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Mayfair, London
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A hide is where ornithologists conceal themselves to watch the birdlife, and up on the first floor at Ollie Dabbous' Mayfair bolthole, lucky diners have a panoramic view over the expanses of Green Park. In a room done out in neutral tones of sand and stone, the welcome clatter of the Champagne trolley rattling over the wood floor banishes any hint of hush. Menus are a mix of the tasting format and a three-course carte, where caviar variations have their own section. Dabbous' dishes are stamped with the author's personality, with imagination and technical innovation on pyrotechnical display. A first course that matches Tropea onion and Graceburn cheese with textural spins on canteloupe melon is a multi-layered revelation. Lobster is treated royally, the exemplary tender meat offset with a bisque-flavoured purée, pickled fennel and its pollen, plus a sensational beurre blanc cut with curry oil. Monkfish with sweetcorn, sea herbs and truffle makes a fragrant proposition, the fish perhaps having had a couple of minutes too long, but veal sweetbreads are as gently rich as is proper, with plenty of greens and an aromatic sauce of coffee beans. Desserts are positively baffling, seeming clumsy in construction and with a post-ironic hint of Fanny Cradock: a syrup-soaked cherry-blossom teacake (in November) is served with a coupe of vanilla cream and maraschinos. Service can be a little disoriented – long waits for the final bill are always an exasperation. The wine pairings are full of allure, offering such diversions as Czech Pinot Blanc, cherry-sweet vintage Banyuls and Telti-Kuruk, a herbaceous varietal from Ukraine.
