Looking into Pavyllon - the room is considerably brighter than in its previous incarnation.
What can you tell us about Pavyllon?
This is the new restaurant at The Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane and the big deal is that they've brought over top chef Yannick Alléno as the man in charge. He's already opened a Pavyllon in Paris, so this is a London outpost of that.
And who is Yannick Alléno?
While perhaps not so well known on this side of the channel, Alléno is a very big deal indeed in France. He has 15 Michelin stars to his name, more than any other chef except Alain Ducasse, across restaurants that include the three-Michelin-starred Alléno Paris and Le 1947. According to a recent profile in The Times, the vibe he's going for in London is one of "laid-back luxury" so he's brought over a whopping 70 staff to make sure that the restaurant achieves just that.
And it really is a busy affair. While the chef wasn't present during our visit, as service began there were plenty of people in the huge kitchen that covers both the bar and restaurant, all bustling around amid the odd "yes chef" (or was it oui, chef?). There's a lot of effort behind all this, that's clear.
Looking into the kitchen (just before service starts).
Where actually is it?
You'll find it in the Four Seasons Park Lane, with the nearest tube probably being Hyde Park Corner (but it's a 5-10 minute walk from Green Park too). Note that Pavyllon has its own entrance on the side of the hotel (on Hamilton Place) and that's the main entrance to the restaurant and bar. It's also apparently the only entrance to the bar if you're not a hotel guest, so head that way if you're just after a drink.
There's a bar too?
In addition to Pavyllon, the chef has also launched an accompanying bar called Bar Antoine. There, some of the drinks have touches of the kitchen as part of their creation, which is best illustrated by the following:
Bloodier Mary - Belvedere, Mary dijon mix, lemon, tomato extraction and celeriac crio extraction on the side (£27)
We'd also give top marks to their version of the sidecar, one of our personal favourite cocktails. Here, it's a Pear Sidecar, with comes with their house pear extraction which slightly takes the edge off the drink, to good effect (£24).
In addition to the cocktails, you'll also find a separate bar menu which is led by a selection of sushi, also created in the main Pavyllon kitchen. Even if you're not going to the restaurant, it's worth popping along to check out the cocktails and sushi. The bar is also blessed by an extensive outside terrace, one of the best in the area, so that's well worth grabbing a table at on a good summer's night.
The "Lynn " selection of sushi which includes wagyu beef with smoked pike roe & yuzu sesame and langoustine with lovage mayonnaise and sobacha (£42 for five)
Onto the restaurant - where should we sit?
If you've been to the previous restaurant at The Four Seasons, Amaranto, you'll notice a stark difference in the design. First of all, the room is much lighter throughout - which is a big positive change.
The other noticeable change is the huge counter, which surrounds the open kitchen. If there are two of you dining, this is the place to be. The chairs are extremely comfortable for counter dining, and the depth of the counter keeps you both close and also just comfortably far enough away from the action. It really is a massive counter, seating over 20. The only thing we would say is that they could maybe arrange to have a little more space between the groups of diners.
What about the food itself?
You're definitely looking at a fine dining /haute cuisine approach to the food here. So while portions could be seen on the small side in parts, the dishes are rich.
You can either pick from two tasting menus - the four-course Mayfair (£98) or the longer six-course Pavyllon menu (£148), both of which feature some of the signatures. Alternatively, there's a full a la carte option, which alongside the main starters and mains features a "must-have" section focusing in on some of their big specials. If you're on a budget (well, a Mayfair budget), the £55 "immersive" lunch is probably the best bet.
On our visit, we actually fell in between all those points, being given a little tour of the menus. So here's a guide through some of the dishes you can expect. We're giving the a la carte pricing here, but portion sizes may change between a la carte and tasting menus.
Curry man’ouché with powdered herb salad, black garlic, pistachio and ginger gel (£22) - A great way to start with a deeply crispy flatbread.
Warm potatoes, glazed with lovage mayonnaise with kombu broth, seaweed and cucumber (£23)
King crab, farmhouse cream infused with blackcurrant sage and kombu broth (£58)
“Badaboum” organic egg with osciètre caviar with sorrel, salish smoked salt (£69). This one is a bit of a showstopper. Delivered to you almost looking like a poached egg, it's then cut into, revealing the caviar inside. It feels like a magic trick.
Crispy lightly breaded langoustine tail with herbs and condiments with curry mayonnaise (£68)
Line-caught sea bass aiguillette, veil of seaweed, celeriac mousseline, parsley foam (£59)
Modern beef fillet stroganoff with crispy potato strings seasoned with paprika, basmati rice (£58) - one of their signature dishes and a very different take on stroganoff.
Wild strawberry, underneath a pomegranate veil with orange blossom crémeux, sumac (£18) - the one to go for if you're looking for a lighter dessert to finish everything off.
Spiced chocolate clover with roasted coffee ice cream, cardamom (£18) - the one to choose if you need a bit of a jump start with all that coffee and chocolate.
Anything else to highlight?
The most intriguing dish from the "must-have" section of the menu is their version of surf and turf - a wagyu beef mille feuille and blue lobster tail. it does come at a whopping £179 price point though. This brings us to pricing - we're definitely at the upper end of Mayfair pricing at Pavyllon, particularly if you're going the a la carte route. But as mentioned, the lunch would be a good option to try the food at a more reasonable budget.
What about drink?
There is an absolute tome of a wine list that a wine lover will have a great time leafing through. We took the easy route opting for the wine pairing this time around, which had a few nice surprises like Pear Cider from Normandy with the dessert. As mentioned above, we're fully in Mayfair territory here, so expect that to be reflected in the prices with wines by the glass starting at £13. for white, £16 for red.
Overall thoughts
Yannick Alléno has clearly spent time making sure that there's a significant degree of expertise in the kitchen here - most of the dishes sent out were exceptional. It's also, undeniably, quite spendy. If that's no issue and you're after a taste of the top French chef's cooking in a lovely-looking space (particularly during the day) with top-class service, this is definitely worth checking out. And if you're lucky, you may see the chef in the kitchen too.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Pavyllon. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
More about Pavyllon London
Where is it? Hamilton Pl, London W1J 7DR
How to book: Book online
Find out more: On their website or follow them on Instagram @pavyllon_london
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