensure you can relax and enjoy yourself.
Great service, professional without being intrusive.
As everyone knows the focus is on fish, they do it simply, but excellently.
Great food, good service, relaxed style.

We turned up without a reservation and were welcomed with attentive, careful service. No tables being available we were offered seats at the bar, but my wife didn't fancy that. Our gracious host immediately whisked us next door into the charming Oyster Bar and settled us in a cosy corner table. We really were treated like valued regulars rather than random walk-ins and that set the tone for an absolutely fabulous evening.

Starting with the best champagne I've ever tasted we munched our way through a selection of some of the best seafood I have ever tasted. Fresh and cooked to perfection there was nothing to be faulted. Rich, thick home-made mayonnaise was the perfect compliment to crisp pommes allumettes.

But the best of the best was a little dish of octopus with chorizo and beans. This was out of this world and quite the best octopus preparation I have ever tasted. The waiter explained with huge enthusiasm that the dish is cooked "sous vide" in seawater for three and a half hours at a low temperature. It was worth every minute.

Dessert was a wonderful traditional steam pudding and custard, which I rounded off with an excellent espresso.

One of the best meals I've ever had the pleasure of eating, and I have been lucky enough to eat in many fine restaurants.

I had lunch at J Sheekey in April 2011 as I was told it had a very good fish selection. The atmosphere in J Sheekey (which is just tucked around the corner from Leicester Square tube station) is one of understated elegance and you can tell it's going to be a place with good, discrete service.
The menu did indeed have a large selection of fish and shellfish and I opted for the somewhat traditional haddock and chips and mushy peas with some shared sides of steamed spinach and broccoli.
The waitress informed us that our mains would take 20 mins (since we had not ordered a starter) which was helpful I thought.
When the food arrived, it was well presented and all parties were served simultaneously. The fish was battered and crisp outside but moist inside, the chips crispy too and the mushy peas very green and smooth! Overall the food was excellent but what was even more impressive was the dessert! I wanted the double-choc souffle but due to time constraints (it takes about 20 mins to prepare) I had a vanilla Creme Brulee. This was one of the nice slim, wide dishes not the small deep dishes (which means you get short-changed on all that sugary topping!) It was really nice and tasty and scooping down into it revealed vanilla seeds at the bottom of the dish, which was pretty clever. I had half before I was stuffed and my colleague fiinished off the rest.
All in all, yummy, good service, not too pricey (about £30 per head) but not cheap either, but worth every penny!

For photos see Greedy Diva @ http://greedydiva.blogspot.com/2011/01/j-sheekey-covent-g...

Despite there being so many new and interesting restaurants popping up in Covent Garden, it's also nice to visit one of the more old school establishments every now and then. Lunch at J Sheekey was just the ticket. The old timer at the table next to us remarked to the waiter that her mother had brought her to J Sheekey as a young girl - and it feels like that kind of place.

Black and photos of theatre starlets line the mahogany panelled walls. The long standing appeal of the place comes down to its history, effortless style, seamless (if a little stiff) service and well sourced ingredients executed properly.

As part of the Caprice Holdings group (which includes stalwart establishments, The Ivy and Scotts), J Sheekey is predominantly a fish and seafood restaurant, and the best of its offerings is probably not on the set lunch menu that we opted for. The plateau de fruits de mer for 2 people looks stunning.

However, the weekend lunch menu, at £26.50 per person for 3 courses, is probably the best means to get away lightly in what is otherwise a pricey restaurant.

Gravlax with marinated cucumber and a Swedish mustard dressing was a small but silky starter, while my fabulous, tender grilled squid perched atop a sweet, nutty red pepper sauce.

J Sheekey has a reputation for its fish pie - and while it's not as unctuous as the one you'll find at Bentley's, it is creamy and comforting, and laden big chunks of salmon and prawns. There's a satisfyingly thick and crispy layer of potato on top, although my pie was lacking in white fish.

Since they had run out of salmon, TPG enjoyed the rich feast that was the grilled chicken with buttered cabbage and earthy wild mushrooms - a terrific, hearty option if you don't want fish.

The clementine sponge pudding with warm custard is gorgeous - the perfect wintry dessert. The pretty raspberry ripple ice-cream was not as impressive, but the boozey cherries gave it a lovely kick and it came with a fine, crisp shortbread.

J Sheekey also offers a fish and chips and glass of house wine deal for £16.50, and it's worth keeping in mind as a pre- or post theatre option, being in the heart of West End theatre land. You could also try the J Sheekey Oyster Bar next door, which is always bustling - reservations at either the bar or restaurant can be hard to come by, so plan ahead.

First time here, on the recommendation of a friend who's a massive foodie.

We were taking a client, and it's a good spot for that - felt a bit too formal before it got busy, but by the end of our lunch (2.30 ish) it was nice and noisy.

Wood panelled comfortably small dining rooms, an older and professional clientele. Nice location, nice ambience.

Service was good, although our main very slow in arriving after starters were taken away. That was a shame but not a huge spoiler.

The food was good but not outstanding or memorable.

We had oysters to start - delicious - and then one of our group had Pollack, one Monkfish steamed, and I had Ray Wing, which was very interesting and tasty.

The veg sides were a little disappointing - the mash was a bit smash-y, carrots very tasty but perhaps one degree too al dente but the spinach (I think) creamy thing was very good indeed.

Our waiter recommended a fantastic minerally white wine to set the fish off, and all was generally well in the world.

I'd definitely go back. It just didn't elevate me onto another plane, at least not this time round. But certainly good enough.

Yes, the seafood is good. I do love the old-world charm and decor, and the service cannot be criticised.

But, seriously, folks -- the prices are not justified. The fish may be fresh and well-prepared, but the markup is staggering and the sides are bland and mediocre at best.

In the interest of full disclosure, admittedly I do dine here fairly regularly, but only on expense account or when someone else is treating.

We found this place with qype app on our new ipad. Qype reviews pulled us here very correctly. Yes 6 oysters and champagne is "the" choice here, we added steamed mussels and muscadet which turned the whole experience to a feast. Thumbs up!

I went to J-sheekey with a group of friends, we had previously been to some of the other caprice group resturants so had high expectations.
The food did not disappoint, it was delicious and believe me when theres hardly any meat on the menu i am hard to please im totally won over now by the fsh resturant. The ingredients were so fresh and full of flavour, so light that you could just eat more and more.
I had great john dorey dsh with clams for main and delilcious scallops with parma ham to start thers also a lovely dessert menu with some great classics such as bakewell tart crumble.
The decor wasnt to my taste it was quite classic and typically english,lots of dark wood but there was a great atmosphere and w even spotted the odd celebrity.
The food and wine was worth every penny.

Took advantage of their weekend lunch offer, first time to Sheekey's and it was absolutely fantastic. Almost felt like stepping back in time with wooden panelling, soft lighting and intimate rooms. Will be going back again and again. Service was excellent, discreet yet attentive and not rushed; atmosphere was very good. I had the Gem Heart Salad to start - short intense blue cheese flavours; the fish pie main - light, fluffy and very filling. The Buttermilk pudding with plums and custard were completely unpretentious.

Good spot for a long Sunday lunch to catch up with friends or on a relaxed date.

Went in the other day for there glass of champagne and 6 oysters deal. FANTASTIC. Oysters were all fresh, (the attendent smelled eveyone after opening then), although a tad small and the champagne was more than palatable. Lovely surroundings and very friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Utterly amazing, some of the best food I have ever eaten. Faultless....

This is my favourite place in town. Although it's definitely not a cheap eat it is an impressive date venue. The food is spectacular with out being at all pretentious. Amazing food at the both the bar and at the table. I have had lobster thermador here twice. I could cry just thinking about it.

It should be compulsory for all restauranteurs, Maître d's, waiting staff and barstaff to come here just once to find out what good service really feels like. And the interior is delightfully deco.

Although the prices may be intimidating, the staff are incredibly down to earth and friendly.

Join the mailing list - there are some really good early bird deals being offered at the moment.

At the third time of trying, my wife and I finally got to eat here. This time, as it was my wife’s 30th birthday, I played safe by booking three months in advance!

It was well worth the wait. We ate late (after Wicked) and despite this the restaurant was busy. The seating is a little tight but I really didn’t find that an issue. The staff were really friendly and the service was great: the somelier helped with an excellent choice of wine for our food and seemed to be both at our table topping up our glasses whenever needed but at the same time unobtrusive. The food justified its price and they were even adept at cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques when rather embarrasingly I had a heart attack whilst viewing the £170 bill.

Actually, one of my most memorable dining experiences.

The perfect pre (or post) theatre dining restaurant. Service is swift and West End openings are listed on the back of your menu so that you will not miss the crucial curtain raise. Food is pricey but top notch with oysters galore and buttery folds of smoked salmon. Yes it is expensive but eating here with all the old thespians beaming down from their photographs on the wall is part of the whole theatre experience.