Set within 1 Hotel Mayfair, Dovetale is the new restaurant from two Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers, which has been created with the environment in mind from ingredients through to decor. Think seasonal produce, living walls, and a plethora of plants.
We kick things off with a Wagyu carpaccio that comes adorned with hot mustard, chives and Parmesan, and a pot of mind-blowingly good beef fat chips alongside. We’re advised to wrap the beef around the chip for the perfect mouthful, evoking memories of every great burger we’ve ever eaten. Whilst each element is delicious on its own, together they create something that can only be described as a religious experience.
For mains, the truffle agnolotti arrives as a fairly rustic portion of pasta - doused in roast potato butter sauce with flecks of truffle, it’s a vision of beige, and tastes just as decadent as you’d imagine.
Desserts can often be the final hurdle where most meals fall, where substance is overshadowed by style and you’re left wishing you’d called it a day at mains. But at Dovetale they’ve managed to get the perfect balance between the two, as nostalgic knickerbocker glories take pride of place on the menu, and a vintage ice cream cart sits on the sideline as you choose various flavours of ice cream, sauce and toppings. The presentation is charmingly authentic, and the flavours are well executed, with the mint ice cream bringing a more delicate flavour than expected through the use of fresh herbs.
To drink, we follow recommendations from sommelier Tara Ozols, who seems to have a natural ability for making fine wine feel remarkably less pretentious. Working through various glasses of English fizz and white wines, it’s clear to see that we’re in good hands here.
For a restaurant that offers such a glamorous escape from city life, it still manages to remain refreshingly accessible, and has great potential to be one of the next major hotel restaurants in the capital.