Mayfair, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“Outstanding cooking, with first-class service” consistently hits the bullseye at this relatively unsung venue, tucked away at the back of a luxury Mayfair hotel. There’s a “thoughtful” approach to the meal, with “chefs coming out to tell you about dishes” – while some diners are “invited into the kitchen to meet Alyn”. It’s a “very comfortable” set-up and “the space between tables is incredible by modern restaurant standards, which creates the intimacy that a romantic meal requires”. And, especially at lunch, the elegant room’s lack of windows and natural light adds to the cocooning nature of the experience.

“An extraordinary restaurant for an extraordinary occasion!” – Up the “beautiful staircase” accessed through Hide Ground (see also), “no expense has been spared in the creation of this exquisite restaurant”, and the “cool” and incredibly spacious first-floor dining room of this Russian-owned yearling provides an impressively luxurious backdrop, “especially if you bag one of the tables facing Green Park”. You can choose from either the six-course or nine-course tasting menu, which comes with a vegetarian alternative (and a shorter, “more affordable” option at lunch) and there’s the “astonishing complement” of “nearby Hedonism Wines’ incomparable 6,000-strong list, as they will run your preferred bottle over if it’s not in the restaurant’s own cellar”. When it comes to Ollie Dabbous’s Scandi-inspired cooking, most reporters feel that “thankfully the food lives up to the posh surroundings”, delivering “precise, light and intriguing” cuisine that’s a “worthy successor to Dabbous”. “Impeccable”, “helpful” and “charming” service adds further to the mood. “OMG it’s oligarch prices” though, leaving doubters – who also feel some plates are a tad “over-engineered” – to conclude that “the biggest impression it leaves is the dent in your wallet!”

This “sophisticated and impressive” Mayfair chamber has had its ups and downs in recent times, and despite scoring a respectable level of customer satisfaction in the last couple of years, still came nowhere near realising its potential as one of the capital’s best traditional dining rooms. The hotel has seen a lot of changes in recent times, though, with the June 2019 appointment of Stefan Trepp as Executive Chef (replacing Henry Brosi who’d been in-post for 20 years); and with the July 2019 hiring of 26-year-old Tom Booton, who shifted over from heading the kitchen at the highly rated Alyn Williams at the Westbury. Can this potentially magnificent dining room now finally regain its place as one of London’s foremost hotel venues?

As a way of dipping your toe into the Hide ‘waters’, the ground floor of this huge, Russian-backed project near Green Park tube is the safest place to start, offering a selection of menus from early morning onwards, and with a grazing menu, in addition to the (“punishingly expensive”) à la carte. As with Above, this likewise is a “beautifully designed and spacious set-up that’s good for more than just business but certainly good for a working lunch”. Top Tips – “wonderful breakfasts, with a coffee list too” and “lovely afternoon tea watching the world go whilst trying a variety of teas”.

“Always buzzing whatever the time of day”: Corbin & King’s “magnificent” Grand Café near The Ritz remains a linchpin of metropolitan life; the capital’s No. 1 venue for a business meal – especially breakfast; and “a must-visit” for anyone getting to know London. “The space always impresses” – a converted Edwardian car-showroom that provides a “uniquely London” take on a “vast Belle-Époch-style brasserie”. It has “the right cosmopolitan feel” to lend an air of sophistication to any meal, plus “familiar faces from media and TV” to inject further excitement. “There’s a huge menu, so you’ll always find something you fancy”, but while its “retro”, “comfort” cuisine (with a Mittel-European twist) is “served with urbane panache”, it is widely acknowledged by regulars that the dishes themselves are “uninspired” and taste “to be honest, average”. But who cares? “It is hard not to love this place”. Top Tip – “A grand setting for a quintessential and well-priced afternoon tea experience”.

“Impeccable in every way: from the quietly unintrusive pianist in the background, to the service…” – this plush Mayfair hotel lounge is an orgy of opulent soft furnishings with a spoiling afternoon tea to match (plus other luxury bites from breakfast on); “not cheap”, say fans, “but actually worth every penny”.

Approaching its 300th birthday, this Mayfair pub is more stylish than most in the West End, partly due to its history of celebrity ownership (it was part of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s divorce settlement, with Ritchie getting The Queen of Pop’s share when they split). Foodwise, it’s also been a decent bet in recent times (although it did receive one ‘off’ report from a former fan this year).