Ormer Mayfair at Flemings Mayfair

From the moment you step into the smart lobby of Flemings Hotel, you’re coddled in the sort of old-fashioned luxury that venerable Mayfair institutions do so well. Nothing is too much for the superb team here, who are only too ready to find us a space in the busy Manetta’s Bar whilst we wait for our table. Manetta’s is a classic hotel bar - plush, cosy and well-stocked.

Like the bar, Ormer isn’t winning any interior design prizes, but the restaurant is a blank canvas for chef Sofian Msetfi’s smart, modern cooking. The wood-panelled walls and immaculate tablecloths scream for traditional cooking, but Msetfi’s food goes one better, carefully walking a tightrope between classic and contemporary. The menu opens up with a great example - a Waldorf salad in flavour but dressed differently, with ingredients pooled in a celery broth.

There are little tweaks elsewhere that in less capable hands could go very wrong. Scottish langoustines risk ruin next to a vanilla and saffron sabayon, but the results are superb, conjuring the breezy, sun-kissed vibe of a Provencal bouillabaisse. Whilst some dishes press the boundaries of your comfort zone, others sit right in the middle of it - a brown butter mille-feuille of Tuma chocolate and Tahitian vanilla ice cream, for example. At some point, an enormous cheese trolley rattles past, loaded so heavily that it looks rather hard to get around the dining room.

A special mention for wine service which is absolutely outstanding. The accompanying wine pairing dives from old to new world, taking in robust Madeira and a superb Tokaji. It can feel sometimes that London’s restaurant scene is a merry-go-round, spinning slightly faster than we’d like; among all the hype that comes and goes, Ormer, we hope, will never change.

Ormer, housed in the plush Flemings Hotel and headed up by executive chef Sofian Msetfi, has become a staple of Mayfair fine dining, boasting a Michelin star and many other accolades. Msetfi brings his elegant flair to the table in the form of a variety of tasting menus - including vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian options - as well as breakfast in the mornings. As one might expect from a Mayfair restaurant of this calibre, there is an extensive wine list featuring some of the finest bottles in London. 

Breakfast at Ormer includes a wealth of classic, light and indulgent options. Alongside a full continental featuring cured meats and cheeses, smoked salmon, baked Viennoiseries, fresh fruit salad, cereals and yoghurts, you can also find plenty of cooked options, such as brioche French toast, omelette Arnold Bennett, and baked eggs 'en cocotte'. 

Msetfi's tasting menus are centred around seasonal ingredients sourced from Ormer's dedicated suppliers, as well as produce from its kitchen garden in Essex. Drawing on a wealth of influences and cooking techniques, dishes include the likes of Sicilian tomato peas, broad beans and vanilla, cured Cornish mackerel with sesame, kombu and spiced nage, and roast Anjou pigeon with mushroom and lime. All menus begin with a selection of canapes, and finish with a 'petit bun' and sweets. While the dessert section of the menu includes the likes of Caramelia and malt ‘gateaux’ with honey vinegar and Madagascar vanilla ice cream.

Two tiers of wine pairings are available - signature and prestige - although diners can choose their wines for themselves thanks to a comprehensive list. Bottles from Ormer's cellar, sweet and fortified wines, and pink, orange and biologically aged wines are all on the menu.