Hyde Park Corner, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

Chef and Insta-fave-rave Tom Brown made a major culinary name for himself with Cornerstone (RIP) and Pearly Queen (see also) in East London, and was headhunted in early 2025 to relaunch the dining room of this posh Knightsbridge hotel, a short walk from the back of Harrods. In recent times, this small space has operated as a relatively informal brasserie, but its heritage over the decades is huge, having helped boost the career of such starry names as Brian Turner, Gary Rhodes, Éric Chavot and Nathan Outlaw. Despite the many thousands spent over the years on interior design here, there’s only so much one can do within the constraints of this relatively small space (seating 28), so the focus is necessarily on his fish-led cuisine. It opened too late for survey feedback, but press reviews have been very up-and-down. No qualms held back The Telegraph’s William Sitwell from straight talking, who stuck the boot into a “monument to the dull and misconceived” with flavours that were “horrid”… “rank”… a “combo so offensive it should be banned under the Geneva Convention”. William’s best line? “Undercooked white asparagus looked like a dead man’s protuberance – and it wouldn’t suit a morgue let alone this dining room”. This contrasts with The Standard’s David Ellis who diplomatically opined that “There is a five-star restaurant here: I’m coming back, I’m going to find it”. And, in his May 2025 review, The Times’s Giles Coren bucked the trend by declaring the cooking “deeeelicious”.

For a comfortable meal in an impressive space in Mayfair, this wood-panneled chamber has much to recommend it, and is one of the better-preserved traditional dining rooms (dating originally from the 1850s and made over in the 1930s). Chef Sofian Msterfi injects North African ideas from his Moroccan roots into some of the dishes on his five-course (for £95 per person) or seven-course (for £140 per person) menus. The odd reporter feels this is “too much concept” for their tastes, but for the most part it’s an approach that’s very well received.