The sunny vibes of the French Riviera shine at The Berkeley in Belgravia.
Why go out to the West End for dinner and a show, when you could out go to Belgravia for dinner that is a show? Eating at La Môme London, which opened in February in The Berkeley, is a delightfully theatrical experience.
As soon as you’re seated, two of La Môme’s signature dishes are formally introduced to you, like foreign dignitaries presented to royalty: a whole Salt Encrusted Sea Bass and a vast Tomahawk Black Angus Steak, ceremoniously ushered into your presence on a large wooden board and then whisked away again. Then comes what you might call the Dance of Thyme – where your server trims the herb at the table, with which to infuse the olive oil for the excellent bread.
This whole carefree atmosphere has been meticulously planned by the sibling owners, Ugo and Antoine Lecorché. They have vowed to bring to grey London (and soon Dubai) some of the French Riviera feels their Cannes and Monte Carlo restaurants are famed for.
To do so, they enlisted Cannes-based Samy Chams as the interior architect, who has greatly opened up the space at the Berkeley Hotel formerly occupied by Marcus Wareing’s eponymous restaurant. Upholstered armchairs let you dine in comfort, the walls are lined with arty 1960s photos from the south of France, and a pretty outdoor terrace has been optimistically readied for some hypothetical sunny day.
Key staff have been drafted in from the original restaurants to ensure the launch fits their blueprint. On the night we went, Antoine Lecorché himself prowled the venue, greeting diners, the triangle of yellow handkerchief that poked from his blue blazer pocket bringing to mind a Carly Simon lyric: “You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht.”
Both our starter and main course were brought to the table with equal flourish, and cut up as we watched. If you ordered that sea bass you would find it flambéed at the table; a cocktail might come in a cloche of dry ice. If all this makes the experience sound a little formal, it’s not. Quite the opposite. It’s all designed to break down the barrier between staff and guest, to involve everyone in the experience of creation.
The tone was set from the off by our server, whose easy chat and radiant smile were a refreshing antidote to some of the more formal fine dining experiences we’ve experienced of late. Also contributing greatly to the relaxed vibe were the in-house DJ, moving effortlessly from trad jazz to Jamaican dancehall, and the excellent pianist with a soaringly high vocal register who softly reinterpreted modern pop songs as we ate.
The cocktails are a great mood-setter. From the Prohibition section of the menu, I chose the Corpse Reviver No. 2, both for the name and, frankly, for the absinthe. It was as startlingly rejuvenating as advertised. From the house specialties section, my partner had the lively, fruity Iris Universe topped with a vegan foam thick enough to hold an edible disc with the La Môme London logo.
But wait – what of the cuisine? In this case, the ambience is the real star. The food, in fact, is mostly excellent – as it should be at these Belgravia prices.
We ordered the Truffle Arancini and Tuna Tartare with trout roe for starters, having heard great things. It certainly looked impressive, arriving not in the usual balls, but as a slab divided before our eyes into five chunky portions. The arancini itself was rather dry, and not as flavourful as two such dishes we’d recently had, though the fish topping was fun.
More of a star was the Nut-Crusted Rack of Lamb which, like the outsized arancini, was a sharing dish for two. It’s rare to make this reliable dish exceptional – but this was. No wonder it’s a long-standing favourite back at the Cannes mothership.
Partly this was down to the two sauces – peppercorn and meat jus – and partly down to the magnificent half-head of roasted garlic that came with it. Another pairing it benefited from was a lovely Brouilly, easy to drink but with real body, that left a satisfying residue of lees in the last glass. Credit is also due to the Josper ovens in which La Môme London cook their meat dishes – which include Devil Baby Chicken, Veal Milanese La Môme Style, Beef Rossini, Kagoshima Wagyu Beef, and the previously introduced Tomahawk Black Angus.
For dessert, top marks go to a superbly fluffy Soufflé of the Day, made with Grand Marnier and served with orange sorbet. Also good was The Princess’s Delight, a vanilla mousse with candied raspberry heart, lime biscuits and almond crumble topped with gold leaf, which tasted like summer sunshine. This arrived perched on a playfully outsized turquoise ceramic, which gave off conflicting vibes of “royal jewel presented upon a cushion” and “mad blue UFO”.
There is little here to fault, especially for a restaurant less than a month after opening. But even if the food were less good, La Môme London would still be a wonderful way to spend an evening. Three hours flew by.
GO: Visit www.lamomelondon.com for more information.