Where to Eat
Le Petit Maison 🇫🇷 in Mayfair is by far my favorite spot to share a meal. It’s an amazing French restaurant that started in Nice and now they are in London, Dubai, Miami, Istanbul and Beirut. Their Chef, Raphael, is an amazing host that makes you feel welcome the second you walk in the door. It is nearly impossible to recommend a dish because the are all excellent and if you are lucky enough to eat at Le Petit during truffle season, immediately order the pasta with truffle or scrambles eggs with pasta. For starters, the petit farces nicois are a garlicy veal stuffed vegetables, two small tomatoes and two zucchini (but call them courgettes.). the ratatouille et feta is a greek styled madly of marinated vegetables with a creamy feta. The escargots are roasted in an amazing fresh and flavorful garlic butter and mixed with fresh herbs. Again, all of their menu items are superb so look for the ingredients you like and order away.
As for the main dishes, the lamb chops served with an amazing smoked aubergine blend are cooked to perfection and they are always meaty lollypops that we order every time. If you like lemon chicken the the coquette au citron confit is a must. A small baby chicken deboned except the legs appears at your table soon after you can smell the roasted lemon aroma. The orange glazed duck is something to remember. For the most part, the meal is always family style as they bring the items out as soon as they are prepared, separated by staters and main dishes. The sides are all great and we alway beer the baked potatoes, known as pommel de terre gratinees.
When it comes to desserts you will be understandably full but it is worth the discomfort to stuff in a few more bites of their menu. The French toast with spice ice cream is a world favorite and if you have room for other desserts order whatever you favor, it will surpass your expectations.
Borough Market 🇬🇧 is an amazing open-air market in London and we would spend most Saturdays. The first thing we do is set up our home base at Bedales Wine Shop and grab a barrel outside and settle in for some wine and friends to enjoy the day. Technically you can only have the food they sell at the wine shop but we start ordering wine by the gallon and the look the other way when we spread out to get some of the most amazing cheeses from Neal’s Dairy Yard. The first taste should be a toasted cheese sandwich from Kappacasein.
Hakkasan Mayfair 🇨🇳 is on of their many branded restaurants around the world but this location is the best. It’s a half block from Berkeley Square in the middle of Mayfair. You defiantly want to be seated downstairs to get the full affect as well as lose your cell service so you can enjoy the company around you. It’s a smartly dressed crowd all enjoying the specialty drinks at the bar as they wait to be seated. If you like ginger (not read heads but the root) then get the very refreshing mix of Belvedere vodka, Akashi-tai sake, coriander, ginger, lime and ginger.
When you take your seat you can gaze over the amazing wine list but the real treat is menu options. If you like duck, the crispy duck salad, duck rolls, Hakkasan’s signature Peking duck with caviar are all great options, with the latter being ridiculously expensive. The dim-sum is fantastic and a great start to the meal. The jasmine tea smoked pork ribs cut table side are a rich, meaty treat. The oyster sauce that comes with the grilled Shanghai dumplings is a flavorful accompaniment to these meat filled treats. The entries leave so many options and really depends on what you like but all the dishes are excellent. The grilled Chilean sea bass in honey is a sweet, lite, flaky dish that everyone devours. Staying on the seafood kick, the Australian lobster in white peppercorn sauce has a mild kick to it and I don’t think I have ever skipped it on the menu. If you do not want to break your budget on the Peking duck, order the stir-fry Peking style duck that cost 25 pounds compare to the 340 pounds for the full boat.
We call it beef in a basket, but do order the stir-fry black pepper rib eye beef with merlot, a spicy textured beef that comes in an edible basket. We have never had dessert there as we eat way too much and no, never hungry an hour later.
