They say ‘all roads lead to Rome’, and yet cruelly not all culinary journeys are written in the stars to end at Bacchanalia. However, if securing a table here is within your reaches, it is a foodie temple worth worshipping at least once.
The venue’s name is inspired by the debaucherous Roman festivals of Baccus, that celebrates the god of wine and pleasure – an insight into the restaurant’s unique concept that combines Roman and Ancient Greek cuisine and culture.
Once you're through the entrance’s red awning, toga-draped hosts will show you to a dining room where gargantuan statues of winged horses and snake-haired goddesses protrude from the ceiling. The devil is in the details, and while the jewel-encrusted bar and themed outfits of the sweet front of house staff certainly got our attention, the small touches are just as mesmerising. Ornate wall lights, velvet room dividers and even the operatic music in the bathroom all makes an impression.
This sentiment extends to the cocktails; we chose the Baklava crowned with an edible etching of a Greek god, which mixed butter-washed vodka and sherry with pistachio and honey for a creamy, nutty taste.
The food menu is designed for sharing, so we started with creamy burrata split open across sweet, blistered Datterini tomatoes, which balanced freshness and indulgence. Elsewhere, the grilled octopus was the perfect consistency, served with softened Greek ospriada beans. There are plenty of options for mains, but it’s impossible not to be tempted by the section headed ‘Food of the Gods’. These extravagantly large dishes recreate the great feasts from Baccus’ time, and everyone is encouraged to stick a fork in. Here, the whole lobster smothered with paccheri pasta and creamy bisque, sprinkled with fresh shavings of black truffle is the stand-out dish. Finally, for dessert we enjoyed the bonet al cioccolato’s baked chocolate base and how the Amaretto crumble and mandarin segments intervened before it all got too rich.
While there are plenty of Mayfair joints that go above and beyond the ordinary, for all-out hedonistic flair, Bacchanalia is in a league of its own.