It can be hard to make your mark in Mayfair, a neighbourhood with world-class restaurants on nearly every corner. Never one to reject a challenge, Jason Atherton has taken on the task of creating a laidback all-day café at The Biltmore hotel.
The premise is simple, to make a relaxed place to meet and eat, and the team has achieved what they set out to do. The covered, heated terrace is buzzy with a mix of guests – from families through to groups of colleagues. Service is five-star, with the well-rehearsed staff feting over guests, while crisp linen and silverware adorn tables for an atmosphere which outstrips the café title.
Referencing the restaurant’s international appeal, the menu reads like the greatest hits of global cuisine. Pizza and pasta sit alongside burgers, fish dishes and chargrilled steaks. To start, the bread comes as a full, steaming-hot boucle, and a plate of crab on toast is generously topped and pleasantly mild.
Mains brought beautifully cooked sole with golden, crisped edges and fried capers as well as a feather-light citrus hollandaise. The mashed potatoes had so much butter and salt in them you would have been forgiven for spreading them on toast, while a side of green beans were addictively well-seasoned, with an additional spike of confit shallots.
The wine list – which has been carefully honed – holds a condensed selection from the master list and features all the usual suspects. Cocktails are complexly flavoured, with non-drinkers catered for by way of herbaceous mocktails (although at £12 a pop you might not want to make a habit out of them).
Carefully sourced ingredients and impressive cooking ensures the menu of seemingly simple dishes is elevated to an impressive level. And, while the terrace isn’t quite as pretty as the pictures make out, if you are happy to pay Mayfair prices, this is a nice spot to while away the hours.