Claiming two Michelin stars straight from the off, Alex Dilling’s restaurant is a masterclass in refined French cooking where technique and flavour is everything and dishes taste as good as they look - and they look sublime.
Formerly at two Michelin-starred The Greenhouse, Dilling is known for his contemporary French cuisine and his menu has all the hallmarks of a chef that wants to get noticed once again by the Michelin guide. Menus include a three-course lunch with a six-course option at dinner alongside a chef’s special six-course menu and are characterised by intricate and precisely cooked dishes. Ingredients are top notch, and include options such as a perfectly-cooked Limousin veal sweetbread; whole roasted monkfish which is presented to the table on a silver tray before being whisked away to be plated; and Brittany pigeon farci with foie gras, preserved truffle and Albufera sauce. Another standout dish is Cornish sardine with buttermilk and cuttlefish that makes a nice change from the oft-used mackerel.
The first-floor restaurant is a space of calm above bustling Regent Street below. The quietly opulent room has a muted colour palette of whites and greys and white linen tablecloths with customers able to see into the glass-fronted kitchen as they walk in but not once seated. The room could easily handle double its 34-cover capacity meaning that tables are spaciously arranged with large booth style seating that neatly divide the space. Those who aren’t fans of light jazz might not be too enamoured with the choice of music.
In super high-end restaurant terms, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal is without doubt one of the most impressive openings of the year, if not the last couple.
Formerly at two Michelin-starred The Greenhouse, Dilling is known for his contemporary French cuisine and his menu has all the hallmarks of a chef that wants to get noticed once again by the Michelin guide. Menus include a three-course lunch with a six-course option at dinner alongside a chef’s special six-course menu and are characterised by intricate and precisely cooked dishes. Ingredients are top notch, and include options such as a perfectly-cooked Limousin veal sweetbread; whole roasted monkfish which is presented to the table on a silver tray before being whisked away to be plated; and Brittany pigeon farci with foie gras, preserved truffle and Albufera sauce. Another standout dish is Cornish sardine with buttermilk and cuttlefish that makes a nice change from the oft-used mackerel.
The first-floor restaurant is a space of calm above bustling Regent Street below. The quietly opulent room has a muted colour palette of whites and greys and white linen tablecloths with customers able to see into the glass-fronted kitchen as they walk in but not once seated. The room could easily handle double its 34-cover capacity meaning that tables are spaciously arranged with large booth style seating that neatly divide the space. Those who aren’t fans of light jazz might not be too enamoured with the choice of music.
In super high-end restaurant terms, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal is without doubt one of the most impressive openings of the year, if not the last couple.
