© PALI HILL GOURMET
© PALI HILL GOURMET GUIDE Westminster. Expect fire with your food, and some punchy flavors: Smoked venison heart, flamed mushroom with lobster, and hay-smoked mallard, for instance, with flatbreads from his wood oven. Meanwhile, Sven-Hanson Britt has finally opened the long-awaited Oxeye (oxeyerestaurant.co.uk), in the Embassy Gardens development at Nine Elms. Britt’s exciting, ambitious, rus in urbe menu (with distinctly New Nordic flourishes, although, despite his name, Britt is from Hampshire) features produce from his own Derbyshire farm, as well as foraged herbs, seaweeds, and fruits. From new-wave minimalism to old-school maximalism: the mighty old behemoth that is Langan’s Brasserie (langansbrasserie.com) has embarked on a new lease of life. Its thoroughly refurbished three floors will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an Anglo-French menu featuring everything from sausage and mash to Beluga caviar, via steak Diane and Dover sole meunière. ESSENTIALLY NEW Even the most attentive of gourmets may have missed some of London’s openings from 2019. Since many of them probably blew their opening PR and marketing budget two years ago, only to be forced to close a few months later, it might be helpful to point out some of the establishments that might have slipped under the gastronomic radar. There is Maison François (maisonfrancois. london), for example, on the site of the old Green’s, in St James’s, although—judging by the buzz from the banquettes—word has already got out: It’s a handsome, high-ceilinged brasserie de luxe with much more than steak frîtes on chef Matthew Ryle’s perfectly pitched menu, and a wine list the size of an BEART NATIONS LEAGUE From top: Light Indian cuisine from Pali Hill; Tagliatelle al tartufo from Il Borro. 70 NetJets
THE MAN ABOUT TOWN Pierre Koffmann HAVE LONDON’S RESTAURANTS IMPROVED SINCE YOU STARTED COOKING HERE? Hugely! It used to be impossible to get great produce; now it’s much easier. And there are lots of good small restaurants now. In the 1970s, you had to dress up and go to The Ritz or The Savoy if you wanted something good to eat. There is much more middle ground now. HOW DOES LONDON COMPARE WITH PARIS? There is so much more breadth here, cuisines from all over the world. In Paris, there are a few Italian and Spanish places, and Japanese, but Chinese food, for instance, is mostly rubbish. WHERE HAVE YOU ENJOYED EATING RECENTLY? The West African menu at Akoko, in Fitzrovia—spicy, but nothing too hot! Santo Remedio has great Mexican cuisine. A. Wong for Chinese. And Perilla, in Newington Green—I’ve never had a bad meal there. Former Michelin three-starred chef Pierre Koffmann now co-produces a weekly online restaurant column with ex-Bloomberg critic Richard Vines: koffmannandvines.com FOOD AND DRINK From top: The Painter’s Room at Claridge’s; champagne and oysters at Le Magritte Bar; Los Mochis’ crispy Californian mini tacos. © LOS MOCHIS JUSTIN DE SOUZA © THE BEAUMONT HOTEL T O P T I P P L E S The Painter’s Room Perhaps London’s most stylish new place for a pre-prandial martini, the art deco-themed Painter’s Room at Claridge’s features a bar sculpted entirely from onyx, while artist Annie Morris’s centerpiece—a colorful stained glass mirror—is flanked by her playful murals. As well as the classics, the cocktail menu features lighter drinks: try the cognac and tonic, flavored with oolong tea, or the Almost A Bellini, with pineau des Charentes, rosé and peach. claridges.co.uk Rondo Holborn A collaboration between restaurateur Will Lander (The Quality Chop House, Clipstone, Portland) and ex-St. John chef Chris Gillard, Rondo, in The Hoxton Hotel, Holborn, offers all-day drinks at its bistrostyle bar. Go for great cocktails (the Hox-Bee, for example, concocted from vodka, honey cordial, and soda) and a supremely well-chosen wine list (Lander is the son of wine guru Jancis Robinson); nibble on pork and duck rillettes with pickled radishes, or perhaps crispy pig’s cheek with roast shallots and watercress. thehoxton.com The Lowback The cocktail list at the bar in Hawksmoor’s new Canary Wharf steakhouse, in an eco-friendly floating pavilion, owes a little to their recent New York opening. It’s a joint effort from Hawksmoor’s drinks supremo Liam Davy and NYC bar manager Adam Montgomerie, and features martinis chilled to 5˚F, an exuberant range of champagne cocktails, and the Pecan Godfather (peanut butter bourbon and oloroso, served over a big block of ice). The 120-cover, 30- foot-long bar also boasts two waterside terraces with another 60 seats. thehawksmoor.com The Red Room The newest bar at The Connaught, The Red Room, takes its theme in part from the venerable vintages in the cellars beneath. Even its eight signature cocktails each contain something grapey: champagne paired with quince and tonka cordial in the Perlage, perhaps, or Armagnac, beaujolais, and vine leaf cordial in the bar’s Red cocktail. Louise Bourgeois’ “I Am Rouge” hangs in pride of place over the fireplace, and the marble trolley glides effortlessly through Bryan O’Sullivan’s sleek interior. the-connaught.co.uk Le Magritte The new bar at the Beaumont Hotel, just north of Grosvenor Square, has a distinctly old-school, Euro- American feel: an example of the eponymous Belgian artist’s trademark paintings featuring a man in a the bowler hat hangs behind the burgundy leathertrimmed bar, stocked with an extensive range of malts, ryes, and bourbons, while the bar menu includes cheeseburgers and Reuben bagels. Cigar aficionados will love the 1920s-style terrace with its rattan armchairs and lush greenery. thebeaumont.com NetJets 71
