Seven Park Place by William Drabble * | London (UK)

They were holding back and I would like to return to experience what this kitchen is capable of. And probably give this eatery the recognition it deserves!

Seven Park Place, named after it’s address, is the restaurant within the 5 star boutique St James’s Hotel & Club. Tucked away at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac off St James Street in Mayfair, London (UK). In celebration of its tenth anniversary, Seven Park Place has embarked on a complete renovation of its interiors which include an extension and rebuild of the restaurant. Olive green seating and pretty floral wallpaper give the dining room a bright and contemporary feel.

Executive Chef William Drabble is from Merseyside by birth, but grew up in Norfolk after he and his family moved there when he was 8. William joined the hotel, to launch the newly named restaurant, on September 1st, 2009. Just one year later the restaurant was awarded with a Michelin star, which they held ever since. William overseas all aspects of dining at the hotel, including the more informal dining space, William’s Bar and Bistro.
Prior to his role at St. James’s Hotel & Club, Drabble was Head Chef at Aubergine* in London for ten years, gaining a Michelin Star in 1999 and maintaining it. William’s career also includes roles as Head Chef at Michael’s Nook Country House Hotel in Grasmere, gaining a Michelin star for the venue at the young age of 26, and Sous Chef to Tom Aikens at Pied à Terre* (then 2 stars) in London.

Seven Park Place is open from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. The À La Carte Menu lets you choose 2 courses (at £65) or 3 courses (at £75). The Set Lunch Menu has two choices per course (2 courses at £30 and 3 courses at £35) and then there is the 7-course Gourmand Menu (at £95).

We had lunch two weeks ago on Saturday and used a Virgin Experience Days voucher for a 3-course lunch for two. This basically meant we could choose from the Set Lunch Menu.
It seemed a popular choice, as most of the guests used a voucher and had the same menu we had.

White and brown bread is served with two kinds of butter. Salted butter and butter with espelette (a mild red chilli pepper).

The amuse is a hearty and flavoursome smoked chicken consommé, with kale and root vegetables. It’s nice, but not much to write about.

Creamy pumpkin royale with molten Parmesan cheese to add to the creaminess. It was more like a crème than a velouté though. Pine nuts brings the well needed texture together with the crispy sage. Very tasty!

The rice is cooked well, but it missed all the creaminess of a risotto. Needed more liquid and cheese. The flavour is good, but the mouthfeel interferes with the taste experience.

A plate of lamb (assiette means plate in French) was one of the main courses. Lamb cooked beautifully with some kale underneath and a lovely jus. But just a spoonful of jus is hardly enough! Smooth mash with the well seasoned fagot. The full of meat croquette was tasty, but needed some sauce to go with it.

The roasted cod was almost overdone and on the dry side. The skin however wasn’t crispy, so underdone! Could have done with a bit more seasoning as well. The lentils and bacon was actually very nice and the best on the plate. I’m afraid this dish need some attention.

Good sticky toffee with apple, really adding to the texture, and a rich butterscotch sauce. A real shame it wasn’t served warm, which would have made it perfect. Especially with the vanilla ice cream. Very enjoyable.

Chocolate ganache with crispy chocolate on top. Loved the mandarin sorbet with a great refreshing taste. Good execution of the dish.

A very good display of friandises, with house-made nougat, orange macaron, cherry tartlet, chocolate bonbon, fudge, caramel filled chocolate and orange jelly.

And a little present of coconut marshmallows to take home. Nice touch and they were very tasty!

Service was good and welcoming and really like the cosy, intimate, yet fresh and contemporary dining room. Creating the right environment to enjoy a fine-dining experience. The menu however disappointed. The food wasn’t bad by any means and dishes like the Pumpkin Royale, Assiette of Lamb and the chocolate tart, displayed technical skills and quality ingredients. But execution wasn’t consistently good and overall the dishes were quite average.

It somehow felt that the kitchen was holding back. I understand that the Set Lunch Menu provides a 3-course lunch at a Michelin star restaurant at a very reasonable price. And that they can attract another audience with this menu to fill those tables. But to me they’ve gone a bit too far. Will people with a voucher come back a second time? And what about the guests of the 5 star hotel? Will they be happy with this set lunch?

Not sure if this experience makes me want to come back. And actually I would like to return and try the other menu to see the difference and experience what this kitchen is capable of. And probably give this eatery the recognition it deserves!