Last Updated on September 22, 2024
A Man for All Seasons – Atherton opens Sael
The great restaurateurs are all risk-takers, willing to take a large punt on their ability to predict and steer the public’s mood. Since the 1990s the ‘great beasts’ of the London dining scene – Sir Terence Conran, Russell Norman, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, Richard Caring, Gordon Ramsey and Jason Atherton have collectively revolutionised both gastronomic and social aspects of the way we eat.
Atherton’s contribution is immense, defining the London zeitgeist since 2011 with a series of richly textured restaurants that provided a sophisticated mix of gastronomy and cultural signifiers. From the metropolitan buzz of Pollen Street Social – his Michelin-starred flagship and London’s ultimate date night restaurant – to the post-modern reinvention of the grand hotel dining room at the Berners Tavern; there was a slew of London restaurants under the “Social” moniker. My favourite was Little Social, a petit bistro little brother over the road from Pollen St. Social. Including the London sites, Jason and his wife, co-director Ihra Atherton built a global group of 37 restaurants that spanned continents, in the USA, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, The Philippines and Singapore.
But times move on and Jason is masterminding a series of new London openings having just done the same thing in Dubai. We’ve chosen to review Sael as our Restaurant of the Month to catch up with what Atherton is up to. For full disclosure, Jason kindly comped us our meal which wasn’t our plan and didn’t affect the review. Sael is, in essence, a British Brasserie, primarily featuring ingredients sourced from the British Isles. The kitchen is led by Dale Bainbridge, previously Executive Chef at Pollen Street Social.
We visited on the 3rd day of opening and were lucky enough to have a word with Jason as service was winding down, asking him why he felt this was the right time to refresh his offer. He talked about his roots (he comes from a council estate in the North of England) and how he found London so ridiculously expensive to eat out. With Sael and most of his other new ventures, you don’t have to be a corporate lawyer or hedgie to afford the bill. He told us he could feel “the tide turning” and it is telling that at Sael as with many of Atherton’s restaurants, there’s an economically priced Prix Fixe.
Sael – the name is the old English for ‘seasonal’ – sits in St James’s Market just off the Haymarket. The site is owned by the Crown Estate and is housed within the contemporary St James’s Market development in the building that was D&D’s Scandi outpost Aquavit. It’s the contemporary West End equivalent of a Montparnasse brasserie, functional but stylish and still retaining the skeleton of Aquavit’s interior – the chandeliers, marble tiled flooring and industrial ceilings. Atherton has brought in new low-profile moss green leather and velvet banquettes, creating more of a social atmosphere than in the space’s first iteration. There is silver birch wood panelling that he tells us took 18 days to sand, a central statement brass bar and an open kitchen. Prints of the four seasons by a Cumbrian artist adorn the walls, which along with a central autumnal floral display give the room an airy, woodland feel. The room is packed and buzzing with a casually urbane crowd, some looking like Pollen St veterans and some younger, looking for somewhere new and central to get their foodie thrills – and let’s face it, Sael is closer to Soho than The Wolseley and with better food. The affable young maitre’d has a 1960s fringe and Micheal Caine specs. Gary Lineker is there in a T-shirt and trainers.
We start with a couple of items off the ‘Snacks’ menu. Brioche has been having an extended moment over the last few years and Sael’s laminated brioche with a roasted onion butter is up there with the best. It’s buttery and flaky and the accompanying whipped onion butter is light yet infused with the allium’s sweetness.
The marmite English custard tart comes in a tiny sliver with a delicate shortcrust encasing the wobbly custard which has just enough of an umami hit to be acceptable within the confines of polite society. Marmite always makes me thirsty. In what is a pointed if painful Brexit gag, wine is available by the pint as well as by the bottle or glass (a pint is 473 ml. so more than a half-bottle but less than a 500ml pichet). So thanks to Jason we were able to down a pint of Domaine Gaujal, Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc with a melon nose and a good balance of minerality and acidity.
From the ‘Starters’ list, we shared the gooey sweetness of a wood fire port roasted fig interlaced with the creaminess of stracciatella and savoury crunch of cobnut hummus. There were lots of interesting textures going on here and a lovely blend of flavours. The ‘Mid-plates’ featured are really mains.
My fine piece of Scottish halibut was perched atop a spicy red pepper, onion and cockle stew. The stew was deliciously piquant but the halibut was slightly overdone, but on day three of an opening that’s completely forgivable.
The menu has a section entitled ‘From the Embers’. We went for the Cornish lobster which was tender and full-flavoured, served with caramelised rice and a gorgeous succulent coral butter made from the lobster roe.
“Koffman” chips are becoming ubiquitous on London menus. The 3 Michelin star chef Pierre Koffmann’s own brand of spuds delivers high-concept chip shop style chips, crisp yet fluffy. The Sael salad comprised baby leaves with a salty-sweet dressing.
Jason suggested we had the Strawberry jam ‘Roly Poly’ for dessert. This was contemporary British comfort food at its best and will become a popular winter staple at Sael. Slathered in a Jersey vanilla custard and sweet jam, the use of smoked butter transports the dish out of the school kitchen into a forest encampment.
Sael has an upstairs bar called Apples & Pears. It’s a sexy little space with a rock ‘n roll edge; there are classic rock tracks playing and black and white retro photos as well as very reasonably priced cocktails. Atherton has a way with drinking dens – who could forget the iconic ThermoNuclear Daiquiri at his Soho speakeasy The Blind Pig! As soon as word gets out this will be packed.
Jason Atherton is going to be busy over the next few weeks. As well as the opening of Sael, he has overseen the recent launch of HotDogs by Three Darlings (Atherton has 3 daughters…) in Harrods Dining Hall. Pollen Street Social has been reborn as Mary’s, a steakhouse featuring smashed burgers and influenced by his wife’s desire to eat meat somewhere female-friendly. But possibly closest to his heart is Row on 5 Saville Row, a fine dining restaurant with 24 covers. Atherton recently opened Row on 45 in Dubai which immediately received 2 Michelin stars… so no pressure!
Sael is going to be a big hit. The success of Fallow on the Haymarket has opened up this corner of the West End for something more than low-grade patisseries and Sports Bars. My bet is that Atherton still has his finger on the pulse of what Londoners want and that Sael will be a big part of that.
Sael
1 St James’s Market,
St. James’s,
London,
SW1Y 4QQ
Other new restaurants that have caught our eye this month include
Kitty Hawk
Kitty Hawk is the new rooftop dining destination atop the Page8 hotel (see our recent review of the hotel). Created by the team behind Aviary, Wagtail, and The Botanist at Sloane Square it has fabulous views of the city skyline and a menu including crispy sesame king prawns, yellowfin tuna carpaccio, fillet steak tartar and a weekend bottomless brunch including cocktails for £55.
Kitty Hawk
6/F, 8 St. Martin’s Place, London WC2N 4JH
Lolo
Lolo is Spanish Chef José Pizarro newest opening on Bermondsey Street – which should maybe be renamed Pizarro St as he has so many restaurants there! Lolo is all about home cooking. The lunch and dinner menu includes a ‘Pica-Pica’ section, with moreish snacks such as Tinned mussels in escabeche served with crisps and chives as well as Gildas, traditional Basque pintxos. Plus, there are several fresh crudo dishes, an exciting selection of small and larger plates and a variety of tinned fish and charcuterie boards.
Lolo
102 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3UB
Mignonette
Chef John McClements is something of a southwest London legend with his previous eponymous Twickenham joint having won a Michelin star. He’s back with a French bistro in Richmond. He has a legion of fans so it will be busy!
Mignonette
109 Kew Rd, Richmond TW9 2PN
