The ground floor dining room at Silva
What do we need to know about Silva?
This is a new all-day restaurant by first-time restaurateur Daria Grebenyuk. This may be her first rodeo in terms of owning a restaurant, but Daria's surrounded herself with folk with plenty of experience. So Peter Prescott - who was Sir Terence Conran's right-hand man has been running the project. And they've got as Head Chef Slawomir Sawicki who's ex-Eric Chavot, Galvin at La Chapelle and Arts Club, running the kitchen. The place is open from brunch through to dinner and it's serving up a loosely European menu.
Where will we find it?
It's down Bruton Place, right next to the Guinea Grill. Aim for the hordes of beer drinkers outside that pub and you'll find Silva just beyond them. The nearest tube would be Green Park, but somehow we don't think many of the customers here got here by public transport.
Where's good to meet for a drink first?
When you enter the restaurant, there is a small ante-bar at the front of the dining room. Instead, you want to turn left up the stairs and head into the first-floor snug bar. It's an absolute jewel of a place to be sat enjoying a cocktail while the dull thrum of the drinking-beer-standing-up crowd plays in the background outside.
Tea Ceremony - Whisky, cacao blanc, matcha, coconut and shiso: looks suspiciously like mouthwash, happily tastes anything but. We also had a very creditable Salt and Pepper tini. Both were £17.
Where shall we sit?
This is a dining room particularly well designed for couples, with plenty of banquette seating and low lighting. But there are a few tables of four dotted around the place too. There's also a private dining room that seats 10 upstairs.
What's on the menu?
We're back in classic three-course layout territory here - with a few snacks as options to start. There is one sharing dish on offer - currently a Chateaubriand. But otherwise, if you want to stick to traditional starters, mains and desserts you can.
Here's a selection of some of the dishes we tried:
Wild seabass crudo, jalapeno, yuzu & ginger dressing (£18) - can somewhere really be a Mayfair restaurant if it doesn't have crudo on the menu? Happily, this one is a very good option.
Crispy fried egg and girolles with Parmesan sauce (£12) - we're always impressed with anyone trying the Daniel Clifford crispy egg (note, this a breaded whole egg fried, and not a fried egg like you'd get in a full English).
Lamb cutlets, charred aubergine purée, spiced olive jus (£36) - sourced from The Ethical Butcher, this is a lamb dish with a conscience.
Duck breast, coco beans & orange jus (£34) - a hearty (and delicious) take on the traditional duck a l'orange.
Anything else we should get?
Yes, you'll 100% need this side.
Pumpkin & squash gratin (£8) topped with a Boursin-like garlic and sour cream sauce, this is a must-have.
Room for dessert?
There's a popular Basque cheesecake on the menu, but we ended up going for an enticing vegan option instead.
Roast pineapple with rum and coconut (£13) - it's fruity, it's boozy - what's not to like?
What about the wine?
The list reflects the restaurant's location, so while you will find low-intervention and the odd orange or skin-contact option, there's a strong classical showing. A glass of Fiano starts at £10, which is not too shabby for Mayfair but there are also some rather special bin-end bottles on offer too including a 2009 Vosne-Romanée for just shy of a grand.
Overall thoughts:
We're a little worried that Silva might get lost in the scrum of new openings in London because it's not quite showy enough. What it is instead is a restaurant that is doing everything well. The service is warm and the space is really very beautiful (Silva is woodland in Latin and the rooms' designs reflect that). Most importantly, the food is good; the menu is full of classic dishes with just a bit of a modern twist to keep them interesting. It deserves more of you to try it out.
More about Silva
Where is it? 26-28 Bruton place, London W1J 6NG
How to book? Book online here
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @silva.restaurant
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Silva. Prices correct at time of publication.
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