Sael Review | “One of the Best Menus in London Right Now”

Jason Atherton is on a roll at the moment 

In the last few weeks he’s closed his debut restaurant Pollen Street Social and reopened it as Mary’s, a more casual grill and burger bar; he’s opened a hot dog counter at Harrods; and now he has a brand new British brasserie in St James’s called Sael. And he’s not stopping here either – Three Darlings is opening in Chelsea soon, closely followed by Row on 5, a new high end spot he’s opening with chef Spencer Metzger (previously of The Ritz). While we await all that, you can probably catch both Jason and Spencer at Sael over the next few weeks; the pair were both in the kitchen on our recent Saturday night visit. 

Eat This

It’s such an overused line, but truly this was a hard menu to order from – we agonised for ages over it, and could have happily ordered all the snacks and starters before we even got to the rest of the menu. 

Absolute must-orders from the snacks include the Marmite English custard tart (you can add caviar for £5.50 and you should) – surely one of the best bites of food available in London right now. Then there’s the tempura rock oyster topped with ‘scraps’, finely shredded crisp potato that’s been drenched in vinegar. Another beautiful bite. Large for a snack, but absolutely unmissable, is the lamb doner flatbread, a soft pillow of bread topped with braised lamb shoulder and garlic yoghurt. 

From the ‘skewers’, get the wagyu char siu, and the squid that’s been spiked with lard and chimichurri. From the ‘To Start’ section, we loved the smoked potatoes with Lincolnshire poacher, seaweed cultured butter and fermented onions, plus the Orkney scallop, which came on a bed of braised razor clams and smoked leeks, topped with grated scallop roe. 

We finished up the savoury courses with an insanely good 100-layer Hereford snail and ox cheek lasagna, plus a side of fries and broccoli glistening with anchovy butter. 

If you can fit it in, it’s well worth hanging around for dessert – you’ll definitely want to try the strawberry jam ‘Roly Poly’ with Jersey custard and smoked butter, plus the bread and butter pudding soft serve with whisky, soaked raisin and toasted brioche.

Drink This

The wine list is perfectly pitched, with a very decent and fairly-priced selection available by the glass – or by the pint. Yes that’s right, you can order wine by the pint, which we love, though we were slightly disappointed not to see it come in an actual pint glass. To be fair that might look a bit more daunting than the elegant carafe it’s actually served in. 

We also love how the bottle menu is structured, with a section of bottles at £50 and under; then up to £100; then up to £200; and finally a no holds barred ‘from the cellar’ section. It’s a nice democratic way of laying it out, and easily lets you pick something according to your budget. 

Before or after dinner, make time for the sleek upstairs bar Apples & Pears. It’s a great space with some excellent cocktails on offer, such as the eponymous signature made from Glenmorangie Original scotch, seasonal apples & pears, lime and topped with a bergamot bubble. We can definitely see ourselves making a return trip to the bar.

Why Go

Sael is another hit for Jason Atherton, with one of those menus that reads so well and then delivers the goods. It’s nice to see chefs continually evolve and react to the ever changing landscape of eating out in London, and Atherton is proving that he’s still got plenty to offer with each new opening. 

Key Information

Address | 1 St James’s Market, London, SW1Y 4QQ
For more information | saellondon.com

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