Cafe Biltmore

It can be hard to make your mark in Mayfair, a neighbourhood with world-class restaurants on nearly every corner. Never one to reject a challenge, Jason Atherton has taken on the task of creating a laidback all-day café at The Biltmore hotel.

The premise is simple, to make a relaxed place to meet and eat, and the team has achieved what they set out to do. The covered, heated terrace is buzzy with a mix of guests – from families through to groups of colleagues. Service is five-star, with the well-rehearsed staff feting over guests, while crisp linen and silverware adorn tables for an atmosphere which outstrips the café title.

Referencing the restaurant’s international appeal, the menu reads like the greatest hits of global cuisine. Pizza and pasta sit alongside burgers, fish dishes and chargrilled steaks. To start, the bread comes as a full, steaming-hot boucle, and a plate of crab on toast is generously topped and pleasantly mild.

Mains brought beautifully cooked sole with golden, crisped edges and fried capers as well as a feather-light citrus hollandaise. The mashed potatoes had so much butter and salt in them you would have been forgiven for spreading them on toast, while a side of green beans were addictively well-seasoned, with an additional spike of confit shallots.

The wine list – which has been carefully honed – holds a condensed selection from the master list and features all the usual suspects. Cocktails are complexly flavoured, with non-drinkers catered for by way of herbaceous mocktails (although at £12 a pop you might not want to make a habit out of them).

Carefully sourced ingredients and impressive cooking ensures the menu of seemingly simple dishes is elevated to an impressive level. And, while the terrace isn’t quite as pretty as the pictures make out, if you are happy to pay Mayfair prices, this is a nice spot to while away the hours.

Part of celebrity chef Jason Atherton’s clutch of food and beverage outlets at The Biltmore Hotel (which includes The Betterment and an afternoon tea lounge), Cafe Biltmore is a garden terrace found in the heart of bustling Mayfair.

The serene space features verdant green foliage lining the walls, as well as lush potted plants lining the floors. The space is well suited to those dining in pairs or small groups, thanks to light wooden table and chairs, plus added comfort provided by bright orange banquette seating and an array of plump scatter cushions.

As for the menu, you can expect to enjoy a casual (for Mayfair, at least) offering which is surprisingly diverse in its nature. Alongside the typical modern European fare you might expect to find served on the terrace of a luxury London hotel, the a la carte also takes inspiration from global influences. Order fresh fish and meats cooked on a Japanese charcoal grill to see what we mean, or instead pay homage to the sun-soaked shores of the Mediterranean via the moreish likes of wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta dishes.

On your visit, you might begin your meal with a helping of Dorset crab on sourdough toast, topped with confit lemon and natural yoghurt, or perhaps a grilled chicken salad, alive with rocket, heritage tomatoes, aged Parmesan and a balsamic vinaigrette. For your main course, choose between dishes such as a Cornish monkfish curry with pilau rice and homemade naan, or tuck into an indulgent wood fired-pizza, crowned with toppings of confit lamb shoulder, Tunworth cheese and basil pesto.

To finish up, pick from the tempting likes of lemon tart with yoghurt sorbet or Valrhona chocolate moelleux with milk ice cream. To help you wash it all down, choose from a healthy list of international wines.