If you happen to be venturing into Mayfair in search of somewhere to eat, then ignore the glitzy, gaudy likes of Sexy Fish and Bacchanalia, which are designed solely for hedge fund types and their molls. Instead, head slightly off the beaten track into one of the area’s most charming mews, Bruton Place, and take your pick of a variety of excellent spots.
There’s Bellamy’s for quintessential charm, The Guinea Grill for superb (if pricey) steaks and UMU if you’re looking for Michelin-starred Japanese. And now there’s Silva, which manages to combine elements of all three to seductive, sumptuous effect, and instantly makes a name for itself as one of London’s most intriguing new restaurants of the past few years.
It’s certainly discreet, and there’s a pleasing intimacy to the way in which the mini-banquette tables are arranged side by side with one another, but the warmth and sincerity of the welcome that you receive immediately removes any idea that you’re going to be heading into some kind of quasi-members’ club. Instead, you sit down, relax and choose an excellent cocktail (the ‘Japanese Tea Ceremony’, a whisky-based cocktail that turns up in an amusingly lurid shade of green, is well worth a try, as is a fig-based take on an Old Fashioned) as you peruse the menu, which can best be described as modern Mediterranean with some Oriental influences. It is – and I mean this in the best possible way – as if the owners and their head chef, ex-Arts Club veteran Slawomir Sawicki, had synthesized all the influences on the street, and then rolled them into one, hugely successful package.
Therefore you have the European in the starters (Iberica ham and tomatoes on grilled sourdough, Cornish crab raviolo), but you also have a very fine Japanese nod in the form of salmon tartare with avocado. Pair all this with a glass of Gavi, and you have something very enjoyable indeed. As for the mains, the signature dish is a 500g Chateaubriand with wild mushrooms and a choice of sides – we opted, unsurprisingly, for roast potatoes and an autumn leaf salad, which proved a very wise choice.
Accompanied by the sommelier’s punchy suggestion of a very fine Italian, Chianti-esque red wine, and it’s the perfect dish for a winter repast. Pudding had to be taken – of course – and I feel quietly confident that my choice of chocolate pave trumped my friend’s deconstructed fruit tart. A couple of espresso martinis were top-notch, and we left cheery and replete.
It should be noted that none of this comes cheaply, and if you’re keen to visit Silva on a budget, then the best option may be the brunch and breakfast options, where you can dine on truffled scrambled eggs and still have change from £20. But penny-pinching here is to miss the point. Silva is an unashamedly luxurious and classy experience, and if you surrender yourself and your bank balance to it, then you are all but guaranteed to have a wonderful time. We certainly did.
Silva, 26-28 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NG. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.silvarestaurant.co.uk.
