28-50, Mayfair

Right now, the criss-crossed paths of Regent Street and Oxford Street are not two of the most glamorous highways of London, home to iconic shops and displays of fashion. They are interlinked X for danger, hellish places, filled up with bargain hunters happy to claw someone’s face off to get a discounted pair of socks. And the worst part of this is that I am one of them, armed with vouchers and gift cards from uninspired relatives.

Fortunately, there is an oasis of calm that can be found in the midst of this legalised and subsidised looting. A little way down Regent Street is Maddox Street, home to the Mayfair outlet of 28-50, which also has outlets in Marylebone and the City. It is a restaurant that is combined with a wine workshop. In addition to the wines they have on stock, they host wine tasting classes and house wines from private collectors, allowing a diner to gain access to wines that might not feature at other restaurants.

The style of the restaurant’s food is seasonal dishes with a French twist. My companion and I started off with a respective choice of baby beetroots with goat’s cheese curd and salad, and fois gras terrine, rhubarb chutney and sourdough toast. The baby beetroots combined well with the goat’s cheese curd with a pleasing sharpness that wasn’t overbearing. This was not the case with the rhubarb chutney which was just too tart to be aligned with the terrine.

For main course, I ventured for the lamb shank, which came with pomme purée and pickled onions. This was a sturdy piece of meat, cooked excellently and with some great accompanying vegetables. My only complaint is that there were not enough of them on the plate. My companion’s choice was of duck leg confit with white bean casserole, bacon and duck jus. I was curious as to how bacon would fit in with all of this but it made a snappy addition to a very well thought out dish.

For our desserts, I chose the lemon tart with yoghurt sorbet whilst my companion went for the poached fig with chocolate mousse. Both of these were very accomplished and rounded off a very pleasant meal.

28-50 is a charming place to come for a meal and if you’re in need of some relaxation after fighting your way through frenzied shoppers, it comes highly recommended.

28-50
17-19 Maddox Street
Mayfair
W1S 2QH

Tel: 02074951505