Beck at Brown's will be Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck's casual Italian restaurant at Brown's Hotel in Mayfair

Catherine Hanly 22 March 2018

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What: Beck at Brown's

In a nutshell: Heinz Beck does casual in Mayfair

Summing it all up: He may have a three Michelin-starred restaurant in Rome, but chef Heinz Beck's plans for his new Mayfair restaurant at Brown's Hotel are more casual - with British produce supplying the additional wow factor.

The low-down

Nestling in the heart of Mayfair, Brown's Hotel may be associated with quintessential British elegance, but right now it's getting an injection of Italian flair when it comes to the food and drink offering.

Hard on the heels of the announcement that the bar was being made over by cocktail maestro Salvatore Calabrese, we now know that Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck will be turning the restaurant that used to be run by Mark Hix into Beck at Brown's. This was pretty much anticipated when Beck did a popup there in the six week run-up to Christmas.

But if you're thinking this will be an ultra luxe, spendy spot for hedge funders alone then think again. We're told that Beck will be serving up a much more casual dining menu. If you look at the chef's Roman restaurants, it's probably more like Attimi his recently-opened more laid back spot in Fiumicino airport rather than the three Michelin-starred La Pergola. And the restaurant will have its own separate entrance from Albemarle Street.

The dishes will take inspiration from all parts of Italy, but what he'll also be doing is using British produce - so expect to find Norfolk chicken and Rhug Estate lamb on the menu too

Dishes we've been told to expect are:

Insalate & Antipasti

Burrata di Andria with marinated courgette
Dressed crab with grilled Romain lettuce & wild herbs
Roasted veal sweetbreads with fava beans, peas & artichokes

Primi & Zuppe

Risotto with aged parmesan, artichokes & olive oil
Taglioniall’astice with smoked aubergine cream & chilli
Spaghetti cacio e pepe with lime-marinated langoustine

Pesce and Carne

Red mullet ‘sandwich’ with black olive & tarragon (pictured below)
Grilled black cod with ‘Nduja crust, red peppers & cucumber
Aged Rhug estate striploin with truffle mash & rosemary sauce (to share)

And while there'll be a combo of Italian and British cheeses on the cheeseboard, desserts will also include tiramisu affogato and Sorrento lemon cheesecake.

If you fancy popping in just to get a flavour of the restaurant, make sure you try the aperitivo section when they'll serve up dishes like crostini burro e alici and carciofi alla Giudia with a drink.

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