Galvin at the Athenaeum

Experience fine dining & the best of British produce from Michelin-starred chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin at Galvin At The Athenaeum. Dine in Mayfair, London.

Fine Dining At Our Mayfair Restaurant: Galvin At The Athenaeum

https://www.athenaeumhotel.com

Galvin at The Athenaeum review: Working Lunch visits the Galvin ...

When we were there the options were soup, Imam Bayildi, whitebait and the Galvins’ signature crab lasagne (which will set you back an extra £8).

For the mains: sea bream, pasta, a hefty bacon chop with bubble and squeak and a chicken saltimbocca (also £8 extra).

Two of the four starters on the set menu are gratifyingly meatless: we’ve covered one but the other is a parsnip and cider soup, served with three big parsnip crisps and laced with little pickled apple bombs that give it an unexpected sharpness.

For the main course you’ve got no choice other than a bowl of rather sweaty three-grain pasta dressed with thin slivers of hard Italian cheese, a smattering of crispy kale and a small handful of toasted walnut halves.

There’s a curtained private dining space just behind the main restaurant and a plush bar round the corner, set against a backdrop of exotic plants and ferns.

Galvin at the Athenaeum - London Restaurant Reviews | Hardens

Simple Ingredient-Led Cooking at the Galvin At The Athenaeum ...

Galvin at The Athenaeum is the hotel’s restaurant headed by Michelin-starred London chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin.

The restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the hotel which overlooks Green Park in London, making it very convenient for visitors from Mayfair, St James and Knightsbridge.

There’s also a Galvin Classics section where you can find both options for starters and main courses.

Both Richard and I opted for a light starter from the salad and soup menu because we had already eyed up our hefty main courses.

Galvin at The Athenaeum is located at The Athenaeum, 116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ, United Kingdom.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: GALVIN AT THE ATHENAEUM, MAYFAIR

How the Galvin brothers have created a five star dining experience in Mayfair The Galvin brothers, Chris and Jeff, have quietly taken over much of London’s dining scene over the decade, and yet they’re not household names.

With their growing portfolio of restaurants encompassing everything from Michelin-starred fine dining to upmarket pubs, it’s interesting to see what their latest opening, a relaunch at the Athenaeum, will accomplish.

The service is not just friendly and warm, but scrupulously professional as well, and not without generosity; ordering a carafe of the (excellent) Galvin Bourgogne Chardonnay for the starters, we are also offered a decent-sized ‘taster’ of a delicious English Bacchus, coming from, of all places, Essex.

Which is a pity, as I think that it would be lovely to be able to try a greater variety of dishes.

Somewhere never much noted for its food before has now been elevated into London’s most interesting restaurants, and Mayfair diners are likely to be delighted at the prospect of somewhere this good – and yet comparatively unpretentious – within easy reach.

Restaurant review: Galvin at the Athenaeum, London - Business ...

The cocktail list is presented not as a traditional menu but as a set of postcards, each with an image of the drink on one side and the recipe on the other (presented in a box with a pencil, should you wish to use snail mail rather than Instagram to boast about where you are).

I tried the Double Bellini (£15), which added peach foam to the usual prosecco and peach purée, and was served in a glass goblet and finished with a lavender flower.

The foam gave it a smooth creaminess, although I think I prefer the sparkle of a more traditional Bellini.

The bar was busy on this Saturday evening, with a large party arriving at around the same time as us, so the complimentary bowl of nuts and rice crackers wasn’t brought to our table until after we had finished our drinks – probably for the best given what was to come.

The restaurant is located off the new-look double-height lobby, which is less a traditional hotel lobby and more a lounge with attractive seating for lingering over a coffee.

Galvin Restaurants - A Collection of London Finest French ...

Galvin Restaurants is a family run collection of French restaurants founded in 2005 by Michelin-starred chef brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin.

The Galvin USP is 'Family' and the presence of Chris and Jeff in their own restaurants.

With over 50 years' experience between them, the majority of which has been in London, Chris and Jeff Galvin were delighted that three Galvin establishments featured in the top 100 in the recent Restaurant Magazine Top 100 National Restaurants Awards.

Chris and Jeff are well known for their culinary expertise and respect of seasonal ingredients as well as operating restaurants at the highest level.

In 2012 Caterer & Hotelkeeper listed Chris and Jeff Galvin in the Top 100 Most Powerful People in Hospitality and ranking number seven in the "Chefs" category.

Galvin at the Athenaeum - London Restaurant Reviews | Hardens

Galvin At The Athenaeum Restaurant Reviewed - Men Style Fashion

That was until I took the first bite: Pop corn, honey roast  flavour, the almost naughtiness of the sweet caramel crunch of the walnut and the freshness of the leaf kind of make you  feel like you’re eating a guilt free snack.

After my usual prodding to check for texture and blood, it was clear that the meat was obviously well aged as the steak knife sliced through with little effort to reveal the deep pink inner.

Having had a few mouthfuls of the steak my need for texture was realised as I crunched in to the cracker like coating of the thrice fried morsal.

Crunchy, almost caramel crisp bottom, the soft cheese needed little attention as it melted in the mouth and the sharp, yet warming citrus gelatine top rounded of the taste experience.

Aside from the great food, I was most impressed by the relaxed, informal feeling within the restaurant as well as the professional, courteous, friendly manner in which the waiting staff dealt with us.

Galvin at The Athenaeum, Mayfair – tried and tasted | London ...

The Athenaeum, on Piccadilly, is part of the quiet old guard of London luxury, one of those five-star hotels with a name that everyone half-recognises for no particular reason.

There are touches of its history: the parquet flooring and paintings suggest the 30s, while vivid streaks of colour in the furniture keep things modern.

The food here is more straightforwardly British, reflecting the hotel itself, though there are splashes of flavour from across the globe.

In short, the food here is simple and classic: foodies wanting a brand new explosions of flavour might leave a little disappointed, but anyone who simply wants an evening where everything is comfortable and enjoyable will be sated.

A couple of English wines also show up on the menu in another tip to the hotel’s heritage.

Galvin at the Athenaeum restaurant review - London, UK | Wallpaper*

Considering it’s centrally located right on Picadilly, one of London’s busiest thoroughfares, it is surprising that, over the years, The Athenaeum Hotel Residences has slipped under the radar.

A once iconic property that hosted the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Steven Spielberg, its sparkle has now been reignited, thanks to a recent spruce-up by local studio Kinnersley Kent Design, whose first move was to do away with its unremarkable, dated exterior and insert a bank of windows that opens the property to the street.

Headed by Michelin star restaurateurs Chris and Jeff Galvin, the brothers behind favourites such as Windows and La Chapelle, Galvin at The Athenaeum does not stray from the duo’s winning formula of dependable food and solid service.

The former Garden Room, the cosy space still looks out onto the property’s famed green wall, but the interiors have been given a complete overhaul, to reveal a sexy new look with concealed lighting and plush velvet furnishings in petrol blue and mustard hues.

Hidden towards the back of the building and with its own side street entrance, its the perfect bolthole for a quiet tipple, but should you forget where you are, head up to the penthouse suite for quintessential London views of Green Park and beyond.