Latest opening: Pavyllon
What: An open kitchen restaurant located within the Four Seasons London at Park Lane that has sites in Paris and Monte Carlo.
Who: It is the brainchild of celebrated French chef and creator of multi-Michelin starred restaurants chef Yannick Alléno. Overseeing the food at his first London restaurant is the nominatively determined executive chef Andy Cook, formerly of The Maine and Savoy Grill, and head chef Benjamin Ferra Y Castell, who has previously worked with Alléno at Pavyllon in Paris. Other key members of the team include head mixologist Michele Lombardi, who has joined from The Ritz, and bar manager Ivan Arena.
The food: Alléno is known for experimentation, and he’s let his creative juices flow at his latest project, which combines French and global cooking techniques with British produce in super modern creations. The chef is equally known for his culinary method of ‘extraction’ – which sounds less painful than it actually is - a technique whereby an ingredient is cooked in a vacuum to a specific time and before it is cryo-concentrated to capture its very essence of flavour – seen in action in a cold dish of carrot and spinach ravioles with a broth of vegetable extractions. Other dishes include a ‘not-so-classic prawn cocktail' that, instead of coming in a bowl with lettuce and marie rose sauce comes plated in the from of three prawns topped with fennel, cucumber, dill, trout roe, and parmesan; and a modern beef fillet stroganoff with crispy potato strings and basmati rice. Then there’s his ‘Badaboum’ egg that is injected with Oscietra caviar that comes oozing out once it is cut at the table. Desserts are a bit more traditional, the standout being a chocolate souffle flambéed with Amaretto. A number of menus are on offer including a la carte, an immersive lunch experience, the six-course Pavyllon tasting menu and a shorter four-course Mayfair tasting menu featuring dishes from the a la carte. In addition, its bar - Bar Antoine – serves a large range of drink-friendly snacks that include Antoine's Burger, which has a bun inspired by fried bread from northern Africa filled with teriyaki-beef that took three months to perfect.
To drink: Given the restaurant’s prime Park Lane location it will come as no surprise that the wine list comprises some pretty big hitters from France’s key wine growing regions and beyond, but there are a few surprises also thrown into the mix with the pairing options, not least a superior pear cider from Eric Bordelet in Normandy. Cocktails, meanwhile, include reimagined classics such as a Bloodier Mary made with aromatic essences of tomato and celery, and a mushroom-foam Espresso Martini as well as tonic mixers made by Alléno and the Bar Antoine team that range from beetroot to aromatic citrus.
The vibe: Pavyllon’s large open kitchen and dining counter dominates the light blue and white hued room, designed to marry ‘the chic conviviality of a Parisian apartment with the residential feel of a British club’, according to Parisian designer Chahan Minassian. There is a hushed opulence to the room, which also has some of the comfiest counter dining chairs currently being sat on in the capital. An outdoor terrace seating 30 additional covers will open later in the year.
And another thing: Alléno launched Pavyllon in October in 2019 supposedly after having a chat with fellow French chef Joël Robuchon who suggested he do something similar to his L’Atelier counter dining concept.
Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, London, W1J 7DR
https://www.pavyllonlondon.com/
