A restaurant fit for a queen
Say what you like about Mayfair, but there’s nowhere else in London quite like it for sexy, OTT restaurant interiors. The latest to join the ranks is seafood spot Lilibet’s, the new restaurant from Ross Shonhan, founder of Bone Daddies and former executive chef at Zuma. Russell Sage Studio has taken care of the design at Lilibet’s and it’s a riot – green silk walls hung with botanical prints; floral upholstery; a pale marble bar with incredible hanging glass lampshades; handwoven silks; and antique fireplaces, just to highlight a few details. Think extra, then add an extra EXTRA. Subtle it is not, but it’s a lot of fun and no expense has been spared.
Eat This
It’s a big menu – something we’ve seen recently at a handful of recent openings, and honestly, we’re not sad about it. Gone are the days of one or even no desserts; here there are no fewer than eleven.
The menu begins with a raw bar section; oysters, caviar, crudos, and extravagant custom-made golden tiered seafood platters filled with lobster, langoustines, and crab. Extra EXTRA indeed, and you know what they say, in for a penny…From there, there are small plates and fried dishes. We had an excellent crab thermidor and several grilled oysters dressed with the likes of aged beef fat and seaweed butter. There’s also a few pasta and rice dishes, which we sadly didn’t have the stomach space to explore, but they promise the likes of baked rice with prawns and lobster spaghetti.
We liked the section on ‘unsung heroes,’ which highlights fish that aren’t commonly eaten – like gurnard and squat lobster – and are more sustainable options as a result. These are served in a case that looks like it might house expensive jewels, a nod to the fact that Queen Lizzie was, in fact, born on this very site.
Similar thought has gone into one of Lilibet’s signatures, the fish triptych. You first choose your fish, which is then served in three courses: thinly sliced raw fillet; wood-grilled with mojo verde; and finally, a soup made with all the leftover bits of fish, ensuring nothing goes to waste. Don’t miss the Lilibet’s mash side dish, topped with lobster and shellfish bisque.
For dessert, we loved that they offer a prego steak sandwich, just like the one at legendary Lisbon restaurant Cervejaria Ramiro.
Drink This
We’d recommend starting at the beautiful marble bar before dinner for a glass of Roebuck English fizz or perhaps one of their Tomantini Martinis – a Mayfair bargain at £12.
Why Go
It’s worth visiting just to admire the interiors alone. And while there were a couple of dishes that didn’t quite hit the mark when we visited, it’s early days, and we have a feeling that for its looks alone, Lilibet’s is sure to soon become a real Mayfair institution.
Key Information
Address | 17 Bruton St, London W1J 6QB
For more information | lilibetsrestaurant.com
