Foliage

Address:	Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge SW1X 7LA
Tel	020 7235 2000
Website:	Visit Foliage website
Price: £66.00	Wine: £21.50	Champagne: £55.00
Opening Hours:	Mon-Sun 12N-2pm 7-10pm

Square Meal review of Foliage:

The fine-dining wing of the Mandarin Oriental hotel remains ‘an absolute favourite’ with readers, despite a few tweaks over the last year. Head chef Chris Staines no longer serves three-course meals, but instead invites diners to try four (three savoury & one sweet) smaller servings of his masterful creations. It’s hard to fault any of the food, from firm, fleshy slices of tuna with foie gras pate cut through with a citrus sauce, through melting slices of pork belly with langoustine & celeriac purée, to the stand-out chicken with gem lettuce & a glorious Gewurztraminer sauce – not the most exciting-sounding dish, but a surprisingly exquisite medley of concentrated flavours. Our only minor whinge about Foliage is that, like many a hotel restaurant, the room can lack atmosphere, but the setting is beautiful & huge windows offer sumptuous views of Hyde Park. Service is pitch-perfect, & the set lunch menu (£27 for four courses) is ‘an all-time bargain’.

Wine List: This is a fine all-round list with fair margins. Bordeaux & Italy stand out, though selections from the rest of the world are never less than excellent. The list is laid out regionally with a helpful introductory paragraph for each section. A good range by the half & glass assists in the food & wine matching. Best Buy White 2003 Domaine Coche-Dury Bourgogne Blanc, Burgundy, France, £46. Best Buy Red 2004 Prunotto Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy, £34.

Foliage Location: