The main dining room at Wildflowers
What can you tell us about Wildflowers?
The restaurant and wine bar is a team-up between chef Aaron Potter and interior stylist, Laura Hart. In charge of the food side of things, Aaron was previously head chef of Elystan Street as well as running the original Maria G's restaurant in Earl's Court. He's been popping up with Wildflowers previews in recent months before finally settling down with this permanent Mediterranean-influenced restaurant and a wine bar that's notably good value.
They've got a beautiful-looking (and very open) kitchen.
Where is it?
It's on the fringes of Belgravia (about a 10-minute walk from Victoria station) inside the new development Newson's Yard. If you're familiar with nearby restaurant Le Poule au Pot, you'll find Newson's Yard just across the road from that (look for the striking alleyway). It's an impeccably designed covered mini-courtyard, surrounded by interior design shops where everything looks very lovely indeed (with prices to match).
Taking up one large side of that courtyard is Wildflowers, with the restaurant on the ground floor and the wine bar upstairs. Like the rest of Newson's Yard, it's a beautifully designed space and it's clear that co-founder Laura Hart's background has been used to help create one of the best-looking spaces we've seen recently.
Come into Newson's Yard, turn the corner and you'll find Wildflowers. There is some great "alfresco-ish" seating, but the good news is that you're completely under cover.
Where should we go for a drink first?
The wine bar here is by far the most obvious recommendation, and it's a place we'd also now suggest even if you were dining anywhere else in the immediate area.
Unlike the restaurant, the upstairs wine bar is partly open to the rest of Newson's Yard, creating an airy feel throughout the entire space. And on top of that, it's very big so will be a great space to just stop by for a drink or two without necessarily worrying about booking first:
The back half of the massive upstairs wine bar.
On top of that, the wine list here is extremely reasonable, particularly for this part of town. The entry-level wine comes in at £30 for a Sauvignon Viogner from Languedoc, a starting price on a wine list that's becoming ever rarer in many places in London, let alone Belgravia. And with fifteen or so bottles under £50 (and nine of those under £40) it's an excellently priced wine list.
So, a well-priced, thoughtfully selected wine list in a beautiful building quickly becomes our number one recommendation for a drink in this part of town.
On top of that - the cocktails are also extremely good:
Calamansi Martini (tequila, calamansi puree, manxamilla sherry, agave, lime, tajin rim, £14) and their Nearly Dirty Martini (olive oil fat-washed gin, house brine, peppercorn, Nocellara olive, £14).
Onto the food - what to expect?
Aaron Potter's menu is billed as Mediterranean-inspired and while that's very much "a thing" in London restaurants right now, he's managed to use that jumping-off point to create a menu that reads extremely well (and also delivers). It kicks off with snacks, which you can also order in the wine bar upstairs:
Gnocco fritto, coppa, gorgonzola, truffle honey (£4.50 each) - these were phenomenal. The thing to order the second you sit down.
Wildflowers focaccia - You get a couple of free pieces of focaccia first, then it's £4 for an extra portion (which is worth it).
Prosciutto San Daniele, pickled baby peaches (£16) - The piquancy of the baby peaches that were pickled months before the restaurant opened completely elevates the already wonderful prosciutto. Another must-have.
After that - it's onto a standard three-course affair with dishes including:
Scallop crudo, nashi pear, almonds, fennel pollen and olive oil (£18) - another addition to great London crudo dishes we've enjoyed recently.
Iberico pork and morcilla "pringa" sandwich (£16) - Southern Spain influenced, with the mix of pork and black pudding making this a strong contender for best new sandwich this year,
Cornish duck cooked over coals, golden raisins, pinenuts and sherry (£34) - both beautifully presented and cooked duck - and there's a lot of it hiding under the raisins and pinenuts. Exemplary sauce too.
Grilled porcini & girolles, sweetcorn polenta, parmesan and salsa verde (£28) - a fabulous vegetarian dish singing with autumn flavours.
The menu has been evolving in the past few weeks already, with other signature dishes being their sugar-pit pork chop (£28) and a great-sounding lobster and cuttlefish fideua (like a paella but made with pasta, £40). On top of that, you can get extra focaccia if you need (£4) and "holiday potatoes" on the side.
If you're looking for something a little more traditional, there is a sharing steak on the menu too. On our visit that was a 30-day aged sirloin with smoked bone marrow rice (£110). The smoked bone marrow rice along makes that worth a try.
As ever, though, you will need to hold yourself back for dessert - both of these were excellent.
Spiced pear and almond galette, bay leaf gelato (£11) - a warm galette covered with the most spherical gelato we'd ever seen (note it melted a bit while we were faffing over the photos). Also - bay leaf gelato turns out to be very good indeed.
Pistachio, rose and red plum choux a la creme (£12) - just beautiful.
You'll also find that dish we're seeing everywhere at the moment, gelato with olive oil and sea salt, here it's also served with a grape balsamic (£11).
Anything else to mention?
They do have a nice private dining room upstairs, so that's worth bearing in mind if you're planning a get-together in the run-up to Christmas.
Another beautiful set-up inside their PDR.
Overall thoughts
We were very impressed with Aaron Potter's cooking when we last tried it at Maria Gs, but even then it was clear that he needed a more high-profile space to showcase what he can do. Here, he delivers an excellent menu of Mediterranean fair, the best example of it we've had since Morchella earlier this year. That's all paired with a beautifully designed space by Laira Hart and a wine bar that's incredibly good value.
This gets a strong recommendation from us and it's something that makes us (even more) jealous of Belgravia residents.
More about Wildflowers
Where is it? Unit 2, 57 Pimlico Road, London SW1W 8NE
How to book: Book online (you can book the bar too, but tables are kept back for walk-ins).
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @wildflowers.restaurant
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Wildflowers. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
