Last Updated on February 20, 2025
The Riviera comes to Belgravia
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Our Restaurant of the Month feature is always an opportunity to gauge the state of the London dining scene with a snapshot of an opening that is of interest. The 180-cover La Môme London is the new outpost of the eponymous restaurant in Cannes that sits on the swanky Promenade de la Croisette. At the epicentre of the city’s glamorous international scene, the restaurant is named after legendary Cannes hostess Suzanne Vreurick who was known as “La Môme Moineau”- the little sparrow. Vreurick started off as a flower seller, becoming a nightclub singer in Paris and then marrying a billionaire in Cannes. I must remember to do that in my next life, they might name a restaurant after me.
La Môme London has opened its doors in the Berkeley Hotel, a Belgravia fixture close to Hyde Park, in the room that used to house Marcus Wareing’s restaurant as well as the adjacent Collins Room. It is the first overseas venture for brothers Antoine and Ugo Lecorché who are taking something of a risk as not all French exports to the UK translate successfully. The Moma Selection, the glamorous French restaurant group recently had to close both Mimosa, the very short-lived Riviera offer in the Langham Hotel and the grandiose Parisian Café Laperouse in the exclusive OWO development in Whitehall. A cold, grey rainy London is a very different proposition to the South of France as is the availability of the quality of the vegetables, herbs and fruit that give Provençal cuisine its characteristic flavours.
With a small outside terrace which is sure to be a hot ticket in the summer, entry is in the hotel itself. The restaurant had been open for about a week when we visited. It was busy and buzzing with an international clientele who would blend right in at the Cannes original. Waiters swoosh around in dark suits with open white shirts spreading Mediterranean bonhomie.
La Môme’s interior is bathed in a golden glow from ’60s retro copper light fittings that make everyone look good and create a relaxing ambience. There are pillars and elegant long linen curtains, olive trees, marble tables and a wooden floor. The restaurant’s signature fan logo is everywhere, seating is on comfortable upholstered fauteuils, and there are glazed plates from Atelier Crociani and cleverly weighted cutlery. A DJ is playing old soul records and an invisible pianist singer is belting out some soul classics. I can’t say that I felt that I was transplanted to the French Riviera, it was simply too cold outside, but I was definitely in a playground for the wealthy that doesn’t feel much like London.
With its Belgravia location, La Môme is inevitably expensive with cocktails around the £22 mark, starters in the mid-twenties, sides at £10 and main dishes in the thirties plus. There are lots of opportunities to spend considerably more than this if you’re feeling flush. There are expensive cuts of meat, a Petrossian Caviar menu and dishes laden with truffles. So, what are you getting for your money?
There’s a lengthy cocktail list featuring ‘Prohibition cocktails’, a gin and tonic menu, Mocktails as well as signature ‘Creation cocktails.’ La Môme Moinieau, a mix of Ketel one vodka, Chambord liqueur, Raspberry purée and Champagne, is a refreshing fruity drink that manages to be not too sweet with a welcome vodka bite. The Tropical Negroni blends Gin and Mezcal with sweet vermouth, Campari and coconut water with a pineapple disk garnish for total tropicality. The Mezcal adds a smokey finish to the classic cocktail with the coconut softening the drink’s characteristic bitterness. I liked it much more than I thought I would.
The menu at La Môme is divided into seven sections; Crudo and Fritos, Starters, Meat from the Josper, Fish, Pasta and Risotto, Sides and Desserts. However, we started with some bread and an excellent fruity Perrin olive oil with fresh thyme. We ordered a classic chablis – Chablis Jean Collet 2021 at £78 to accompany the meal with plenty of white fruit and mineral notes. From the Crudo and Fritos menu, a niçoise influenced Riviera tuna tartare was a well-delivered if polite reconstruction of a salade niçoise. A slick of gazpacho and a few drops of basil oil adorned the plate, but the dish needed more of a peppery bite and overall seasoning to stand out.
A starter of Aubergine alla Parmigiana had a thick rich tomato sauce but again felt underpowered. The choice of scamorza rather than mozzarella meant that there was less ooziness from the cheese than might be ideal and the minimal use of oil meant the dish felt too healthy for my taste.
A dish of cod bouillabaisse style brought together a perfectly cooked piece of high-quality cod with a fish jus and a rouille that lacked the required garlic pepperiness. An accompanying olive oil mash was well delivered.
XO tuna with a ponzu vinaigrette is obviously a northeast Asian dish rather than anything from the Riviera. It’s the sort of plate that turns up with some regularity in luxury Asian restaurants. The tuna was top-notch and perfectly seared, trout roe added saltiness but the XO sauce needed more yuzu to boost acidity.
A side of walnut and gorgonzola gnocchi was a great dish for a cold winter’s evening, the gnocchi were light and the sauce was unctuous with the walnuts adding crunch.
Desserts at La Môme were on a different level of execution to the main dishes. Executive Pastry Chef Mathieu Marchand and Pastry Chef Kajetan Kaczmarek deserve any plaudits coming their way. ‘Soufflé of the day’ was vanilla. It was light and fluffy – a dream of a soufflé with a delicate pear sorbet on the side and lashings of Grand Marnier to bring it firmly into the zone of decadence where I aspire to live.
A chocolate fondant had a fantastic depth of flavour, rich without being oversweetened and lifted by an excellent vanilla ice cream.
As consumers, we have to find the restaurants that suit our temperaments, budget and palate. La Môme is all about the scene and if you buy into that and can afford the bill then you will have a lovely time. It’s still a very new opening and I wonder if the Frères Lecorché have slightly underestimated Londoners’ openness to a more robust approach to flavouring. They seem like canny operators and will probably catch on. In a slightly bizarre coda to my visit, on a trip to the loo at La Môme, I was accosted by a very nervous chap with a shiny pate asking why I was taking photos. I explained it was for a restaurant review. He informed me that his guests were members of the US government who didn’t want their pictures taken. A less charitable person than me might think that they had something to hide.
La Môme London
Wilton Place, London SW1X 7RL
+44 20 3795 6787
Other new restaurants that have caught our eye this month include:
Brasserie Constance
Applebee’s Borough Market
Family-run Applebee’s, a British seafood institution at Borough Market, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a relaunch that promises a new menu and refurbishment. Executive Chef Frankie van Loo who spent 13 years as Head Chef at a variety of Jason Atherton’s restaurants group, has created a new menu showcasing ‘seasonal, sustainable British seafood.’ Expect dishes such as Grilled Dover Sole, served with brown shrimp and lemon butter, a British interpretation of a Bouillabaisse, Applebee’s signature Fish and Chips, seafood platters and a luxurious twist on the traditional Sunday roast, with options like decadent Salmon en Croute or a Whole Turbot designed for sharing.
Applebee’s
5 Stoney Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AA
ZIMA Notting Hill
With a Soho flagship restaurant, traditional Eastern European and Russian cuisine specialist ZIMA is growing with a new opening in Notting Hill. Dishes will include
Royal Siberian Black caviar and Salmon Roe Res caviar with blinis, Olivier signature Russian salad with chicken and salmon roe, Pirozhki with beef, chicken or cabbage and eggs baked in-house and Black Pelmeni with Salmon & Cod handmade “dumplings” with salmon roe and roasted tomatoes. Each season, the restaurant will host exclusive chef’s tables with the first collaboration being with Michelin-starred chef and pioneer of modern Russian gastronomy, Evgeny Vikentev. Oh, and did I mention ZIMA’s signature homemade “nastoykas”, or infused vodkas?
ZIMA Notting Hill
9 Blenheim Crescent, London, W11 2EE
Ottolenghi Richmond
The first Ottolenghi location south of the river is opening offering Richmond residents the full Ottolenghi experience. With breakfast and an all-day à la carte menu, watch out for the Ottolenghi Shakshuka with smoked labneh and grilled focaccia, platters of salads, mountains of meringues and Ottolenghi’s celebrated pastries and cakes as well as brand-new, bespoke Richmond-inspired dishes. The wine selection will celebrate natural and biodynamic bottles and there will be an extensive catering menu for when you simply can’t be bothered to cook.
Ottolenghi Richmond
36 Hill Street, Richmond, TW9 1TW
Looking for something different? Check out our review of Lucky Cat, Bishopsgate – a Gordon Ramsay restaurant with spectacular views!
