Harden's survey result
Summary
“The food is sublime”; “exceptional service” is “very friendly and interactive”; “… but WOW! the bill!!” – that’s the headline story this year on this famous French chef’s London outpost in this most blue-blooded of hotels. Despite numerous “exquisite” dishes featuring in reports, very many reporters feel “the costs verge on criminal” (and that “once you have seen the prices, it’s difficult to get past them as the food just doesn’t compensate for the full-blown attack on your wallet!!”). It doesn’t help that the restaurant was recently elevated by Michelin to three stars, and that an “interesting but not amazing” experience can now seem well below par (“how this dining room has the tyre maker’s top rating is beyond us”). And those seeking an old-school Mayfair environment should also look elsewhere: “the days of the Connaught of old are well and truly over”, with “a conscious decision to move away from the previous old-style look” – a move dismissed by critics as “suburban lounge décor in what used used to be one of the handsomest dining rooms in London”.
Summary
“Absolutely iconic, with superb everything!” or “not up to the hype” (“how she was awarded three Michelin Stars, goodness knows!!!”) – Hélène Darroze’s 12-year tenure at the most blueblooded of Mayfair hotels continues to split reporters, as it always has. With its “exceptional, amazing presentation and exotic flavours”, the cuisine’s overall scores in our survey do, undoubtedly, rank it amongst London’s best; but equally they suggest that the Tyre Men’s January 2021 promotion to its top billing is over-egging things a bit (perhaps because she’s French?). Also divisive is the “somewhat under-the-radar, modern-luxe refurb” of this famous dining room in late 2019. To fans, the new guise is “warm” and “well-spaced”, but to detractors it seems “funny peculiar” (“if only the surroundings had preserved a little of the elegance of the old Connaught dining room”). The excruciating final bill is also an issue, even to its most ardent fans: “words cannot do the food justice. I could have cried eating every dish… But I did actually cry when the bill arrived!”.
Summary
Hélène Darroze’s luxurious Mayfair temple of gastronomy, within Mayfair’s most blueblooded hotel, is celebrating its tenth year with a two-month closure, to re-open in September 2019. A revamp is promised, care of French design house, ‘Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur’ (whose aesthetic, we are told in the PR, ‘focuses on bold re-imaginings of historic spaces, combining the contemporary with luxury materials’). There will also be the addition of a new chef’s table and dedicated Armagnac room; plus a new menu ‘rooted in Hélène’s culinary style, with a larger focus on British producers and suppliers’. The survey consensus on its former incarnation could be summarised as “exceptional cuisine albeit at extortionate prices” to appeal to “a crowd of plutocrats and their lawyers, and very old-money types”: we’ve maintained last year’s rating on the conservative assumption that its new incarnation will be a case of ‘plus ça change’…
Summary
Hélène Darroze’s luxurious Mayfair temple of gastronomy, within Mayfair’s most blueblooded hotel, is celebrating its tenth year with a two-month closure, to re-open in September 2019. A revamp is promised, care of French design house, ‘Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur’ (whose aesthetic, we are told in the PR, ‘focuses on bold re-imaginings of historic spaces, combining the contemporary with luxury materials’). There will also be the addition of a new chef’s table and dedicated Armagnac room; plus a new menu ‘rooted in Hélène’s culinary style, with a larger focus on British producers and suppliers’. The survey consensus on its former incarnation could be summarised as “exceptional cuisine albeit at extortionate prices” to appeal to “a crowd of plutocrats and their lawyers, and very old-money types”: we’ve maintained last year’s rating on the conservative assumption that its new incarnation will be a case of ‘plus ça change’…
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Hélène Darroze, The Connaught Hotel?
Restaurant details
Hélène Darroze, The Connaught Hotel Restaurant Diner Reviews
"This was everything you could ever want from a Michelin Star dining experience. A fabulous location , the food was stunning , the wine pairings were amazing and the service was absolutely impeccable. So when you put all this together it quite simply made for an experience that will live long in the memory. It all started on arrival at The Connaught Hotel where the staff gave us a warm welcome. We then headed to the restaurant where manager Mirko and the team were waiting for us. After a brief chat he escorted us to our table in the right hand corner giving us the best view of the whole dining room. Here we met Lorenzo who along with some new members of staff would give us a style of service that is second to none. Sommelier Lucas started preceding’s by pouring us a complimentary glass of champagne to welcome us back to Helene Darroze. We were then given the menu which is a tasting menu including optional supplemented dishes. We looked at the menu while enjoying first a consommé followed by some delightful snacks including Sea Bass & Pumpkin , Purple Beetroot with chicken liver parfait and Vacherin mont D’or , celeriac , black winter truffle. Now it was time to meet Melina our sommelier for the day who’s bubbly personality and knowledge simply added to a fantastic afternoon. After a little discussion I decided to choose the All Around the World wine pairings. My wife decided to go with wines by the glass. The first wine of the pairings would be a fabulous Slovakian Riesling. This I would enjoy with the first course of Langoustine with retour d’hanoi , radish and ginger a light , fragrant and refreshing dish. The second course was Onion with lomo iberico , fumaison , sourdough and lemon thyme. This dish was perfectly balanced between the lightness of the consommé and the richness of the sourdough and iberico. This course was paired superbly with Shafer 2018 Chardonnay from the Napa Valley. This was followed be a nice surprise in the addition of a beautiful Foie Gras dish paired with a Maley sparkling cidre. Next to arrive was the very popular Scallop with tandoori spices , carrot , citrus and coriander. This was paired with a Paolo E Lorenzo 2020 L’Erta from Tuscany. This was to be followed by an amazing Turbot with calcot , caviar and dill. The pairing for this course came courtesy of France . A Meursault 2018 Domaine des Comtes Lafon. Now it was time for the main course. This was the Pigeon with parsnip , medjool date and ras el hanout. This was paired with a beautifully light Barolo 2016 Cerequio. We then decided to have an additional Cheese Course a mixture of the finest British and French cheese with fruit bread , breadsticks , honey chutney and salad. My wife enjoyed a glass of port while I presented with a Mondeuse Trdition 2007. Now we moved on to the Dessert section which started with a Bread Ice Cream before we enjoyed the Rhubarb paired with a Kracher 2020 Auslese sweet wine from Austria. We then finished with chocolate heaven. It was Chocolate with madagascar pear and green cardamom. The pairing for this dessert was a fabulous Matusalem Sherry from Spain. Now we would be in for a nice surprise as we were invited by manager Mirko to go down to the kitchen and see executive chef Marco and the team. Here we got the chance to personally thank the team for the stunning tasting menu. We would then head back to the dining room to finish with coffee and petit fours. The coffee would be scientifically made by Lorenzo and the petit fours would include a Pistachio Paris Brest , a chocolate tube and a mini doughnut. This brought to an end to what I can only say was a truly outstanding dining experience and with the new strong members of staff joining the team you can be rest assured this level of consistency will continue for years to come. So if your looking for somewhere for a special occasion I can’t recommend Helene Darroze highly enough. Looking to returning myself later in the year. Thank You Mirko , Marco , Lorenzo , Melina and all the team for an absolutely amazing lunch and look forward to seeing you all again soon. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £70.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Carlos Place, London, W1K 2AL
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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