Let’s get one thing straight – the newly opened Lilibet’s in Mayfair isn’t just another London restaurant, it’s a fantasy. My fantasy. Located at 17 Bruton Street, where a young Princess Elizabeth and unintended future Queen Elizabeth II was born, from the fact that the restaurant has borrowed the Princess’s family pet name ‘Lilibet,’ you might be expecting posh reincarnations of steak and kidney pie or coronation chicken, but thankfully acclaimed Australian restauranteur Ross Shonhan’s 12th project (he was once executive chef at Nobu) is more Versailles than Buckingham Palace, and I’m jolly glad they didn’t push the novelty of the location with unnecessary culinary gimmicks which set a new venue’s expiry date before the doors even open.
Located opposite the former premises of royal couturier Norman Hartnell, where the original sign is still emblazoned on the wall, bearing witness to the fashion house commissioned with the heavy responsibility of designing the late Queen’s wedding dress and 1953 coronation gown, first impressions of Lilibet’s were favourable indeed when, strolling past the restaurant’s pavement-side covered al fresco dining area (which they imaginatively refer to as their ‘Garden Terrace’) the inviting glow of lamps on each table reminded me of the elegant Fouquet’s on the Champs-Elysées and I had the distinct feeling that I was about to experience something rather unique on the London dining scene.
Once an office block and car park, the whimsical aura of French elegance rather than British style continues when the effervescent Gina Glennon held the door open invitingly and I inhaled Lilibet’s bespoke fragranced candle as she whisked away my coat and presented me with a rather fancy numbered fob finished with a gold tassel. Former maître d’ of well-established seafood restaurant, Scott’s on Mount Street, I for one am glad Glennon jumped ship, for she’s truly in her element here.
Unapologetically opulent, from the romantic Cocktail Bar to elegant Dining Room and Oyster Bar – at which the less squeamish diners can sit at the marble counter eye to eye with the daily catch and enjoy the theatre of the chefs managing the blazing fireside grill – Lilibet’s strikes just the right note between Marie Antoinette’s boudoir, the Four Seasons Hotel George V and the kind of up-tempo fish restaurant you might find on the French Riviera. It might have been more apt to have named the restaurant ‘Margaret’s’, after Lilibet’s hedonistic younger sister, Princess Margaret who, were she and her fun-loving Mustique entourage still partying through life, would have made this a regular destination.
Designed by Russell Sage Studio, whose brief was to reimagine the private home of the Royal Family, complete with antique fireplace and bespoke floral wallpaper, the attention to detail is nothing short of breath-taking, from the gilt-framed 18th century French paintings to the etched glassware, ‘L’ monogrammed napkins featuring a curled fishtail and menus bound with romantic marbled paper. Even the tall dinner candles on each table are fragranced and ceremoniously lit by the lovely Gina as soon as you’re sitting comfortably. She even carries what we’ll call, ‘Eau de Lilibet’s’ with her for discreet spritzes.
Glennon’s fantastic sense of fun and camaraderie combines with general manager, Nicolas Garcia’s impressive command of operations (formerly L’Atelier Robuchon, The Ivy and La Petite Maison) to create a celebratory atmosphere that is by no means easy to achieve in the first few weeks of a restaurant opening. To use a nautical metaphor in light of Lilibet’s incarnation as a seafood restaurant and their ‘culinary voyage awaits’ tagline, the double act is that of a jolly good Captain and his Chief Mate, for it’s only when a team have experienced leaders that diners, unconsciously sensing confidence, relax so as to become oblivious of the high level of service. And you’d be hard pressed to find more staff in a 3 Michelin-starred restaurant. It can be daunting sailing on a maiden voyage, yet from start to finish we experienced the entirely pleasant sensation of traversing calm waters, surrounded by every luxury and an attentive crew whom we felt we knew by the time we disembarked.
The food is of course the primary reason for the trip and if this were to underwhelm, especially after such an ostentatious fanfare, it would be a titanic disappointment. The menu, offering an imaginary Grand Tour of the Mediterranean inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s travels around the world, boasts such an extensive choice that you’d never need to order the same dish if you dined here for a fortnight. May I suggest ordering a little something while you’re deciding on the main event? If I didn’t have to avoid gluten it would have been the two bite crab tarts and anchovy eclairs or native lobster rolls (to which you can add Oscietra caviar £45), but there was a silver lining in tasting the mouth-watering half dozen fire-roasted oyster ‘set’ with inspired toppings of seaweed and ume boshi butters, and flambadou (aged beef fat). I highly recommend you experience something from the grill, which delivers maximum flavour to signature dishes such as lobster spaghetti and turbot pil pil.
There’s a great sense of fun when choosing at Lilibet’s, and whether you plump for the fruit de mer platter or crab thermidor, dishes come when they’re ready, with a strong emphasis on sharing. Executive chef Alex Harper (formerly Head Chef at The Harwood Arms) is understandably proud of the Fish Triptych, a showcase for the art of fish cookery and sustainability which celebrates one fish served three ways: crudo, grilled and as a soup, presented at the table in an impressive tureen. An admirable portion of the menu is devoted to the ‘Unsung Heroes’ so many other high end London restaurants forsake, from squat lobster and gurnard to sea urchin and hake head: prepared so as to convince the most conservative diner to sail outside their comfort zone.
I appreciate that Lilibet’s encourages diners to be adventurous and boasts dishes you’re not going to find in every other Mayfair venue, while it’s obvious that the courageous decision to serve items that don’t ordinarily take top billing is only something an experienced chef would risk, so order with confidence. No one will think less of you for opting for meat (try the Veal Holstein or bone-in ribeye) or pasta for that matter: one of Chef Alex’s specialties, the lemon ricotta and agnolotti is made by hand in small batches and can often sell out on a busy night.
Nicholas filleted our Dover sole with Café de Paris butter with aplomb tableside, with which we ordered sprouting broccoli dressed with Colatura vinaigrette, chilli and mint, along with French fries served with chipotle salt & Caesar dressing. I’m determined to try the Lilibet’s mash, surrounded by a rich shellfish bisque and topped with lobster on my next visit, and you always know a good menu when you begin plotting your next selections during the present occasion! I also have another test, which is to ask myself whether I would happily reorder the same? And the answer is a resounding Yes. I’ve probably eaten enough Dover sole for them to rename it after me, and I’ve never tasted a finer example due to perfect cookery and a bold Café de Paris butter that offered a welcome divergence from the usual meunière sauce.
I was relieved to find that Lilibet’s consider non-drinkers as well as those who immerse themselves in a weighty wine list, and we merrily quaffed 0% Wild Idol Rosé throughout before selecting the ‘Blush Hour’ cocktail (Tanqueray 0%, apple juice and a cucumber and blueberry cordial) to accompany dessert. How we made it to dessert I know not, and then we forgot that the chocolate mousse was designed to share! Promised to ‘defy expectations,’ it was a very happy mistake not to have my husband depriving me of an indescribably pleasurable moment. It’s true, there aren’t many gluten-free options, with the wonderfully named ‘Princess cake’ eluding me, but I’d be quite content to fantasise about Lilibet’s chocolate mousse for the rest of my life. When we enquired of Nicholas what a prego steak sandwich was doing alongside these, he assured us that it’s popular in Portugal and is the restaurant’s contemporary take on the Welsh rarebit. To each their own.
There are restaurants you just know will be around in sixty or more years and this is one of them. Unlike the clubby London seafood institutions like Wilton’s and J. Sheekey which both have a members’ club vibe, Lilibet’s has sex appeal in spades and I intend to throw a party for every future decade I’m lucky enough to dine here, in the sumptuous private Hartnell Room, hosting a few select friends over buckets of caviar, fire roasted oysters, Dover sole and chocolate mousse. My toast? Long live Lilibet’s and all who sail in her.
Lilibet’s, 17 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QB. Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch Wednesday to Saturday. For more information and reservations please visit the website.
