Tredwell’s is Marcus Wareing’s casual eatery which opened in September 2014 in the heart of Theatre Land (Seven Dials, Covent Garden), adding to restaurant portfolio with Gilbert Scott in St Pancreas and the fabulous Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley. The restaurant is named after the butler in Agatha Christie’s 1929 play “The Seven Dials Mystery”, it’s some sort of detective mystery set locally in the 1920’s. Forgive me though as that’s all I know! More importantly Head Chef Andrew Ward boasts some serious credentials having worked as a sous chef at Chez Bruce, Rhodes24 which is now City Social and La Trompette after doing a stint of just under 5 years at The Glass House. The interior is quite smart, art deco style tiling and green leather wrapped banquette seating booths. I came a here in the midst of the summer during a sunny July afternoon with a large raucous bunch from work, we were well looked after and the waiting staff didn’t even batter an eyelid whilst accommodating us.
Being such a large group our choices were limited to a set menu, albeit quite a varied one, so all was not lost. One missing item which put proceedings to a halt was the lack of Slow Cooked Beef Short Rib (£29) on the menu. We were gutted… Until our decent waiter sweet talked the Chef to make them for an £8 supplement!
Having such a varied selection of craft beers was a nice touch too, I know which bar I’d be visiting for a cold one when in the Seven Dials:
A few of us went for the Schiehallion Craft lager from the Harviestoun Brewery in Clackmannanshire. It was refreshing and exactly what we needed to take the edge off the long week.
Others went for cocktails which were not to be sniffed at, they’re actually quite good. The Red Loire wine ‘Cheverny’ was a recommendation from the sommelier and went down like velvet with the slow booked beef short rib. 
Rosemary and Olive Baked Bread, Salted Butter; the bread arrived warm and steam puffed out as you tore into it.. This bread wasn’t so innocent after lashings of butter was slathered which melted in quite nicely.
Chicken Liver Mouse, Bacon Jam, Toast; the super smooth, silky chicken liver mousse was served with a screw top jar which was a nice novelty. The strong flavour of the liver worked really well with the sticky-sweet smokey bacon jam against that toast, I was a little jealous as I opted for the mackerel!
Cornish Mackeral, Piquillo Peppers, Ricotta, Cornichons, Capers. It was ok, not the freshest I’ve had and also not a patch on the chicken liver.
Slow Cooked Beef Short rib; a dino sized slide-off-the-bone tender beef rib, at that moment in time there was nothing more we wanted. As you well know slow-cooking is my favourite, so tender a knife was not needed!
Lake District Hanger Steak, Pepper Corn Sauce. I’m a big fan of the less obvious cuts, especially if they’re prized for their flavour and kept by the butchers for themselves! Extra kudos is given when there’s no option of how you would like it done other than how the chef makes it – rare in this case to retain that juicy beef flavour.
Grilled Broccoli, Toasted Almond Butter, Capers. I’m a broccoli lover and grilling it like this retains the crunch of the vegetable. One of the group said ‘I’ve never had broccoli with peanut butter’. Doh!
Sugar Snap Pea, Fennel and Rocket Salad. Well seasoned and well dressed, not too shabby at all.
Polenta Chips. Crispy and cheesy on the outside with a fluffy, creamy centre. If these were available the next day after a hard night on the tiles, it will cure many hangovers!
Salted Caramel and Praline Tart. It was very rich, buttery and very naughty. You had the fudgey caramel, nutty praline, crunchy base and topping. I believe everyone demolished theirs.
A Selection of Cheeses, Malt Loaf, Oat Cakes, Membrillo. For all you cheese lovers out there!
The verdict;
The damage: Expect to pay £50-£70 per head with wine and cocktails
The good: I could happily eat that Slow Cooked Beef Short rib with a plate of grilled broccoli and a cup full of polenta chips again. This could also be a new place to perch for pre-theatre/post-theatre cocktail/craft beer.
The bad: There are many other restaurants I’d visit at this price point including Barrafina Drury Lane or Opera Tavern which are stone throw away and the atmosphere was quite flat. Dare I say it the mackerel didn’t taste the freshest. A fellow diner’s hanger steak was cold, it was quickly and politely sent back by the waiter. A much juicer warmer version came not so long after, this was quite slick, but one might argue it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Rating: 3/5
http://www.tredwells.com/
Tredwell’s, 4a Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9NY.
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