April Round -up

Hi Fellow Foodie,

Hi Fellow Foodie,

April has been a fun month — I was lucky enough to visit some great restaurants, including a revisit to Marjorie's and a first trip to Willett’s, which has only been open four weeks. I also had a rather unexpected evening combining rum cocktail tasting with learning how to build a terrarium. It was part of the Rum Masterclass series at Rhum Tavern: £55 all in, which included your own terrarium to take home and two rum cocktails. Great fun, and genuinely great value. If you fancy it, the next masterclass is on 6th May — see more details here

🍴  THIS MONTH'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Marjorie's — Revisited

I was invited back to taste their new menu (yes, they did invite me back — are they crazy?). Anyhow, Marjorie's is not even a year old and they're going from strength to strength. The food was amazing, the wine matched the food perfectly. Read more here

Riding House Café — Saturday Morning Brunch

Eating Saturday morning brunch is always a lovely way to kick off the weekend. We road-tested the brunch menu at Riding House Café — read how we got on. Read about our brunch

Willett’s, Cadogan Hotel

I mentioned last month that Executive Head Chef Michael Turner was opening a new restaurant — well, I had a chance to visit Willett’s last Friday. Read more here

👨‍🍳  IN THE KITCHEN

Another busy month in the kitchen — three new recipes published: a creamy sausage pasta, a herb-crusted rack of organic lamb, and a recipe inspired by my visit to Mayfair's Bombay Bustle — an Anglo-Indian classic combining keema lamb and shepherd's pie. I'm so happy with how this combo has turned out. See all recipes here

Surrey Foodie Interview

Earlier this month I was interviewed by Sam Cheeseman (the Surrey Foodie) for my top 5s in my home county. Check out my interview here

💰  BEST VALUE LUNCHES & PRE-THEATRE

Plenty of great offers this month, including too visits Mayfairs iconic Novikov for £32,sample SILVA’s impressive 2 course new set lunch for under £30, see what all the fuss is about at Willett’s and finally a £35 lunch at Michelin starred Pied a Terre, what a bargain!

🗞  WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

Bruton Place News

There's a lot going on in one little Mayfair mews at the moment, and I'm here for all of it. First up, my Hidden Gem of 2025 — SILVA — has just celebrated its first birthday and marked the occasion in proper style by appointing a new Head Chef. Kent-born Charlie Dilworth arrives from Michelin-starred Lita in Marylebone and brings with him exactly the kind of ingredient-led, seasonal cooking that fits SILVA like a glove. His debut à la carte launches on 28th April alongside a new weekend brunch menu. Some of the signatures that regulars love — the Cornish crab raviolo, the crispy fried egg with girolles — are staying put, but the new dishes read beautifully: think native lobster with smoked garlic and bisque, braised ox cheek ragù with mafaldine, or halibut with Orkney scallop and chicken butter sauce. There's also a new Pastry Chef, Phoebe Elsam, whose CV includes 45 Park Lane and Scott's of Mayfair — so expect the dessert menu to be equally impressive. Happy birthday, SILVA.

Just across the road at number 27, The Cocochine has unveiled its spring à la carte and Chef Larry Jayasekara is in characteristically exquisite form. The new menu features a Ceylon King Crab Salad with consommé and apple, an XXL Hand-Dived Scallop with mushrooms and pandan, and a Banana Leaf BBQ Native Lobster that frankly sounds like one of the dishes of the spring. Three courses come in at £140, the signature menu seven course menu is £189—one for a very special occasion. The Cocochine was the winner of my Best Set Lunch last year, a new set lunch menu is also availabe for £29 two course and £39 for three courses. The Cocochine remains one of the most quietly brilliant restaurants in London.

SILVA — 26–28 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NG | The Cocochine — 27 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NQ

Locatelli at the National Gallery

Giorgio Locatelli and his team at the National Gallery have done something rather clever. To coincide with the first major UK exhibition of 17th-century Spanish master Francisco de Zurbarán — running in the Sainsbury Wing from 2nd May to 23rd August — they have launched a special menu inspired by his work, available throughout May. Head Chef Imma Savinelli has translated Zurbarán's signature chiaroscuro style and still life compositions into a series of dishes using seasonal Italian produce, with highlights including an orzotto with black ink cuttlefish ragout and a cassata siciliana to finish. The set menu is exceptional value too — two courses for £25 or three for £31, available daily from 3pm to 4:30pm. I'll be road testing the new menu and will report back, but on paper this looks like a very good excuse to spend an afternoon at the National Gallery.

Claridge's × The Newt in Somerset

Two of Britain's most beloved destinations are joining forces this May, and it's the kind of collaboration that makes you smile. From 18th–31st May, Claridge's is welcoming The Newt in Somerset — the magnificent 2,000-acre working farm and Three Michelin Key hotel — to the heart of Mayfair. The centrepiece is a six-metre sculptural tower of woven willow, hand-crafted by British artisans and filled with an ascending cast of water buffalo, cattle, stag, ram and chickens. It lands in that famous Art Deco lobby, and I imagine it will stop people in their tracks.

Beyond the spectacle, the food side of things is what really catches my eye — The Foyer and Reading Room menus will showcase ingredients straight from The Newt's estate: heritage tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella from their own Creamery, estate-reared beef and lamb, and seasonal fruit to finish. The Newt's Cyder will also be pouring at Claridge's Bar, which I'd happily use as an excuse for a visit on its own. A lovely piece of town-meets-country magic, right on our Mayfair doorstep.

Claridge's, Brook Street, London W1K 4HR — running 18th–31st May 2026

Michelin Recognition

It's lovely to see two restaurants that we reviewed and raved about receiving some well-deserved recognition. Both Lilibets — the outstanding fish restaurant — and the Japanese-influenced Aces Foodcraft have made it into the Michelin Guide. This doesn't mean they've received a coveted star, but it does mean they're firmly on the inspectors' radar. Given the quality of both, a star will be on the horizon.

What better way to celebrate 100 years of Veeraswamy than by stepping back in time? The team donned faithful recreations of the original uniforms from opening night in 1926 — and I think you will agree the result is rather spectacular.

📍  NEW RESTAURANT OPENINGS

Padella, Soho

For all of you who either bought or received the cookbook — me included — here's some very exciting news: Padella, Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda's cult pasta institution, has just opened its third London restaurant, and this time it's landed in Soho. The new spot is at 2 Kingly Street, right in the heart of the West End, and it opened its doors on 18th April. The ground floor keeps that familiar casual Padella energy — warm wood, formica and chrome — but head downstairs and you'll find something altogether more considered: a bar and dining room that pays homage to the 1960s lounges that once defined Soho. The signature dishes are all present and correct — the Pici Cacio e Pepe and the Pappardelle with Beef Shin Ragù — alongside new recipes spotlighting British produce.

2 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PB

Clio, Marylebone

Greek restaurants are very on trend in London right now, and Clio looks like one of the more exciting new arrivals. The corner space on Chiltern and Paddington Streets has been empty for a while, but it's now found a very worthy tenant in this modern Greek restaurant with some serious kitchen talent behind it. Executive Chef Glen Ballis, who most recently opened INA in Dubai, has brought in Louis Korovilas — formerly Head Chef at Pied à Terre and Locanda Locatelli — to lead the cooking. The menu focuses on grilled fish and carefully sourced meats, with interiors featuring warm earthy tones, a stone bar and bronze accents.

Chiltern Street, London W1U

IGNI, Mayfair

Many of you will know this St George Street site as the former Humo, which closed at the end of March. It hasn't been empty long — Creative Restaurant Group has brought in ex-Cycene chef Theo Clench to relaunch it as IGNI, with a 34-cover dining room and a 10-seat chef's table. Fire remains the sole cooking tool, but the approach shifts to something more refined and seafood-focused, with set menus only, starting at £49 for three courses at lunch. Clench has won or retained Michelin stars at each of his last four postings — expect big things.

12 St George Street, Mayfair, W1S 2FB

Nammos, Mayfair

If you've spent time in Mykonos, there's a good chance you've heard of Nammos. Founded in 2003 on Psarou Beach, the brand has become a luxury institution with outposts in Dubai, Cannes, Sardinia and Limassol — and now London gets its turn. Opening on Berkeley Street this May, the menu is rooted in Mediterranean cooking with a Japanese lean, centred on precisely sourced fish and shellfish, a raw bar, and a wood-fired Josper grill. Signature dishes include Aubergine Mille-Feuille with feta mousse and Spicy Crab Tartare with yuzu truffle — both of which have my attention. The design has been conceived as an urban expression of the Nammos identity rather than a replica of the beach format, which is exactly the right call.

15 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, W1J 8DY

Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, Marble Arch

It seems there is not a month that goes by without Gordon Ramsay opening a restaurant. Hell's Kitchen makes its UK debut inside The Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch — inspired, of course, by the long-running TV series that actually began life in London back in 2004, filmed in an Islington restaurant. So in many ways, this is a homecoming. The menu features Ramsay's celebrated Beef Wellington, Seared Scallops and Lobster Risotto, alongside indulgent desserts and a cocktail list that includes a Plymouth Dry Gin creation, complete with a personal message from the man himself. Having watched the recent Netflix series about Gordon, which was enjoyable, I'm confident that the food will take centre stage rather than play second fiddle to the Hell's Kitchen theme.

Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7DL

📅  COMING IN MAY

It's looking very busy — a fun month with four restaurant visits already planned. A trip to the National Gallery to road-test a new menu by one of my favourite Italian chefs, the new Thai restaurant in Mayfair, a Ramen restaurant in Soho, and a Michelin-starred tasting menu celebrating a 35th anniversary.

Squeezed in between the restaurant visits, I'm off to Crete for the new IKOS Kisammos resort. With seven restaurants on site, it sounds like a foodie's paradise — if you've ever thought about staying at a IKOS resort, I'll be posting a full review.

I'll be posting next month's food exploits on Instagram @themayfairfoodie if you'd like to follow along. Thanks as always for reading to this point.

Until next time,

Martin, The Mayfair Foodie

www.mayfairfoodie.com   ·   @themayfairfoodie