Hotel restaurants can be grand and glamorous – but very rarely are they well and truly homely. At Willett's, attached to The Cadogan hotel on Sloane Street, owned by luxury travel and hotel company Belmond, executive chef Michael Turner wants to change that. In fact, he doesn’t want this tactile, teal-accented “neighbourhood British bistro” to be considered a hotel restaurant at all.
“I want you to come in and feel that we’re welcoming you into our home,” Turner tells Broadsheet. For him, that all starts with a personal – and very British – touch. “If you come to my home, the first thing I’ll offer you is tea and biscuits, so I thought that was quite a fun way to welcome our guests.” The former Savoy Grill and River Restaurant chef is not suggesting that diners spoil their appetite with something sweet, however. Here, the complimentary amuse bouche is reimagined as a cup of rich, clean Sutton Hoo chicken consommé paired with a caramelised onion biscuit made to resemble a Bourbon biccy.
The rest of the menu is equally fun, drawing inspiration from nostalgic classics made modern with Turner’s contemporary, forward-thinking approach. “We wanted to do British food that everyone knows and loves,” he says, “but not overly heavy or rich”.
One instant signature is the mini crumpets. Designed for snacking on while perusing the menu, the sourdough rounds are toasted in butter and served with dainty dollops of Dorset crab, punchy gentleman’s relish butter, mushroom and truffle parfait or duck liver parfait with Yorkshire rhubarb.
Otherwise, starters include a clever scallop “scampi”, breaded, delicately fried and served with tangy tartare; a bright chilled pea and mint soup; and a Scottish langoustine cocktail cut with invigorating grapefruit for extra zing.
After years at The Savoy, Turner has beef Wellington down to a fine art. At Willett’s he’s putting his own stamp on it by swapping in aged ex-dairy beef, brushing the pastry with a house mustard made using Willett’s own beer, and carving it tableside. There’s also a hearty, buttery puff of Sutton Hoo chicken and morel pie served on a bed of “50 per cent potato, 50 per cent butter” mash.
Diners can settle into a booth and admire the bright dining room’s antique mirrors and original herringbone flooring. Or, they could take a pew at the eight-seater “pudding counter” to watch the pastry chefs whip up jam roly poly, silken rice pudding and “Granny Campbell’s Trifle” – a dish particularly close to Turner’s heart. “When I was a kid, every Sunday my granny would cook us a really nice Sunday roast. While she was making it, she’d be knocking back the sherry and whatever was left would go in the trifle. We wanted to replicate that. We had a lot of fun with it.”
A bumper number of British bottles make up a fair amount of the wine list, while cocktails such as an oyster-shell-infused Martini are built around seasonal ingredients and a zero-waste philosophy.
A set menu featuring much of the above is available at £32 for two courses, and £36 for three, with an optional wine pairing starting at £25. There’s also a dedicated doggy menu promising pooches bowls of beef tartare, boiled chicken with rice, and salmon, spinach and eggs for £15 each. £5 ca-pup-uccino optional.
Whatever you choose, the whole experience is polished off with a visit from a trolley of petit fours including rhubarb and custard jelly, fudge and millionaire’s shortbread. “I want to give everyone some sweet treats, complimentary from us,” says Turner. “It’s a nice little touch.”
After more than a decade under the guidance of Gordon Ramsay – who oversaw The Savoy’s pair of restaurants – the chef is thrilled to be doing his own thing. “Obviously working with Gordon was incredible, but it’s nice to be in complete control of the food and the concept, to be on my own two feet here.”
Willett’s at The Cadogan Hotel
75 Sloane Street, SW1X 9SG
Hours
Daily 7am–11pm
