Michelin starred chef Shaun Rankin’s upscale restaurant attractively set downstairs at Flemings Mayfair Hotel – Ormer Mayfair – brings a refined and rich taste of Jersey to London. Seafood lovers and fans of dining with formal flair take note!
To have enjoyed such a lovely dining experience so late in the year has me wondering about all the other yummy opportunities I’ve missed enjoying in 2016. I’m glad Kemey and I managed to get round to Ormer – and not too long after its early autumn opening – for recent dinner. If you were looking to have a fine meal in an equally fine setting, you’d be wise to keep Ormer at the top of your to-do list.
When you go, make time for a drink at Manetta’s Bar, adjacent to the dining room. And if you’re there while the Signature Christmas Cocktails are still being served, consider trying The Gift (Hendrick’s Gin, Napoleon Mandarin, blood orange syrup, chickpeas water, clementine, kumquat and citric acid, £14) as you admired the elegant 1930s surroundings. Kemey and I did during our visit. I reckon we would have had a splendid time remaining at the bar for the rest of our evening, nibbling olives and smoked almonds and sipping another drink or two. But our table was free and our taste buds were just getting revved up.
My starter course of roast rabbit with pancetta, truffle, gnocchi, girolles, and coco beans (£16) was certainly worth moving from the bar to the table and was one of the tastiest dishes I’ve had in months. Kemey’s starter of Jersey lobster ravioli with crab and tomato bisque and shallot salad (£18) was fulsomely flavourful. For my main, the Lobster Salad with warm Jersey lobster, fennel and herb ceviche, and crab linguine (£34) was prettily plated, as it was meaty and moreish pleasure to eat. However, Kemey’s order of delicate Dover sole with smoked salmon, potato and leek risotto, quail egg, and pickled caperberry salad (£35) proved to be the superior dish. A Rankin signature dessert – dark chocolate brownie with popcorn, salted caramel, and milk ice cream (£12) ensured I would not leave wanting (well, perhaps wanting to eat there again soon).
Intriguing wine pairings as suggested by our sommelier, such as
a sake for my aperitif … an English pinot noir (Denbigh) with my rabbit … a white Tempranillo with my lobster … 2003 LBV “bottle matured” Warre’s with my brownie, suggested confidence and a willingness to take some risks while knowing when to reign it in and let the flavours of the food shine.
Service was cordial and swift.
Ormer Mayfair is located at Flemings Mayfair Hotel, 7-12 Half Moon Street, W1J 7BH. Find out more at ormermayfair.com.
