Pavyllon, London
The Alleno Experience
Yannick Alleno is a celebrated juggernaut in the culinary world, especially in Europe. If I’m not mistaken, he holds third place amongst the chefs who have the most Michelin starred restaurants around the globe. He is well known for his pioneer approach in making sauces using a contemporary method of extracting liquids from ingredients and turning them into precious and flavorful accompaniments to his signature dishes. Long gone are the days where sauces had to be boiled or simmered for long periods of time in his kitchens, rather, his approach is more efficient and precise. Globally, he is revered as one of the most successful chefs of our times.
Pavyllon currently holds one Michelin Star.
It was my first time trying an Alleno restaurant and I was not disappointed. The meal was so light and had the perfect number of courses. We didn’t leave the restaurant like zombies in a coma, rather, we were perfectly well and conscious—had the mobility to move like normal individuals. We appreciate the warm hospitality that the team shared to us. Kudos to our server and the chef that went out of his way to touch our table. I got to shake his hand and told him a joke that “everything needed a little bit more salt.” I’m pretty sure it didn’t sit well with him. HAHAHAHA.
Location
The restaurant is located at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mayfair, London. Mayfair is considered as the equivalent of Manhattan or Beverly Hills of Britain. There’s no shortage of finding ways to spend your hard earned money when you’re in this area. Food is not an exception.
The moment you enter the restaurant, you are completely transported to a very pleasant, calm, modern and sleek facade in contrast to the warm and dark tones of the hotel. Below, you will see the welcome lounge where people can sit down and have drinks before finally entering the restaurant.
The restaurant is spacious and well planned out. In my perspective, it evokes an ocean / water zen vibe. From the entrance, you will be led a long walk passing through the entire dining area that eventually takes you to the bar. To the right is the open kitchen concept. My estimate is that they can sit between eighty to a hundred and fifty people. Guests can opt for the kitchen bar sitting where they can see all the chefs in action or have a table for comfort and privacy. The color motif of the entire restaurant was astounding and very pleasant to the eyes. White was the prevalent color of choice that pretty much occupied the ceiling, support pillars and some walls. As you can see below, the pillars are textured with a vertical ribbed pattern to give a sophisticated touch. The dining area is then accented by lighting fixtures made with bluegreen glass, marble floors with brown accents to contrast with earthiness, and finally, off-white table cloths and bluegreen chairs. There were no obnoxious decorations that stole our attention, thank goodness. Every piece of furniture or decoration was evaluated properly to deliver a modern contemporary design. Everything was as expectedly French, if I may—and that is to say, it was no short of just beautiful and elegant!
Below, you will see photos of the other areas of the restaurant such as the Antoine Bar, private dining room and a lounge that are both located on the second floor. They also have an outdoor lounge for smokers.
The Bread
As you all know, I put the bread service of a restaurant on such high regards. Pavyllon’s bread service was simple but done right. The aroma of sourdough invigorated my senses for a wonderful dinner commencing. The crust of the bread was crunchy but brittle, not overly thick and can easily be chewed without too much effort. The butter cannot be missed as it was also of good quality.
Amuse to start: Tartlet of green peas and mint & crunchy spinach bites with aged Comte cheese
I gave the liberty of choosing the wine to my FIL. The list was extensive, covering mostly european wines but focused in Old World French regions such as Bordeaux, Rhone and Burgundy to name a few.
We found ourselves drinking a Chateau Léoville Poyferrè 2014 Saint Julien from the Medoc area of Bordeaux, a Cab / Merlot blend. It was perfect since it was not too heavy and not too light since it has some age in the the bottle already. For the price tag though… I found that they are selling it for £55 online. Don’t ask how much we paid for.
Color was of ruby, you can tell that the wine has quite some age to it. Clarity, is not as brilliant. I can’t see my fingers through the glass anymore or maybe because it was getting dark already.
Upon smelling, really strong on the French oak barrels, leather, coffee, mushrooms and soil. I find the initial smell to be earthy but has a lot of fruity notes. I didn’t detect any floral, on the other hand.
Acidity to me was on the medium end, it didn’t make my tongue too dry.
Sweetness is there but not too prevalent
Tannins is medium high.
Body is on the medium side.
You can really tell that the wine is not as strong or as in-your-face anymore compared to if we were drinking a 2021-22 vintage. Good wine.
I got lucky with this photo with the perfect wine swirl
The Pavyllon Experience
Like most classic French restaurants, you have the freedom to choose between ala carte or tasting menu. The table can even freestyle by combining both choices.
They have two tasting menus to choose from and we chose their signature, which is the Pavyllon experience shown below.
Melba of cucumber and strawberries, accompanied by seaweed and konbu broth
The mouthfeel of the foam felt like a very light whipped cream. Hidden inside the foam are slices of strawberries, peaches and cucumber. To counter the acidity from the fruits, seaweed and konbu were at the bottom and created a very sea “vegetal” element to the dish. Well composed and very artistic.
Tart of Devon Crab & Tomato Cloud
The foam is made out of clear tomato juice that they whipped with gelatin until it becomes like a marshmallow. It was pillowy and subtle. Underneath is a jelly layer of crab/tomato essence. At the bottom, crab meat that was seasoned perfectly with olive oil and other things. You can taste that the tart shells were new and still had a very pleasant buttery taste that didn’t overpower the dish. I forgot the jelly dots on top, i think it was made out of Yuzu or something lemon-y.
My favorite out of the menu as it evoked summer, refreshing, light, subtle and umami.
Monkfish with white beans, beurre blanc & wild garlic oil
The fish was cooked perfectly, as well the beans. Flavors were not of out the ordinary but it was really well composed. This reminded me of a tapas dish that we tried in San Sebastian, when I had pan seared foie gras with a beurre blanc sauce with beans. Really good.
Lamb Chop, Shiso Coulis & Anchoiade
Really good dish, I must say the shiso sauce and anchoiade were the key components that made me say, “Huh… Really?” I didn’t expect that a perfectly cooked lamb chop would marry so well with shiso leaves + olives + anchovy. It was a satisfying dish that didn’t fall short of my expectations! The Lamb was delicate and didn’t have a strong gamey flavor. The anchoiade adds that salty, minerally flavor to the herbaceous sauce. Truly a good contrast.
Moving on to the desserts.
The desserts were as you expect out of a One star fine dining, it’s composed but still has some ruggedness or roughness to it. There’s an element of making it look elegant yet natural. The flavors made sense but it was not going to give you a revelation.
Flambéed Cherries, Sable Breton & Almond Ice Cream
This is exactly how it tasted. The name delivered its message. The sable breton had the right crumble-ness to it and the cherries were not too tart. The cherries were cooked really well and was not mushy or disintegrated.
Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream, Cardamom sauce & Coffee
This might be the weakest dish out of all the menu, but still good nonetheless. At first bite, you get a very coffee & cardamom flavor but it fades out the more you get into the dish.
Summary
It was a pleasant experience to dine at Pavyllon—no fuss, no dramas and no need for impressing. For this trip, I didn’t look for a very elaborate Three Star restaurant since I’ve been disappointed with Two’s & Three’s lately. I always think that One’s are the best. It was just the right amount of “Michelin” etiquette that I was looking for to end our trip. I am impressed by the quality of food that the team is puts out and it truly delivers French ingenuity & prowess. Modern French cuisine has really taken a step forward by introducing lighter fare that deliver a lot of punch. Really amazed. It’s something that you will want to come back for and try again. A lot of times, fine dining becomes a “let’s try it once” kind of experience. I’ve stopped loving that ideology and now embrace restaurants where I know that I can come back again and again.
Food: 9/10 Pavyllon delivered a wonderful Japanese / French fusion cuisine and the flavors didn’t disappoint. I just wished that there was at least one “Wow” curve on one of the courses that really blew me away.
Service: 9/10 Service was warm and welcoming. The server was interactive but fell short on some points when it comes to being attentive to when the plates are to be dropped on the table and being a step ahead of the flow.
Price: 10/10 The menu was worth the price in my point of view. I wasn’t really looking for more courses just to say that we had “x” amount of food. It was quality over quantity for this particular meal.
Ambience: 10/10 The restaurant proved that it was worth the prestige to be situated inside an iconic hotel like the Four Seasons. Everything was tantalizing and visually pleasant.
Again, thank you for a wonderful meal. It’s between two years since I’ve had a really good tasting menu and I didn’t regret dining at Pavyllon. Looking forward to more Alleno restaurants to try across the globe!
Merci & cheers to our next travel adventure.
