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London's Iconic Pubs: What is the Guinea Grill?
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Oct 7, 2024
The Guinea Grill is an "old fashion" pub, first opened in 1952, that has become one of London's most historic wine and dine bars. Cristiano Pellizzari, The Guinea Grill's general manager, takes City A.M. editor Andy Silvester around the iconic pub after a major refurbishment and shows him how to pour a "proper" pint of Guinness. Get more of City A.M. š š http://www.cityam.com X(formerly Twitter): http://twitter.com/CityAM Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cityam Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/city_am LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cityam Produced by: Joseph Curay Teneda, Emmanuel Nwosu, Andy Silvester #london #pub #guiness #lifestyle #lifestylevlog #bar #hospitality
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0:00
To me, the atmosphere is a big one
0:01
In this place in the Guinea, we don't do music, there is no TV. It's an official pub and a lot of people like it the way it is
0:07
I'm Andy Silvesta. I'm outside the Guinea grill in Mayfair
0:27
one of London's historic pubs and one of the best ones. best, in my opinion, around the capital
0:33
We are honored to be taken around the pub by the GM, Cristiano
0:38
It's going to give us a whiz around this historic pub because it's had a fresh look of paint
0:41
and it might look a little bit different from how some regulars remember it
0:45
Shall we head through? Let's go. Well, look, we are in this stunning dining room
0:55
It's absolutely gorgeous. Talk us through the last few months, the refurbishment
0:59
And I suppose why this brilliant London institution needed a fresh liquor paint
1:05
Well, it has been too busy month despite the break. And it was very much anticipated this refurbishment, this reopening
1:14
And hence we are here. You know, they did a fantastic job
1:18
Very, very nice. And we needed this refurbishment because we needed a business, because we were turning away business
1:26
On the old days, up to last year, there was a lot of evening. we were fully booked completely and people were like
1:31
we have a table and I'm sorry, you know, completely full of book, I've got nothing. And you know, this is a project that has been going on now
1:37
for quite a long time. And yeah, now we basically double up in covers
1:43
We have three private dining on the first floor. And we're only one
1:47
And the demand has been huge. So, you know, the entire designer did a fantastic job
1:52
And then as a, you know, a lot of the people that come in here and they look at it for the first time
1:56
they say, you know, this is, it feels like it's never been, It's always been here. Yeah
2:00
So yes, very, very nice. This is basically part of the old pub that was here for many, many, many centuries
2:17
And then here we're going to the new side of the pub. We didn't want to do anything new, nothing mother, nothing out of the ordinary
2:24
It's just a proper extension. of the guinea in terms of internal design, you know, the table really close to each other
2:33
I'm going to say it. It's empty now, but I can hear the chink of glass. I can hear the
2:40
cut in the air. I can hear that all. Absolutely. Very much. The glasses and the cheers and so forth
2:46
And this is the lounge. Beautiful. Which is the only part beside the part that you go by the window
2:53
Again, very cozy. Open for lunch and dinner, of course. And a lot of people like to dine here in the
2:58
because it's a bit more privacy compared to the rest of the restaurants in the pub
3:03
That's beautiful. Then upstairs we have three private dining rooms I don know how many pubs they have three private dining rooms but we do We do They awesome Not every part of the historic institution in the middle of Mayfair No not at all
3:19
This is the wine room. Yeah. It's a wonderful place for some other ones to do something intimate or a business, lunch
3:26
luncheon anniversary, birthday and so forth. So now those guys are going to have the Wellington for all of them
3:33
Oh, very nice. Yeah, absolutely. It's a good wine. You've always been renowned for the wine list
3:38
Yes. Not surprised, right? Good meat, good wine. It's a recipe as old as time
3:42
We have a wine list that has over 350 labels. I would say 80% is obviously red
3:48
And out of that, of course, you've got a lot of France with a lot of Bondo and Burgundy and Italy
3:53
Absolutely. But then we go also into the New World, with the US, Australia, New Zealand
3:59
Lebanon, of course. Chatea Muzar is a big one in here. But yeah, people come here also because of the wine list
4:05
I love this room. I really love this room. This is the gallery, very intimate, maximum 10 people
4:11
We saw this room at least four times since we reopened in the past three weeks
4:15
And it's always been a hit. It's just the feeling, the floor
4:20
I was going to say the floor boards are amazing. We maintain the floor the way it is
4:24
Just we finish, we touch it a little bit, no carpet. And then we go this way
4:30
This is the boardroom. The boardroom is the original private dining room
4:36
Now we use it for private event, but we also use it for overflow when needed, when we have a lot of reservations and a lot of booking
4:44
We used to be closed, I think three or four years ago on Sundays because there was no business, Mayfren, so forth
4:49
And then we decided to start opening from Sanderoast and it was a slow start
4:54
But now we're booked from 12 o'clock until 4.30, 5 o'clock. We do Sunday roast between 12 and 5 after that
5:01
that we go back to the regular car menu. But Sunday now is a big day
5:05
It just seems like now in London, there's so many people from abroad still
5:10
despite everything, right, despite all the challenges, there's so many visitors. But as well as Londoners
5:14
rediscovering the centre of London, maybe people who thought, oh, I don't go into the centre of London
5:20
at the weekend, it's too busy. Now they're saying, actually, there's quality there. There is a lot of tourists on Sunday weekends
5:26
And a lot of the hotels, you know, they send us people here at the Guinea
5:31
because they went to. to try the original, you know, part. And, yeah, you're right, absolutely
5:35
But not only tourists, but also people that come from outside London. To enjoy a nice day in Mayfair and do some shopping, have a nice under-roast, good beer
5:45
Yeah, it's funny you mentioned the hotels. One of the things I loved about hospitality when I got there is that, obviously, you know
5:52
it's a competitive industry in a sense, but everybody that's in the hospitality industry
5:55
they work together to a certain degree, right? You're always on each other's side
5:59
The concierge will come in for a pilot. Yeah, absolutely. You'll go over to the hotel bar
6:03
I remember I used to go to scarfs at the Rosewood. They'd send people to the ship all the time
6:07
We'd send people to them. You initiate really a relationship where they can get a table when they need it. Yeah
6:12
And we're here for them. And when the customer goes back, they're very happy
6:16
And you know this is finally It what you want someone to make people happy That a brilliant industry That what the hospitality is Gotta be hospitable right Well yeah Pretty much
6:27
Clues in the name. Loyal customers of whom I count myself won on a fairly regular basis
6:32
It does, as you say, feel like it's been here forever. The history of this pub is what makes it such an institution
6:42
What makes a good pub? I think, I think in this, in term of the Guinea, there is a lot of things
6:46
There's a lot of things that makes this place unique. It's the history, the location, is the wine, is the way that we offer
6:53
It's the meat. There are a lot of people coming in here because of the meat because of the grill
6:57
The pies that we do, we bake our own bread, we make our own butter
7:01
And then of course the Guinness, the Guinness is a big thing
7:05
And a lot of the customers that come here, they come here because they know this place
7:09
already and they feel like they're home. You know, there's some people that don't even want the menu
7:14
They know ready what they want. And a single diner that comes here and enjoy a beautiful dinner
7:20
They have a nice bottle of wine just by themselves. It's like it's a place where you can relax, when you can have a good meal and have a nice
7:28
time experience. What makes a good pub? People. The atmosphere, I think to me the atmosphere is a big one
7:36
In this place at the Guinea, we don't do music, there is no TV, it's an old-fashioned pub, and
7:40
a lot of people like it the way it is. is one of the reasons why
7:44
You know, obviously the quality, the beers. Yeah. Of course. You know, the cold, lager, a proper ale
7:51
You know, and the food is a lot of elements. Yeah. Talk us through what we're seeing here and talk us through how it's aged and the quality
8:05
of the provenance. From Gottfrey's, we've been, gothries been supplying all this beauty for the past 70 plus years
8:12
It's all dry age, minimum 28 days. You got ribby on the bone, sea loin on the bone
8:18
You have beef fillet, chateau-briand, seal loin off the bone. Two different sizes
8:23
Then you have the cot du berth and then the porterhouse, so with the sillon and the bfilet, and of course the lamb chops
8:29
So that grill, it's a super grill, you know, it's almost 200 degrees of heat and all the grill
8:39
I mean all the meat gets really nicely finishing there. finishing there. We get the veiled kidney as well which we do as a starter so a lot of a lot of
8:48
quality meat. Proper red meat pub. How important is it to have that relationship with godfrey's up
8:53
in highbury for so long to make sure that you've got that quality every day coming in
8:56
I would say quality service, consistency. I mean all things that are crucial and they're very
9:05
important to deliver a service and a product to our customers. Just thinking about about the guinea
9:10
you know a London pub London institution last few years haven't been plain sailing
9:14
for hospitality it was pretty tough there in the pandemic obviously and then and then afterwards it must be great to see it full of people again every
9:21
yes yes and people couldn't wait to go back to normality at this long two years
9:27
even more than two years but slowly slowly things get back to normal and now I think we are almost back to normal I would like to say But hospitality yes has been hit really really hard Because the pandemic because of Brexit
9:39
Yes, of course, it's true. But, yeah, I mean, good pubs are there
9:44
Good restaurants are there. And what about you? How long have you been in the trade
9:48
Well, in hospitality, this is my entire career. But I worked for many, many years before season in London and abroad
9:56
in the US, in Mexico and in Italy. And then I did Annabels for seven years, the original end, they knew Annabels
10:03
And then during the pandemic, I needed a change. I was like, you know, and I thought about it, what I'm going to do, what I'm going to do
10:08
And then I was like, you know, I let you go to pubs. I love you to go to Pups
10:12
And, you know, I want you want to have my Pab. And so after after a few years, here I am at the Guinea
10:21
And it's beautiful. It's beautiful. It's, you know, I don't, this is not a job for me
10:26
This is, this is what I like to do. I don't come to work. I come to enjoy my day
10:32
With my team. Sounds perfect. Well, you're now going to have to put your taskmaster hat on because I'm going to see if I can still pour a half decent pint of Guinness and you can rate it. So should we head over
10:41
Let's see. Absolutely. Let's do it. All right. This is the pub, the course
10:47
And we go around here. Oh, Lexon is here. This is one of the men in the pub. So Letson, Andy will let you put a proper pint of Guinness
10:57
And as you used to know how. And let's see how it's doing
11:02
So we go, all right, thank God, it's a long time since we're behind the blog. Which one we're using? Basics, only one three
11:08
All right, it's a test, it's a test, here we go. Yeah, yeah
11:11
You just keep it 45 all the way, don't you? Yeah, yeah
11:18
And don't allow the nose to touch the glass. I always love you can see the Guinness shadow
11:26
in the, uh, in the, uh, in the, Oh, TC. Keep doing, all the way until the heart
11:31
So we can get a proper fluffy head. There we go. Stuff now, leave it to settle until it's complete
11:37
So art, yeah. Okay. Look at that, beautiful. Beautiful. Well, we haven't got it there yet
11:43
Need the help. And what's the big seller? Guinness flying out. Still selling loads of Young's ordinary
11:50
Oh yes, of course. Young Special, Young's original, a lot. Along with Harvie is very nice
11:55
But then the Guinness fly a lot. It's the beer that we sell the most, without any doubt
12:00
Right, I think we're ready. Now, in the old days, I would cheat and I would put it back. Okay
12:08
So I wreck your bar. Perfect. Well, we'll see. I'll let you decide. Nice
12:17
I can live with that. It's not my best. Pleasure. Good job, good job
12:21
That's a very good price. Can I drink it now? Yeah. Taste you case, please
12:25
Let's taste it. It's a good pint of Guinness. That's a good point of Guinness
12:34
Thank you so much. You very welcome. Thank you. Thank you
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