As part of a recent multi-million-pound transformation, a bar and restaurant duet has appeared on the ground floor of the London Hilton Park Lane in Mayfair; the Revery Bar and the Park Corner Brasserie, both looking new and dapper yet with their own identity.
It’s a great location right opposite Hyde Park in Mayfair and if you have a penchant for drinks before dinner, this venue has that convenience factor.
Ambience
Revery bar has an easy ambience and a pleasant mix of frivolity and sophistication. Hues of terracotta, red sofas, marble tables, and a curved backlit cocktail bar look intimate with dim lighting overhead. There’s a special area with an eye-popping chandelier for top-notch bubbly. Revery is a convivial place to enjoy drinks – whatever your tipple is – before progressing to dinner at the Park Corner Brasserie. Or perhaps a meeting point before painting the town red, or a late-night snifter.
The Revery’s Mixologist, Eugene has that special touch. His instincts were correct; I did enjoy the Perfect Pink Celose Rose, doused with raspberry and lavender cordial, lemon juice, violet liqueur, and Pommery Apanage. The glass was covered in strawberry dust and this combo dispatched a tarty sweetness on the palate and a marvellous champagne aftertaste – a moment of revelry.
We also had the Vesper Martini Plymouth, Grey Goose, and Revery Blend of Dry Vermouth delivered perfectly dry – a 50/50 mix of gin and vodka. The Vermouth is their own concoction whose recipe is a closely guarded secret.
Park Corner Brasserie is more a cavernous space, laced with verdant plants, brighter lighting and plenty of room between tables. Choose to sit along a green banquette or one of the round tables for lunch, dinner or a succulent Sunday roast.
Park Brasserie restaurant, Hilton Park Lane
We got there Saturday evening for dinner. Dishes are essentially British favourites among them the Westway Pale battered cod, crushed peas, chips, lemon, and tartar sauce, as well as a variety of steaks, a Dover Sole, and a couple of signature souffles.
A large ball of sourdough bread with cultured and smoked garlic butter arrived on the table. Our starters were the gold-leaf topped Marshall’s double-baked mushroom soufflé, which when cut into a flavoursome Shropshire Blue sauce oozed out.
My co-diner scoffed the cured, mouthwatering Scottish salmon on top of lemon curd, radish, lemon and herb butter and a few short ribbons of fennel. The sommelier paired this with a Louis Pommery Rose English sparkling wine.
The belle of this gastronomic ball was 300-gram Ribeye steak with a red wine jus; this offered joyfully juicy robust steak flavours and cooked to perfection, charred exterior with a pink interior. The Contino Rioja was a fabulous pairing with this.
The Cornish Dover sole, filleted by the table, was pretty good too and this came with ratte potatoes, spinach, citrus and caper butter sauce. I downed this with an Emile Beyer, Les traditions Riesling from Alsace.
We couldn’t help ourselves, we went ahead ordered triple-cooked chips as an extra side.
Ribeye steak
Dover Sole
Dessert wasn’t top of mind, nevertheless, Marshall’s salted caramel and chocolate soufflé designed to be shared two, served with two scoops of salted caramel ice cream was winking at us. And as it was the signature dish we knew we would not get another chance to taste this elsewhere.
This souffle is a great idea and would satiate the sweetest tooth, yet be too sweet for others. All we could stretch to was a couple of spoonfuls of this light yet saccharine pudding.
Verdict: I very much enjoyed the Revery/Park Corner duo of experiences. Creative cocktails followed by fine British cuisine and wine made for an evening worth going out for.
London Hilton on Park Lane
22 Park Lane, London W1K 1BE