The Cocochine

 Club vibe fine dining

Tanera Island Barbecued Native Lobster, Crème Fraîche, Wild Cardamon, Red Wine Jus

The Cocochine is a very interesting restaurant that just opened in Mayfair. Unlike many new fine dining restaurants that only offer a tasting menu, The Cocohine is going the opposite and offers only a 3 courses ALC menu. Spread across 3 floors, the ground floor is the main dining room space while the second floor is a chef counter setting with the same menu. It also has a private dining room on the top floor that has a member club vibe. I suspect it is still fairly unknown to most, as it shows when I visited. Including my table, there were only 5 tables with diners on the night.

Otoro, Japanese Soy, Golden Oscietra Caviar

Arnaud Tauzin Poulet des Landes, Tanera Island Langoustine, Morel, Shellfish Sabayon

Chicken pie

Thanks to the restaurant's ability to work directly with farmers, they managed to source some really high-class ingredients. My BBQ Scottish lobster was so sweet and tender, and the red wine sauce really brought out the umami profile of the shellfish. Shame the portion was a touch small. The dry-aged wild turbot was really something, the fish was so moist, and the shellfish sauce, along with the in-season white asparagus gave the dish such a beautiful balance of flavours and texture. Last but not least, a dark chocolate dessert was topped with caviar and sitting on a biscuit pastry, somehow the caviar worked like magic to add savory and sweet tone to the chocolate.

Dry Aged Wild Fillet of Tanera Island Turbot, White Asparagus, Caviar, Lemongrass Sauce

Gateaux Nantais, Alfonso Mango Sorbet, Jackfruit

66% Cocochine Chocolate Biscuit, Golden Oscietra Caviar

The food reminded me of The Square heydays interestingly enough. The food quality was really high thanks to the prime ingredients the kitchen has access to. If you prefer your fine dining to be more creative/ cutting edge, you might find the place to be a bit dated, in the mood of the early 2000 French fine dining vibe. The manager mentioned they would like to turn the restaurant into a bespoke offering in the future and cook to regular guests' requests, it seems ambitious for the kitchen, and I wonder how that would turn out.  

 

Food 4/5


What I paid: 
£205 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£145


27 Bruton Pl, London W1J 6NQ

https://www.thecocochine.com/