Wild Honey Restaurant,
St George Street, Mayfair, London,
W1
Clifford Mould found serious cooking
at attractive prices for Mayfair
The name Wild Honey
sounds about as unlikely as a Nightingale
in
Berkeley Square.
It is of course derived from the
previous occupants of the premises
which was Drone's dining club with
its plethora of oak panelling and
a very clubbable atmosphere. The
new restaurant Wild Honey is the
brainchild of chef Antony Demeter
and restaurateur William Smith.
It is open daily for lunch and
dinner and there’s a set
lunch for an amazing £15.50
for three courses as well as an
early evening menu from 5:30 to
7.00 p.m. which is priced at £17.50
for three courses.
The a la carte menu is not unlike
the one at Arbutus, which we reviewed
recently. The prices are a fraction
higher, reflecting Mayfair rents,
but are set to give their rivals
a shock if not a serious run for
their money. Head chef Colin Kelly
has worked closely with Antony
Demeter over the past five years
and his menu reflects the same
robust style.
A starter of braised pig's head
might sound a bit scary, but all
the meat is taken off and made
into an unctuous terrine. It came
with beautifully caramelised onions
and a streak of potato puree. I
had the warm smoked eel, which
was incredibly flavourful, and
the bones, (which often put people
off this delectable fish) were
barely noticeable. It was partnered
with caramelised figs and a nice
fresh salad including crisp shavings
of fennel.
From a choice of eight robust
main dishes, such as shin of Limousin
veal, we chose belly of pork with
borlotti beans and a carrot and
cumin purée. The pork was
tender and really tasty and I could
hear the crunch of my pal’s
crackling from across the table!
I tried the slow cooked Elwy Valley
lamb on a bed of crushed minted
peas together with Boulangere potato
served in its own miniature Le
Creuset dish. Colin Kelly excels
at these slow cooked dishes, where
the flavours are concentrated and
the textures deliciously soft and
tender.
There is an amazing cheese board,
but because it was lunchtime, we
went straight onto the puddings.
Here, I have to say, my friend
fell out ever so slightly, taking
issue with the description of wild
honey ice cream which is advertised
to come with crushed honeycomb.
He was expecting actual honeycomb,
and was somewhat miffed to discover
that it was that more familiar
sugary confection. However, this
was a small inconvenience as he
found that the ice cream was quite
delicious. I ordered the French
toast with plump slow roasted apricots.
When it arrived, I took fright,
thinking that I'd never be able
to eat all of that. In the event
it was so good that I polished
off the lot with no trouble at
all.
The wine list has been very carefully
thought out and chosen. Yes, you
could lash out £150 for a
bottle of 1990 Gruaud-Larose, but
for the more modest amongst us
there are plenty of good wines
in the teens and early 20s. Most
of the wines are available in a
250ml carafe. The service was excellent:
I was meanly trying to cut one
of those fat apricots in two so
that my friend could try a piece,
when the waiter came up and said: "would
a knife be helpful, Sir?" There
was a man who had used his eyes.
This was a thoroughly delightful
lunch, and I have no hesitation
in recommending Wild Honey, just
as I did Arbutus. Just to get your
appetites going, I have included
the lunch menu below.
Clifford Mould, August 2007
The cost of your meal: Starters £7.95
to £12.95; Mains £14.95
to £18.95 (no side dishes
required nor offered); Desserts £5.95
Wild Honey, 12 St George Street,
Mayfair, London W1S 2FB.
Reservations: 020 7758 9160
Lunch menu £15.50 - changes
daily
Warm Lamb breast, Salsa Verde
Chilled plum tomato and sweet pepper
soup
***
Icelandic cod, vinaigrette tomato
and anchovy
Short rib of beef, borlotti beans
***
Wild woodland strawberries, vanilla
ice cream
Montgomery cheddar
