Jeru

Jeru’s Mayfair post code prepared us mentally for a dining experience reflective of the location: exclusive, expensive and potentially a little stuffy. We scored one out of three for the cost which is eye-watering wherever you look on the menu - nibbles average around £15 and mains start at £32. As for the other two, we were happy to be proven wrong.  

Diners must enter through the café-cum-bar in order to access the main restaurant, which is rich with the aroma of freshly ground coffee and adds to the immediate feeling of warmth upon entering. The dining area offers a similar sense of conviviality and busyness. An open kitchen runs the length of the room where you can watch the chefs artfully managing multiple steaming pans, including head chef Roy Ner at the fore of it all. It feels fun and welcoming – diners are invited to be part of the action, not hidden from it. 

A menu of sharing plates continues the theme. We sampled the chef's selection which included a moreish wood-fired flatbread lightly speckled with crispy lamb and served with truffle honey for dipping, while wafer-thin, melting slices of basturma (cured beef) were delicate and sliced in front of us at the counter kitchen. Other highlights included hassleback Jerusalem artichokes, crisp on the outside yet velvety within and swimming in a creamy goat’s curd moat. There were more high-performing dishes: halloumi doughnuts with goat’s curd were soft, if a little heavy, while raw kingfish drizzled in a date and lime dressing delivered sweetness and acidity in harmony.  

Some dishes felt a little unnecessary: a huge meaty octopus tentacle immersed in a gloopy liquid didn’t quite hit the mark. And at times, too many flavours felt confused sitting on one plate. But the comfort-factor was most definitely there. Kudos to the staff who politely answered our many questions and helped with drinks recommendations. We’d stick with wine for dinner though – there's a bar downstairs which feels like a better setting for a cocktail.

Award-winning Australian chef Roy Ner makes his UK restaurant debut with Jeru, a high-end, pan-Mediterranean restaurant on Mayfair’s iconic Berkeley Street. The name Jeru translates as ‘old city’ or a place of nomadic tribal people and a melting pot of cultures, something that Ner has strived to replicate across Jeru's three floors, though a menu that caters for everything from busy catch-up brunches to chic dinners around the open kitchen.

The venue is a pan-Mediterranean playground, combining an old-school bakery, wine room, an intimate fully-charcoal restaurant and a cocktail bar. The wine tasting room features an impressive 1,000-bottle wine wall and functions as a private dining room for groups to hire out. Meanwhile, the main restaurant area holds a huge open kitchen which will serves up Ner’s widely-influenced menu, including dishes such as wood-fired potato bread with truffled honey and chickpea miso, tuna ceviche with orange and tamarind, and hasselback Jerusalem artichokes with goat’s whey and anchovies. 

Guests are able to order cured meats sourced from British charcuterie specialists including Angus rump basturma and lamb and fennel salami, meats that have never been served in the UK before. Diners can also try lamb bacon, made in partnership with Hammond Charcuterie, another first for the UK's dining scene. 

Descend downstairs to cocktail bar and lounge Layla for some expertly mixed cocktails and sharing platters in an ultra-chic setting. The space transforms into a lively venue later into the evening to host DJs and live music in the heart of Mayfair, and also hosts brunch on Sundays. 

Don't forget Jeru’s bakery Grain & Grape, which serves everything from pides to sourdough sandwiches and salads, as well as small plates with wines in the evening.