The top line: Hospitality entrepreneur Artem Login has launched another huge central London restaurant. Hot on the heels of Japanese restaurant MOI, ALTA offers a modern yet accessible take on northern Spanish cuisine and sees the return of Rob Roy Cameron. Best known for his spell at Mayfair restaurant Gazelle, the South African-born chef spent much of his career working for acclaimed Catalan chef Albert Adrià holding key positions at restaurants including 41 Degrees (the spiritual successor to legendary Roses restaurant El Bulli) and is therefore well placed to lead the project as head chef.
On the menu: Roy Cameron has done a fine job of dialling back his cooking to suit a relatively casual 100-cover plus restaurant that is located in Soho’s Kingly Court, a location that is synonymous with fast-paced affordable dining (the site was previously home to casual dining brand Rum Kitchen). But his experience at the very top of the restaurant game is evident in refined small plates that include razor clam in white saffron escabeche; a pasta-like tangle of finely cut squid with lardo and Vizcaina sauce that is reminiscent of one of the key dishes at Gazelle; and a sardine empanada that gives pie maestro Calum Franklin a run for his money (pictured below). All grilled over open fire, the more substantial options at ALTA include tranche of turbot; red mullet; pork chop; and 35-day-dry-aged ribeye. Prices are high for the location but reasonable given the calibre of the chef, the quality of the produce used and the high-spec design.
The vibe: Login certainly hasn’t hit copy and paste but ALTA does have some of the same design cues as its marginally older sibling down the road on Wardour Street, not least a kitchen that is so open it is literally in the dining room. The restaurant’s design draws heavily on the landscapes, materials, and the rustic-modern aesthetic associated with northern Spain, particularly its namesake Alta Navarra region. Design details include a refrigerated seafood counter; metallic ceilings, dark wood furniture; and dramatically cracked plaster walls.
And another thing: Roy Cameron is very specific about his peppers. He is getting Cornwall’s Good Earth Growers to cultivate a Spanish-style variety to bespoke specifications to suit ALTA’s flavour profile and is even making his own paprika.
Ground Floor, Kingly Court, London W1B 5PW https://www.alta-restaurant.com/