No stranger to old-world glamour, the Wolseley Hospitality Group has several spots dotted across the capital, each with the same slick interiors and impeccable service you’d expect from a group of this calibre. Found on the corner of Aldwych and Drury Lane, The Delaunay sits amongst the area’s columned hotels, its glowing sign, vivid green awning and top-hatted doorman fitting right into the glitz of theatreland.
The tone is set the moment we step inside. Dark lacquered panelling wraps the vast dining room, brass rails gleam beside black marble counters, and chequered floors and towering columns nod to the grand cafes of Europe. A huge antique clock anchors the room, whilst brass lamps cast pools of light across pristine, white-clothed tables. An open kitchen hums away to the side, and smartly turned-out staff move seamlessly throughout the room, ensuring bread baskets are swiftly delivered and glasses never run dry.
Whilst classic cocktails are available, we lean into the novelty of the ‘Passport to Old Europe’, a drinks list inspired by the golden age of travel. The No 3 at Dusk arrives in a vintage coupe, dressed with a sprig of dill. It’s a punchy, aromatic mix of gin, dry vermouth and sugar snap pea and dill cordial that kicks off the evening in style.
First up is an artichoke tart: golden custard studded with ricotta and glossy black olives. It’s deeply savoury and salty in all the right ways - buttery pastry base without even a hint of sogginess. The scallops are a standout. Served in their shell, one side has clearly been well acquainted with a pan, a fine contrast to the delicate flesh inside. They perch on a bed of gently sweet pea puree, a citrus dressing cutting through with welcome zing.
That well-executed simplicity carries through to the mains. Seared mackerel fillets arrive with shatteringly crisp skin rest on ribbons of pickled cucumber, balancing out the richness of a creamy, dill-flecked beurre blanc. Dessert, however, brings drama. A berry and vanilla baked alaska is flambeed with kirsch at the table. It’s perhaps over charred in places and slightly underdone in others, but that’s a minor quibble, and we polish it off regardless.
For all its glamour, The Delaunay is surprisingly kind on the wallet, and its prix fixe menu, which includes both the tart and mackerel, would set you back just £23.50. There are no gimmicks and no fuss here, just a great London institution doing what it does best.