Two Michelin-starred Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal is a romantic spot indeed; a light and airy restaurant located on the first floor of the historic five-star hotel which opened in 1865 and attracted the likes of Oscar Wilde, but to experience Alex Dilling’s food is a destination in its own right.
With floor to ceiling windows affording views over Regent Street, a small cocktail bar incorporates a transparent temperature-controlled ‘wall’ of fine wines allowing diners a peek into the kitchen, where a brigade of tall-hatted chefs appear calm even during a busy service. Anyone who first experienced fine dining under Gordon Ramsay’s reign of terror will be struck by the cool concentration on the other side of the glass.
Alex Dilling’s first restaurant opened in 2022 and made headlines when it was awarded two-Michelin stars within six months of opening, an accolade he has retained, with a consistency which has him tipped for a third star in the not so distant future. Recently awarded four AA Rosettes for culinary excellence, the neutral dining room with graceful floral arrangements, comfortable banquette seating and circular booths offers a graceful backdrop to Dilling’s seasonally-changing 5 or 7 course tasting menus and complementing the refined presentation of the most luxurious ingredients.
A protégée of Alain Ducasse, the fact that Dilling opted to open his first restaurant in London rather than Paris, New York or California is illustrative of the capital’s ranking within the international food scene and his deep affection for the city. He might possess an American accent, but Dilling, who was born in London and spent his childhood between here and the States, considers the UK his home and loves nothing more than a traditional English pub or dinner at Richard Corrigan’s British seafood institution, Bentley’s.
Having trained at Westminster College, Dilling began his journey to Michelin stardom by joining Alain Ducasse’s former Adour restaurant at The St Regis Hotel in New York under the direction of Didier Elena and Tony Esnault and was present when the restaurant won its first Michelin star in 2008 and its second a year later. Mentored by Elena, Esnault and the great Ducasse who has accumulated twenty-one Michelin stars and was the first chef to have three restaurants with three Michelin stars, Dilling followed in the footsteps of greatness when he was awarded his first Michelin star at Caviar Russe in New York in 2013.
Later moving to London where he worked for Hélène Darroze for eight years, Dilling was appointed executive chef of two Michelin star The Greenhouse before a steep learning curve came his way on the restaurant closing due to bankruptcy in 2020 during the pandemic; illustrating the tight financial margins with which even the best-rated restaurants often have to contend. Fortunately, Alex Dilling’s namesake restaurant remains one of London’s most sought-after fine dining experiences; possessing a unique energy and exclusivity due to a maximum of 34 diners.
The friendly front of house and up-beat ambiance is what makes you want to return as much as the gastronomy, with an American songbook playlist that’s a welcome nod to Dilling’s transatlantic heritage and succeeds in putting guests at ease with the likes of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Somethin’ Stupid’ or The Ronette’s ‘Be My Baby’. Diners don’t have to wait long before getting a taste of things to come, with Chef Dilling greeting his guests whilst presenting a selection of hot and cold canapes including a mini tartlet, bon bons and a lollipop, served with a perfectly clear consomme and an oyster.
Accommodating our gluten free dietary requirements, this was followed by a stunning first course of lightly smoked chalk stream trout rillettes topped with creme fraiche and spring onion oil and served with gluten free English muffins (the non gluten free accompaniment is bagels) dripping with salted butter and dusted with piquant pink peppercorn. The dish is completed at the table with a generous serving of aged Kaluga caviar; a homage to Dilling’s time at Caviar Russe where he discovered the complexity of this ingredient and how it not only adds sex appeal to dishes but elevates the texture and flavour profile with bursts of marine saltiness.
The second course is an ode to all that I love about French food; rectangular towers of Pâté de Campagne made by layering Iberico pork shoulder and pistachio nuts with smooth chicken liver, boudin noir and foie gras before finishing with an intense mushroom jelly. Presented with exceptionally good gluten free focaccia, a delightfully hot honey mustard from Dijon to add as desired, and pickled cucumber intricately presented in the form of a rose which diners help themselves to using dainty silver tongs ordinarily used for sugar at tea parties, this beloved, once-rugged French peasant food is taken to new heights, tickling the palate and granting a sense of playfulness as you layer the pâté, pickle and mustard on the bread. God’s own picnic food.
The fish course is every bit as spectacular, inspired by the flavours of Spain and featuring perfectly steamed brill; a crab mousse sandwiched between two fillets, topped with a black stencilworth pattern made with squid ink, as beautiful as black lace. A Basque chorizo foam completes the picture and which, despite its lightness, carries a heady oomph of smokiness to marry the sweet, savoury and salty notes of the other elements. Technical, brilliant, but above all delicious.
The main event is Dilling’s signature take on Hunter chicken prepared with a refined mushroom duxelle and arriving at the table appealingly golden and finished with tiny nuggets of lemon thyme and bee pollen. A decadent chicken jus showcases sauce-making skills worthy of any three-star Michelin restaurant in Paris and there is absolutely no conversation worth having when you are eating this.
One of the most delicious desserts you’re ever likely to taste follows, another signature of the restaurant; a 60% Peruvian chocolate fondant (similar to a rich ganache) accompanied by a quenelle of the silkiest vanilla ice cream and a toasty sugar tulle cigarillo filled with a vanilla ganache. Adorned with gold leaf and sobacha roasted buckwheat, it’s an extraordinary finale which conjures the evocative popcorn, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce flavours of childhood. A drizzle of muscovado caramel sauce seals the deal.
Although Dilling had long before experienced the adrenaline rush of receiving a Michelin star, there can surely be nothing to compare with being the chef-proprietor; all the blood, sweat and tears paling into insignificance when fellow Michelin-starred chefs congratulate you and your restaurant’s telephone starts ringing with reservation requests. Dilling is one of the hottest chefs in the world right now and I have a feeling that this will continue for as long as his name is over the door.
As Michelin-starred dining experiences go, this is a memorable one; a symphony of flavours and techniques to make you gasp with surprise, smile with delight and groan Sally-like with pleasure. Drawing on his training in classical French gastronomy on both sides of the Atlantic and travels in Europe and Asia, each carefully devised and constructed dish is as precise as you’d expect from this calibre of restaurant, yet no matter how seriously Dilling takes the creative process, he is probably the least arrogant Michelin-starred chef I’ve ever met; fully acknowledging that a Michelin star can’t be accomplished by one man, however brilliant. Dilling has every reason to take pride in his leadership and inspiration of tomorrow’s top chefs, however; doubtless I’ll read an interview when one of them has gone on to establish their own Michelin restaurant, in which they’ll proclaim their time under Dilling to have been just as life-changing as Dilling’s years working for Ducasse. There is a kind of poetry in this passing on of culinary skills and techniques, for a Michelin-starred chef-proprietor is so much more than an employer.
Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal is the special event of special events; an experience to linger in the memory like all exceptional dining experiences do. With subtle references to his adventures in each magnificent course, he conveys true emotion to the diner, something all too often lacking when it comes to chefs intent upon chasing star-ratings, for precision cooking is only admirable when you know that it wasn’t created by a robot. In the words of the Terminator, “I’ll be back.”
Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal, 68 Regent Street, London, W1B 4DY. 7 course tasting menu £215 per person. Dinner service 6:00pm – 9:30pm Tuesday to Saturday. Lunch service on Saturday 12:00pm to 1:30pm. For more information and reservations please visit the website.
Photography by Justin De Souza.
