Passing through the enormous, heavy wooden doors of Hide is to enter another world. Within months of opening, the new restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Ollie Dabbous and Hedonism Wines is all anyone can talk about – and rightly so: it’s extraordinary.
Sprawling over three floors, with a huge, Ygdrasil-like (and much Instagrammed) wooden staircase running through, the defiantly unglitzy interiors are inspired by Green Park. Above, the tasting menu-only first floor dining room, overlooks Piccadilly and the park. (There’s also Ground, busier, buzzier and à la carte, and Below, the cocktail bar.) The windows are so thick you hear nothing, and there’s something strangely soothing about watching the noiseless commuter chaos below.
But enough about the setting – and on to the exquisite food and unforgettable wines. There are three wine pairing options for the tasting menu, or you can choose from 4,000 wines (with prices stretching into five figures) in the Hedonism cellar, which are then chauffeured over in 10 minutes. The tasting menu itself is a revelatory nine-step journey to foodie heaven. Highlights include the divine camomile dressing that comes with a plate of crudités; a perfect, ripe tomato stuffed with olives and served with its own ‘essence’; cured salmon in an attractively scummy lake of crème cru; Dabbous’s signature dish, the ‘nest egg’; barbecued lobster that a neighbouring diner declared ‘the best I’ve ever had’; the tiny bowl of duck broth full of fresh, crunchy veg that accompanied the roast duck; and the exceptional jasmine and peaflower religieuse, served with a shot of chilled jasmine tea. Looking back, that makes nearly everything a highlight…