The top line: Hospitality impresario Guillaume Glipa – whose CV includes key roles at Chiltern Firehouse, Louie London and Annabel’s – is overseeing a complete overhaul of private members’ club The Twenty Two’s main restaurant. Occupying a prime spot at the Grosvenor Square end of North Audley Street, the public space previously housed a more formal, overtly luxurious restaurant. The café name signals a loosening of the collar, although this remains a polished and potentially spendy affair befitting its postcode. Prices, however, are by no means outrageous for the area.
On the menu: With significant input from the Bordeaux-born Glipa, Restaurant understands, Alan Christie has assembled a collection of carefully executed bistro classics, some of which – much like the restaurant’s expected clientele – have undergone a tasteful nip and tuck. A protégé of Arbutus and Wild Honey chef Anthony Demetre, Christie is well suited to the assignment. His impressively grand title of global culinary director reflects a remit that also takes in The Twenty Two’s recently launched Manhattan sibling. The option to spend up to £300 on the very first thing on the menu – N25 Oscietra caviar with toast and crisp potatoes – is a signal of intent if ever there was one. Elsewhere, starters include foie gras terrine with Agen prune and a baked hand-dived scallop with caper and parsley butter, alongside a broad selection of salads. A short pasta section runs from cacio e pepe to lobster paccheri, while mains include beef short rib Bourguignon, duck à l’orange and a beautifully done fillet steak with peppercorn sauce.
Sharing dishes up the ante with truffle roast chicken and wagyu bone-in ribeye with Café de Paris butter. Sides stick to the classics, including gratin dauphinois, ratatouille and mash that, given its butter-to-potato ratio, is quite possibly literally to die for. Drinks are well thought out, too. A roaming martini trolley brings some tableside theatre, while the wider cocktail list leans French, with Champagne cocktails and a twist on the French 75. The extensive wine list follows suit, although other countries get a good showing, particularly big budget US reds. Château d’Yquem and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Montrachet each have dedicated sections, with a bottle of the latter’s 2010 vintage topping the wine list at a not inconsiderable £14,600. There is also a good selection by the glass, especially sparkling wine, with wines starting at £14 a glass and £50 a bottle.
The vibe: Café 22 is an extremely handsome 92-seat space, with deep colours offset by lighter neutrals and a new entrance directly from North Audley Street. The room retains plenty of Mayfair polish, but the ambition is for a livelier, less buttoned-up atmosphere. Works by Moroccan painter and sculptor Mahi Binebine give diners something to contemplate between courses. Despite the café tag, this is not currently an all-day operation. Lunch runs from midday to 2.30pm on weekdays, weekend brunch from midday to 3pm, and dinner from 6pm every evening.
And another thing: With one of the best little black books in the business, Glipa – who is exactly as suave as he sounds – is well placed to lead the restaurant’s revival. And heavyweight hospitality talent is increasingly a prerequisite in this corner of Mayfair. The money is there, but so is fierce competition, with North Audley Street and its surrounding streets becoming a hotspot for what could broadly be described as casual luxury. Café 22 has JKS Restaurants’ progressive Indian restaurant BiBi next door and bougie bistro NAC almost on its doorstep, with Roka and The Marlborough further up the street and The Audley and Mount Street Restaurant and New York-import Carbone all close by. There is little room for operators to phone it in.
43 North Audley Street, London W1K 6DT