The Cocochine

Chef Larry Jayasekara launched The Cocochine in 2024 in relatively low-key fashion with an à la carte menu only. More recently, it has introduced a tasting menu that explores Jayasekara's Sri Lankan roots and also allows the ex Petrus by Gordon Ramsay and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons to show off his considerable culinary chops.

The Cocochine isn't a fusion restaurant, but there are subtle nods to Sri Lankan flavours and ingredients throughout. There's a Ceylon curry-inspired crab dish, for example, and a striking lobster course where native lobster is cooked in banana leaf.

That's not the only thing that sets Jayasekara's cooking apart. Most of the restaurant's produce is sourced from a Northamptonshire estate. And it's not just vegetables - much of the protein comes from there too. The restaurant also has access to seafood from a private island in the Inner Hebrides.

As a result, The Cocochine is one of the most self-sufficient restaurants in the country - not something you'd necessarily expect given its W1 postcode. On Bruton Place in Mayfair, a street where luxury whispers rather than shouts (unlike nearby Berkeley Square), it sits within a cluster of quietly high-quality hospitality openings in recent years.

While the tone is understated, the luxury is unmistakable inside the impressive four-storey townhouse. The space is filled with original artworks from renowned artists — there's even a Matisse in the loos. Jayasekara's sleek, modern, fully open kitchen is also something to behold.

Then there's the wine cellar, overseen by young Canadian sommelier Antoine Fournier. Valued at around £1m, it focuses on classic regions, particularly Burgundy and Bordeaux. Mark-ups are among the lowest in Mayfair, with bottles starting at £33 - remarkably accessible for this part of town and for a restaurant with such an overt luxury positioning.