The MayFair Kitchen has brought to Mayfair what it lacked: a high-end tapas restaurant fusing the best of Spanish and Italian. The gourment arm of the Mayfair Hotel, the tapas restaurant was a recent re-brand that saw the menu transform into offering a smorgasbord of tastes to your buds in a small section of dishes.

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The TasteMaker visited to sample several dishes as well as some of the fine wines that are on the menu.

From the a la carte dish we sampled the following:

Burrata Pugliese with baby basil and San Marzano tomatoe
Spinach and artichoke salad with blue cheese and pine nut
Seared tuna with caponata
Gambas al pil pil

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The burrata, a delicious cheese in its own right, was accompanied with small but punchy cherry tomatoes. The signature of this dish was the slight lemon drizzle that draped the tomatoes, making the burrata-and-tomatoe-dip combination utterly irresistible. The should be the first thing you order.

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The spinach and artichoke salad, with chunks of blue cheese and smatterings of pine nuts coating the base, is an excellent option for the health-conscious who actually like tasty food. With a subtle but tasty vinaigrette dressing, this is a brilliant side dish or plat principal for the vegetarians.

These were washed down with the Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc), Domaine Vacheron, Loire Valley, France 2014,  a taught and crisp rose with hints of citrues, and herbs on the palate.

 The seared tuna with caponata was an interesting spin on something that is otherwise considered very traditional. The tuna was seared to perfection, almost raw on the inside and tender on the exterior – it is possibly one of the best we’ve had in London. The caponata eschewed the traditional Italian style and incorporated a more interesting blend of exotic spices than the simple and traditional tomatoe-based style. The tuna, on the bed of caponata, was a tapas that we would recommend both for its lightness as well as its uniqueness.
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Last but not least was the gambas al pil pil. Recommended to us by the waiter (it transpired that all of his recommendations were spot on) this is the best dish we sample. A rich butter and wine sauce drapes the gambas but it is the spicy kick that lingers on the tongue that makes the dish extra special.

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Les Bartavelles’ (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan) Jean-Luc Colombo, Rhone, France 2013 accompanied this. A silky, full-bodied wine with gingerbread and ripe fruit character, it was a solid companion.

FullSizeRender7-916x515 The finale was the Chocolate fondant with amaretti and vanilla bean ice cream with the Château du Seuil (Sémillon) 50cl, Cerons, Bordeaux, France 2014.
The gooey fondant, with an outer shell and silky liquid interior was a chocolate-lovers’ dream. Accompanied with the apricot-tasting chateau de seuil dessert wine, this was the ultimate indulgence and a perfect treat for a rainy day.
Address: The May Fair Hotel, Stratton St, Mayfair, London W1J 8LT, UK

Phone: +44 20 7915 3892

http://www.mayfairkitchen.co.uk/

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