Review - Seven Park Place London

Seven Park Place offers a unique dining experience

St James's Hotel and Club

As we make our way to the hotel’s acclaimed Seven Park Place restaurant, we’re swiftly taken to our table within minutes, past the hotel’s swish bar and the rest of the tiny 26-seat restaurant.

The private club feel continues inside, where the décor is quite unusual to say the least – black and white flower wallpaper covered with Frida-esque, brash-coloured paintings, square-shaped carpet, gold ceilings, and plastic, chain-link lamps. This mix and mash of clashing patterns and colours is not for the faint-hearted, but it works for me – in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way.

Our table, in the grand little back room, is big and plush. With only three tables and no posh background music, the room is quiet and intimate. Bookshelves, dim lighting and huge comfy yellow banquettes add a luxury homey feel to it. Our fellow diners are smartly dressed, distinguished couples. The luxurious, exclusive surroundings call for an aperitif.

Entrance is via a small side street in Mayfair
St James's Hotel and Club

As I sip my Bellini while trawling the simple two-page, mouth-watering menu, the restaurant manager brings us an unexpected amuse-bouche of lobster jelly with crème fraiche served in a mini cocktail glass. Fresh, clean and sophisticated, it’s a delight in the mouth. We’re happy to follow the manager’s wine-pairing suggestions as we order from the à la carte menu and realise we’re in for a treat, a top-end meal of carefully assorted flavours and exquisite food combinations by William Drabble.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Drabble cooked at London’s Michelin-starred Aubergine for 10 years, after taking it over from Gordon Ramsay in 1998. Drabble joined St James’s Hotel and Club only last October and redesigned the entire menu.

My starter of pan-fried foie gras with peach chutney and gingerbread demonstrates how Drabble’s food is the very essence of luscious, indulgent cooking. The sweetness of the peach perfectly complements the dryness of the gingerbread and richness of the foie gras. The refreshing glass of Riesling also helps wash down such a rich dish. Presentation is impeccable, like art on a plate. My partner’s lighter fare of warm salad of lobster with summer vegetables is also a winner.

The flower wallpaper is covered with Frida-esque paintings
St James's Hotel and Club

For my main course, I’m glad I opted for the fillet of John Dory. A much lighter dish than my starter, it’s again perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. The fricassée of girolle mushrooms and langoustine accompanying it is an interesting combination. The girolles on their own seem to lack in flavour – so does the fish actually – but the magic of the dish resides in the blending of its ingredients. It was my partner’s turn to get indulgent and his loin of veal with foie gras sauce did not disappoint.

Feeling pretty filled up but well taken care of by the attentive staff, choosing a dessert proves harder than we think. Still, I can’t go without pudding (women seem to have a second stomach for all things sweet) and despite thinking we should share one, we end up ordering two: the white chocolate parfait with cherries and the poached peach with schnapps sorbet and lemon verbena. But first comes another surprise, a pre-dessert. The mini savarin (sponge cake soaked in raspberry liquor) with vanilla and raspberry cream goes down a treat.

The delicious desserts are a must at Seven Park Place
St James's Hotel and Club

The chocolate parfait is oddly presented – chocolate-filled cannellonis don’t look that appetising – but of course the chocolate is heavenly. We struggle to finish our plates while sipping yet another glass of sweet wine (Côteaux Du Layon and Muscat). And just when you think it’s over, there’s more! Yes a selection of just-baked petit fours come with the coffee. I can’t eat anymore but the mini chocolate macaroons are too hard to resist. Well I don’t regret it. It’s one of the best chocolate macaroons I have ever eaten.

For cooking this good, £45 for three courses is not exorbitant. Seven Park Place is elegant and exclusive but if you want a treat and can afford it, it won’t disappoint.

Seven Park Place
St James’s Hotel and Club, 7-8 Park Place, London, SW1A 1LS
Tel: (020) 7316 1600.
Website: www.stjamesclubandhotel.co.uk
Price: A three-course dinner for two including drinks (wine, water, coffee) and service costs about £160.