Mayfair Foodie Newsletter

Fellow Foodies,

A big welcome to my latest newsletter.

First, let’s catch up with what has happened here in September.

We have our review of the truly stunning Ginza St. James. Although I say it myself, this is well worth a look, if only to see the photos of the food.

A nice feature on Indian restaurants located in Mayfair. Do you know the oldest Indian in Britain is in Mayfair? Also, there are four Indian restaurants in Mayfair with Michelin stars and other restaurants that might be joining soon; they are that good.

Mayfair is blessed with excellent Indian restaurants.

September saw our first wine of the Month feature -Wines from Australia. I hope you had chance to take a look.

I have been cooking again and after our trip to Madeira I attempted to replicate a Maderian Tomato Soup traditionally served with a poached egg. I had eaten & really enjoyed the soup at Casal Da Penha, a lovely family-run restaurant that has no frills but serves well-cooked Maderian food. If you find yourself in Funchal, be sure to visit; howver make a reservation in advance as it is a very busy Restaurant.

What's on in Mayfair?

Mayfair Chippy-National Lobster Day celebration

Brace your taste buds and ready your lobster-cracking skills because London's favourite fish and chip restaurant, The Mayfair Chippy, is about to embark on a lobsterlicious adventure in honour of National Lobster Day. From September 25th to October 1st, 2023, prepare for a week-long celebration featuring the ultimate indulgence.

For just £16.50, kickstart your lobster feast with the exquisite Lobster Crumpet. This tantalising starter features a perfectly toasted crumpet topped with succulent lobster. symphony to follow.

Priced at £150 for two, The Mayfair Lobster Supper features a succulent whole-grilled native lobster, expertly infused with the irresistible blend of garlic and lemon. A true showstopper, this is accompanied by a luxurious lobster mac n cheese that combines the richness of lobster with creamy macaroni and cheese. Drizzled with decadent Thermidor butter, the lobster reaches new heights of flavour. Accompanied by golden and crispy hand-cut chips and a refreshing garden & herb salad, this meal strikes a perfect balance. To top it all off, guests can raise a glass with a complimentary serving of premium Piper-Heidsiek champagne.

Frieze, London

Frieze London, one of the world's most influential contemporary art fairs, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in October 2023 with a dynamic program and a special initiative called Artist-to-Artist.

The fair focuses exclusively on contemporary art and living artists and takes place each year in Regent's Park, in the heart of London.

For the Artist-to-Artist initiative, eight world-renowned artists have proposed a counterpart for a solo exhibition at the fair. This initiative highlights the importance of community and mentorship in the contemporary art world.

Frieze London and Frieze Masters attract over 60,000 visitors each year. These visitors include art world professionals, such as curators, artists, collectors, gallerists, critics, and members of the general public. Some visitors are first-time art collectors, while others come to enjoy the fair as a cultural experience.

Buy Tickets

Hedonism

Hedonism Wine School: The Wines of South America   

Monday, 16 October      

6.30 – 8.30 pm     

Tickets: £75      

Each month in our Hedonism Wine School series, we invite you to join our events manager, Sherry Rose Stolar, for a deep dive tasting featuring a selection of wines from a particular region, grape variety or style. This month, we take a voyage across South America, from the beloved Malbec of Argentina and Carmenere of Chile to the lesser-known wines from Uruguay and even Peru!     

Tickets to this tasting are available on the Hedonism website. Tickets include a £15 voucher, redeemable against any of the wines tasted on the night that are available.

Latest News

Marcus

Last month, we brought news of Le Gavroche closing & today, we bring similar news that Marcus, Marcus Wareing’s flagship restaurant, will close its doors on the 26th of December.

In the press release, Marcus said that he remains focused on nurturing the next generation of talent & concentrating on his media career.

I was lucky enough to have lunch at Marcus earlier in the year and had a great meal.

It remains to see who will take up residency in the Berkeley Hotel, but rest assured that our friends at the Maybourne Hotel Group will have some exciting news for us soon.

Le Caprice

One restaurant closes, and another famous restaurant re-opens

Jeremy King, one of hospitality's biggest players, is set to reopen the Le Caprice restaurant in London next year. The restaurant where King began his career closed during the pandemic.

For the reopening, King will be reunited with Jesus Adorno, the former maître d' of Le Caprice. An exact date has not yet been confirmed.

Cocochine

Larry Jayasekara, former head chef of Gordon Ramsay's Petrus, is teaming up with businessman and gallery owner Tim Jefferies to open a new restaurant.

Jayasekara's CV also includes stints at other top-tier restaurants such as the Waterside Inn, Michel Bras, and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

The restaurant is opening on October at 27 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NQ. Bruton Place is tucked away just off Berkeley Square and is home to a collection of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, including the Guinea Grill.

sketch, London

sketch is participating in the London Design Festival with a new exhibition in the restaurant. The exhibition opened from 15th September until 16th October. More dtails on the sketch website.

Claridge’s

Claridge’s has launched their Christmas hamper & gift range. Ideal selection of exclusive gifts for that hard-to-buy person.

The hampers start at £150 and go up to £995. Gifts start under £10, and you can buy a Claridge’s cookbook for £30. Claridge’s Negroni caught my eye at £22

Christmas

For many of you, reading the “C” word fills you with horror. Still, with only three newsletters before the end of the Year, I thought I would list a guide of some of our favourite restaurants are offering for the festive period and hopefully make it easy for you to pick a good place for your Christmas celebration. Most restaurants have yet to confirm their Festive offerings, but I wanted to start things off with a few that have.

Langan’s

Langan’s offers a full festive programme, including Christmas Day dining. See full details on their website.

Ginza St James

Having recently eaten at Ginza St James, I highly recommend the restaurant & It is ideal for a Christmas celebration. Their Festive event program will be on their website soon. They offer several private dining options as well as a special Festive menu. A 3-course meal + canapes & wine pairings, also a Lunch Festive Menu without the wine pairing (but can be added). Full details on their website.

Chesterfield Arms

The Chesterfield Arms have a Christmas Menu on their website, which includes a two or three-course meal or canapes for Christmas drinks parties.

What’s coming up

I’m having lunch at the Rishim Sachdeva’s Tendril (mostly vegan restaurant) today, a full review will be on the website next week. Not to be missed.

We are looking to extend our Foodie Walking tours to the Corporate Hospitality market; in a previous career, I worked with many marketing & event managers and know that they are always looking for different ways to entertain clients & colleagues. A Foodie walking tour is proving a very popular experience & can be a great ice-breaker when entertaining guests. Feel free to contact me for more details.

I have more recipes coming to the website as I love doing them, but much to my surprise, they also seem popular. If you have a special recipe or had a dish the you would like us to feature let me know.

We will also visit Atul Kochhar’s Kanishka restaurant later in October, which I look forward to.

We are still trying to fix a time to interview Erik Lorincz from Kwant. He’s a busy man, but we hope to complete the interview soon.

After a successful launch in September, Sherry Rose Stolar from Hedonism will choose the “Wines of the Month for October”; her selections will be on our website next week. A big thanks to Sherry & the team at Hedonism for their support.

So, along with other reviews yet to be confirmed, the possibility of a fun cocktail feature (again awaiting confirmation) on our website sails into Autumn full steam ahead.

I have been asked to appear on a podcast to talk about the website. It should be fun. I think its being recorded in October.

Please let ud know of any gastronomic plans for next month or great restaurants or bars you have visited recently; we would love to hear from you.

Finally, we are always happy to look at guest posts, so if you fancy sharing your thoughts on anything hospitality-related in Mayfair, open up your laptop & start typing.

Sorry, it's a bit of a long one this time, so if you have made it this far, pat yourself on your back. I applaud you.

It’s time to shut down my laptop as I do; the rain is hammering down.

Welcome to Autumn.

Until next time,

Martin, The Mayfair Foodie

[email protected]

www.mayfairfoodie.com

Instagram @themayfairfoodie.com