Saison at Raffles London at The OWO

Chefs don’t come much higher in the stardom rankings than Mauro Colagreco, the chef patron of peerless three Michelin-starred Mirazur in the Cote d’Azur. Colagreco is the latest in a line of global superstar pan-rattlers to arrive in London, and his new digs are suitably sophisticated. For context, the renovations at Whitehall’s Old War Office (or OWO as it is now) include a gigantic lobby chandelier that took a year to build, and the painstaking reconstruction of hundreds of metres of mosaic, each tile of which had to be individually numbered and restored.

With all that work comes a great deal of expectation. Colagreco has three restaurants within Raffles at the OWO - Saison is the most accessible of the three, designed to be an all-day restaurant that showcases the Argentine’s philosophy of championing hyper-local, hyper-seasonal ingredients.

Light pours through the skylight overhead, and down into the restaurant, who’s trees and trellises give Saison the feel of an airy Mediterranean terrace. This is certainly the most relaxed of the Colagreco restaurant trio, but the location comes with a certain level of formality, from the neatly-pressed tablecloths to besuited and very attentive service.

The cooking is precise and measured throughout, with great care taken over the balance of dishes. A starter of quail is beautifully cooked, but it’s the accompaniments that lift it to another level - a dressing of smoked chestnut, grape, clementine and pistachio that pulls you gently from sweet to sour and smoky. The thighs have been deboned - another small detail that yields great relief. Then there’s a tranche of halibut, blanketed under a citrus beurre blanc and served with the silkiest of artichoke mousselines. Saison even has time to show off with a classic, in the form of an outstanding and pixel-perfect tiramisu.

There’s no questioning the quality of the cooking here, but expect prices to match. The halibut (admittedly the most expensive dish on the menu) was £56 at the time of writing. There are more affordable options, though, and the cooking is just as excellent, making Saison a very welcome addition to Westminster.

Saison is the all-day dining restaurant at Raffles London at The OWO in Whitehall, run by world-famous Argentinian-Italian chef Mauro Colagreco. The restaurant is one of three sites run by Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO, the other two being the eponymous flagship Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO, and Mauro’s Table, an exclusive private hire chef’s table for up to 20 guests. In total, there are nine restaurants and three bars across the entire Old War Office development.

Saison is reflective of Colagreco’s professional roots in the south of France - his restaurant Mirazur on the French Riviera holds three Michelin stars and is widely considered to be one of the best in the world. The menu at Saison takes inspiration from the flavours of the Mediterranean, as well as reflecting his hyper-seasonal and hyper-local philosophy, using the best of British produce. Colagreco has worked with industry luminaries such as Alain Ducasse, Alain Passard and Bernard Loiseau, and his elegant, precise style certainly shows the echoes of all three.

As well as serving lunch and dinner, Saison is open for breakfast, and also serves afternoon tea in a spacious dining room under the carefully restored glass ceiling of Raffles London.

Colagreco’s restaurants at Raffles London at The OWO are his first in the UK, and add to his portfolio of nine restaurants worldwide, including sites in France, China and Argentina. Colagreco says: ‘The incredible location, combined with the professionalism of the Raffles London team, convinced me that this was the ideal time and place to launch for the first time in London with concepts that will be tailor-made for Raffles.’