Michelin-starred brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin have just added to their empire with this Mayfair newcomer, Galvin at The Athenaeum. Have the chefs got another winner on their hands? Find out here.
Like Galvin at Windows and The Pompadour by Galvin, this newcomer is in a hotel, and like Galvin Bistrot de Luxe and Galvin La Chapelle, there are French classics on the menu such as steak tartare with toasted sourdough.
The Athenaeum however has a stronger British accent than its siblings; we liked a pretty starter of dressed Portland crab with Hampshire watercress and rye bread. Other similarly simple dishes fared well. Soused Cornish mackerel with Ratte potatoes and cucumber was a deluxe potato salad with a lively dressing, while a thick slice of calf’s liver was perfectly cooked pink all the way through, scattered with crisp leaves of sage and sitting on a buttery bed of slow-cooked fried onion.
Prices are generous for a Mayfair hotel – a trencherman-sized Dingley Dell pork belly with black pudding clocks in at £16.50 – and puddings such as cherry Bakewell tart aimed at the sweet-toothed. The equally new Bar at the Athenaeum deals in innovative twists on the classics, but if that’s not your thing, there’s always the hotel’s famous whisky collection.
All-day eating, including breakfast and afternoon tea, is another plus – a boon for tourists and local suits, but it does mean there’s no escaping the feeling that you’re sitting in a rather bland hotel dining room, designed for international tastes.
Find out more and book a table at Galvin at The Athenaeum here
This article was published 6 July 2016