Latest opening: 20 Berkeley
What: A ‘British-produce led’ restaurant and bar close to Mayfair’s Berkeley Square. 20 Berkeley (its entrance is actually on Hay Hill) is presumably intended as a more sophisticated ‘foodie’ counterpoint to the likes of Amazonico and Sexy Fish, which are located very close by. Much is being made of the restaurant’s close connections with its suppliers and strictly-seasonal approach.
Who: 20 Berkeley is the latest project from Creative Restaurant Group, which is also behind wood-fired cooking restaurant HUMO and sushi restaurant SUMI. Launched last year, the group is a collab between Endo Kazutoshi of Endo at the Rotunda and Misha Zelman, who is behind restaurants including Goodman, Burger & Lobster, Beast and Zelman Meats. The executive chef is Ben Orpwood, who was most recently executive chef at Mayfair private members club Maison Estelle but is best known as the launch chef of Gordon Ramsay Group’s Asian offering Lucky Cat. His CV also includes Caprice Holdings and Roka and Zuma owner Azumi Group.
Vibe: Set beneath a recently redeveloped office block, the space has 120-covers in total and is split into no less than four separate areas: The Pantry, Orangery, The Nipperkin bar and 14-cover PDR The Drawing Room. Interior architect Pirajean Lees has created four distinct spaces, but all have a feel that’s somewhere between an English manor house and a reassuringly-expensive private members club. The same food menu is available across 20 Berkeley.
The food: Billed as ‘a true celebration of artisans and the most exceptional produce available from around the British Isles’, 20 Berkeley’s menu is big on name checking suppliers: the burrata is from Ealing, the lettuce is from Elephant and Castle while the potatoes hail from Cambridgeshire. Some ingredients come from further afield - including scallops from Orkney, Iberico pork from Shopshire and John Dory from Newlyn - but in general the (clearly well-connected) Orpwood has done a good job identifying top quality produce that’s in relativity close proximity to W1. Samples of the seasonal produce available that day - including meat, fish and, much more unusually, vegetables, are brought to the table in wicker baskets for inspection prior to guests ordering. In general, the cooking lets the produce do the talking: spankingly fresh Cornish jigg-caught squid is served with a simple butter, white wine, garlic and herb dressing while Scottish lobster is partnered with carrots and a sea buckthorn-based hot sauce. Other dishes include St Ewes egg yolk and potato raviolo, peas and lemon thyme; Herdwick lamb, tomato fondue, artichokes and sweet peppers; and apple tarte tatin with Jersey milk ice cream.
To drink: 20 Berkeley’s wine list echoes the food menu to some extent with a strong showing for English wine including over 20 sparkling options. There is also a focus on Burgundy and Bordeaux, so those looking to go big certainly won’t be disappointed. Still wines start at £10 a glass, which is not bad at all for the postcode.
And another thing: Creative Restaurant Group will soon launch a large sushi-focused venture just down the road atop The OWO in Whitehall.
