What can you tell us about Hide at Home
This is the delivery service for Ollie Dabbous' Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant. It was one of the first off the blocks with delivery at the beginning of the lockdown, offering a menu that is as close to the restaurant experience as possible. So what does a Michelin-level delivery look like? It was time to find out.
So what can we expect?
The Hide at Home menu is a full a la carte three courses + snacks affair. On the surface, it's essentially like any standard takeaway/food delivery service, but the quality of the ingredients and presentation is upped several notches.
A fair bit comes ready to eat out of the containers. The suckling pig below, for example, was carefully constructed, so pouring that onto a plate at home is going to lose some of the artistry and construction that's gone into your dinner. That in itself has positives and negatives. The positive is that the presentation is wonderful and the dishes are put together with care and thought.
The negative is one that affects all home deliveries - sometimes dishes will need a small reheat, even if just for a couple of minutes. As you can't chuck a dish with salad and garnishes back in the oven, a small amount of deconstruction (and reconstruction) is needed if your dinner needs bringing up a degree or two. With care, it's absolutely possible to do this with no ill effects to the cooking - we did this with the suckling pig in question - but it is something to be taken into consideration when serving up.
And what did you get delivered?
We ordered across the menu - taking in snacks, starters, mains and desserts. The following is a generous feast for one, we'd say, as the dishes aren't really meant for sharing. It also has to be noted that the prices are very Mayfair, particularly when you get to the mains, the majority of which are over £30. Here's what we had:
Kicking off with chicken liver parfait, fig & hibiscus chutney, toasted brioche (£14) - excellent whipped parfait and the bread comes in a bag of its own.
Soft-shell crab tempura with Thai basil & green peppercorns (£12) - that basil and peppercorn spread really works well - and the tempura retained its crispiness in the journey over.
Roast Huntsham farm suckling pig with mango chutney, fennel slaw & black pudding (£37) - One of the signature dishes - this has the mango chutney as a bottom layer and more of the suckling pig layered underneath. It is an excellent dish (though some of the elements will need a couple of minutes in the oven as you get to them) but the price is undeniably steep.
Crispy potato cake (£8) - yes, these are confit potatoes. Excellent versions though, and they travel well.
Strawberry & vanilla custard tartlet (£14) - for something so delicate it arrived, impressively, more or less perfectly intact. Perfect spring./summer end to the meal.
Anything else worth highlighting?
There are a couple of other elements to the overall menu. First off is breakfast, for which Hide already has a great reputation, and that's available during the weekends. It includes their croque monsieur (with optional black truffle), French toast and more. On top of that, there's a kids section to the menu too.
What about drinks?
The Hide restaurant is run in partnership with nearby Hedonism wines and that relationship continues into the delivery service. A reduced wine list is available for delivery - but note that it kicks off at over £40 on the red/white lists. But if you're pushing the boat out and fancy a "Barbaresco “Sori San Lorenzo”, Gaja, Piedmont, Italy 2013" for £464 - then this is the service for you. If not, best see what you have in the fridge.
And it's different at the weekend, yes?
There is a weekend set menu (£64 per person for three courses and sides, £89 with a selected bottle of wine). A recent main there was "roast dry-aged duck lacquered in honey, lavender & spices" with a vegetarian option available.
Overall thoughts
The food we received from Hide at Home was excellent throughout. It travelled relatively well (and responds well to targeted reheating if needs be). It's clearly in a different price bracket to your usual local deliveries, though, including from elsewhere in Mayfair. But if you're after a Michelin-lite experience at home, it comes very close.
How Dinners were sent a Hide at Home meal courtesy of Hide. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
More about Hide at Home
Where is Hide? 85 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7NB
How to order: Via the Hide at home website.
Find out more: Visit the Hide website or follow them on Instagram @hide_restaurant.
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