We pick the best set lunches in the area, which offer fine dining for a fraction of the price. Bon appétit!
By Selma Day
Latin Flavours
Amazonico, the Latin American restaurant in Berkeley Square, is offering a business set lunch from Monday to Thursday, with three courses for £38 and four courses for £45.
Typical dishes include starters of cremoso (smoked burrata, pickled beetroots, yuzu and miso cream); and main courses such as cordero lechal (slow-cooked lamb with pickled red cabbage) and zapallo with charred kabocha, black truffle cashew cream and tamarind chutney. To finish, you’ll find desserts such as the crujiente de banana – whipped banana ganache, caramelised pecans and chocolate sorbet.
10 Berkeley Square
Weekly wonders
The Connaught Grill (also pictured in main image) was a bastion of the British restaurant scene until it closed in 2000. Its new incarnation has an elegant, modern design with a nod to its heritage: several dishes are served from the restored silver trolley from the original Grill, including a Sunday roast.
There’s a set lunch menu for £35 for two courses or £45 for three (£55 with a glass of champagne). It changes weekly but expect dishes such as smoked eel, warm potato and caper salad with eel and potato velouté; Norfolk black chicken leg, Brussels sprout and smoked bacon fricassée; and chocolate and coffee tart to finish. A vegetarian option is also available. We think this is a steal and perfect for a quick business lunch – particularly as the restaurant has closed-off booths, allowing for discreet meetings.
16 Carlos Place
Star appeal
Dining at L’Escargot is always a treat. Housed in a magnificent 18th-century Georgian townhouse, its cosy, intimate atmosphere and French fine dining classics have always attracted a starry clientele – Coco Chanel, Frank Sinatra, Agatha Christie, Mick Jagger, Shirley Bassey and many more have dined here.
A daily prix fixe menu (£35 for two courses and £39 for three) is available from 12-3pm and 5-7pm, with the likes of chicken liver parfait or warm goat’s cheese tarte tatin with figs and honey to start; steak frites or wild mushroom linguine for the main course; and Amalfi lemon tart or ice creams and sorbets for dessert.
48 Greek Street
Stock in trade
New restaurant London Stock aims to create “an approachable yet luxurious fine dining atmosphere”. Head chef Sebastian Rast, previously of Above at Hide, prides himself on pushing the boundaries of culinary creativity – each dish he creates combines elegant, modern European flavours with avant-garde global cooking techniques.
Aside from a seasonal eight-course tasting menu (£85), London Stock offers a three-course lunch (£40), which includes main courses such as cherry tomato risotto, lovage and parmesan with white tomato foam; and chalk stream trout, cucumber, buttermilk and dill.
6 Sackville Street
Dovetale's delights
Tom Sellers’ latest opening, Dovetale, at 1 Hotel Mayfair, has launched a set lunch menu that is available every day from 12-3pm.
Guests can choose two or three courses (priced at £39 and £45) from the new fixed menu, with a selection of dishes such as English burrata served with a bitter leaf caponata, or Jerusalem artichoke velouté, cep jam and shimeji mushroom tempura to start. For the main course, the menu includes classics such as onglet steak frites or wild mushroom tagliolini, and to finish guests can enjoy the likes of Bramley apple millefeuille or Valrhona chocolate tart.
3 Berkeley Street
High five
Having officially opened last July, chef Yannick Alléno’s debut London restaurant, Pavyllon, has quickly become a favoured neighbourhood hangout. Known for his modern French cuisine and appreciation of traditional gastronomy, one expects to stay a while at Alléno’s restaurants, but Pavyllon’s new five courses in 55 minutes set lunch menu has enticed a whole new crowd for high-end business lunches that don’t scrimp on flavour. The menu (£55 per person, daily from 12-3pm) is designed to fit into busy schedules, and offers a chance to get a taste of the full Pavyllon menu at a fraction of the price.
So what to expect? Dishes such as poached egg glazed with bacon syrup; steamed cheddar soufflé with watercress coulis and smoked salt; salmon with genevoise sauce, charcoal-grilled bone marrow and celeriac purée; and to finish, roasted fig with fig leaf ice cream, curried yoghurt and cardamom.
Hamilton Place
A stylish spot
To start the week in style, head to Isabel and savour the classic Isabel Mayfair caesar salad, adorned with crispy croutons and parmesan.
Alternatively, try the succulent chicken roulade, artfully paired with a spinach, blue cheese and potato galette, or beef ravioli with a brisket sauce and crispy Jerusalem artichoke.
The lunch menu is available Monday to Friday, from 12-3.45pm, with two courses for £35 and three courses for £42.
26 Albemarle Street
The cat's pyjama's
Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat offers Asian inspired dishes, with a set lunch menu that includes starters to share such as vegetable tempura and beef gyoza with yuzu shichimi, along with a sushi selection.
Mains include the likes of flat iron steak “phat phet” and potato fries; and salmon with mandarin teriyaki and citrus salad. To finish, choose from chocolate tofu, fruit or mochi.
Priced at £38 per person, it’s available from Monday to Friday, 12-6.30pm.
10 Grosvenor Square