There's this caricature of kitchens being marginally less hectic than a buffalo stampede. Watch an episode of The Bear or the film Boiling Point – I’m not saying it’s true but that’s the caricature.
Unsurprisingly, the kitchen at Pavyllon London is a far more relaxed environment. Number one, because the kitchen of successful modern restaurants tends to run on efficiency and teamwork rather than testosterone and fear. Number two, because the kitchen at Pavyllon London is open to the dining room and were it basically Sodom with aprons then you imagine it wouldn’t be. Would be entertaining, mind – and provide great incentive to be nice to the staff.
Not that you’ll need incentive to be nice to the staff, all of whom are wonderful. (Even if they were useless, you should be nice anyway – everyone has bad days.) As with the staff, so goes the restaurant – Pavyllon opened six months ago and has already bagged its first Michelin star. I suspect that number will double sooner rather than later.
This isn’t some plucky little underdog story: head chef Yannick Alléno has 16 Michelin stars across 17 international restaurants. Michelin stars are very much his thing. Moreover, Pavyllon is situated in the Four Seasons Park Lane – we aren’t talking about some young tyke cooking out of a converted garage here. And that’s fine: this is a big city. There’s space for young tykes in converted garages and there’s space for masters of their craft taking residency at one of London’s glitziest hotels.
I should stress that traditional tables are available – Pavyllon has the understated yet clearly very expensive elegance so beloved of high-end restaurants. However the bar is the most exciting option, offering the chance to watch excellence go quietly about its work. It would make a great date spot; naturally, I took my mum.
What to order?
We had the six-course Mayfair tasting menu. A la carte is also an option, as is a four-course version of the Mayfair tasting menu, as is the Pavyllon tasting menu – six-courses and the option of paired wines.
After a plate of freshly baked bread – God, they always give you freshly baked bread at these type of places and it’s always divine – we are served a crispy curry tartlet with scallop carpaccio. Slices of scallop swaddled by a buttery yellow sauce and cradled within a tartlet so delicate you want to apologise for violating it with your fork. Violate it you shall, repeatedly – and deploy some bread for that sauce.
Next there is a steamed Comte cheese souffle. “I've gone to heaven,” says Mum on her first spoonful. I just chuckle after mine. It's that good. So rich it’s practically a very cheesy mousse, the mound of souffle is surrounded by a fiery red sauce like the world's smallest volcano. Later I watch one of the chefs prepare one and stare enviously at its recipients down the bar.
Crispy Curry Tartlet
Confit cod with white bean puree is one of those dishes that has you nodding thoughtfully as you attempt to appreciate all the flavours. There are a lot of flavours to appreciate and all of them are good. However the MVP is also the main course: roast duck magret with daikon radishes. The duck is soft, tender, rich, red – extremely red, thanks to beetroot powder. Very fine slices of radish cover it like scarlet silk sheets. A dish of impossibly creamy mashed potato also shows up. I savoured every bite, and helped myself to Mum's leftover mashed potato.
“I have a soundbite for you,” she says. “Every course comes with a spoon so you don't lick the plate.” Very nice, I tell her. “Will you use it?” Yes I'll use it.
Sweet spiced cloud
You get two desserts. The first is the best: an unbelievably light combination of berries, meringue, cream and sorbet that tastes as fresh as a garden. A sensational dish that overshadows the sweet spiced cloud with hazelnut praline ice cream, which goes down very nicely but lacks the wow factor of its predecessor.
There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere at the bar, with waiters and even the chefs often lingering to chat to the diners. We were served primarily by Konstantina, a lovely Greek woman who I hope has a great holiday in Sweden. The sommelier Francisco kept us watered with a couple of fantastic wines and, best of all, a 1998 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey – “the best dessert wine in the world,” enthuses Mum, a woman who knows her grape.
What’s the damage?
Extensive but not extortionate. The Mayfair tasting menu is £110 (£85 if you get four courses) while the Pavyllon menu is £145. You can pair the latter with classic or prestige wines for £90 or £220 respectively. OK, now we may be heading into extortionate territory.
Basically, you’re dropping three figures whatever you do. The Pavyllon menu with prestige pairings will see you closer to four. This is Michelin-starred dining at the Four Seasons – if you want cheap, seek out a converted garage.
Anything else to note?
One of the great advantages of restaurants housed in luxury hotels – you needn't travel far to bed provided you've invested in a room upstairs. I mused on this while waiting for the bus in the Brixton rain.
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Pavyllon London; Hamilton Pl, Park Ln, London W1J 7DR, United Kingdom
