Hélène Darroze at The Connaught

Seasonal Mayfair high end French cuisine

Cauliflower, truffle, sea urchin, langoustine

I am one of those who value food quality over service and decor when picking a restaurant. Having said that, I do have a soft spot for Helen Dorroze at The Connaught despite the fact that there are for sure better restaurants in London elsewhere food quality-wise. A lot has to do with the hospitality element, as the service there is outstanding, with very comfortable seating and a relaxing decor while still retaining that luxury premium feel to it. This is my 10th visit, the French fine dining restaurant within the iconic British hotel is one of the handful of restaurants in London of holding 3 Michelin stars, offering a seasonal tasting menu, and sourcing the best available ingredients around the UK and Europe.

Cabbage, crab, apple

Onion soup, Iberico pork, lemon

Scallop, spices, carrots

Veal sweetbread, tuna heart

Given it is white truffle season, I opted for a seasonal special cauliflower dish that was topped with Piedmont white truffle. The thinly sliced cauliflower had a lovely depth of nutty taste, together with the sea urchin and raw langoustine, it delivered a tone of sweet umami taste. The house classic aka roasted XXL Scottish scallop is always a treat. The carrot puree was blended to perfection, as was the beautiful scallop, super tender, sweet and cooked just right. It was just as good as I can recall whenever I had this dish here over the last 12 years. What really impressed me was a pear dessert, with pear prepared a few ways, offering a lot of lovely pear texture and all matched wonderfully at the same time with the help of a small load of sheep curd.

Turbot, razor clam, yuzu

Vension, quince, eel

Pear, black pepper, sheep curd

Chocolate topinambur

12 years ago back in 2021, I encountered Helen Darroze for the first time and it wowed me away, since then I had some average meals there, as well as some outstanding meals. I would say my latest visit was the best to date, so credit the team able to take the place to new heights. There are only a few places in London I would head back to once in a while, and for sure Helen Darroze is within that bracket along with the likes of Alex Dilling and The Ledbury.

Food 4.5/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£215


Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL

https://www.the-connaught.co.uk/