One-O-One
Above: One-O-One
Pascal Proyart, who heads up the kitchen at One-O-One, is one of the best chefs working in the capital today. Never heard of him before? We’re not surprised. For, until very recently, he was plying his trade in what was quite possibly London’s most anonymous dining room. Located at the base of the Sheraton Tower in Knightsbridge, the restaurant has always had its own street entrance, but there used to be no escaping its hotel feel.
Not anymore. A long-overdue refurbishment has completely transformed the place, rearranging the space to accommodate a separate bar, private dining room and bathroom facilities (no more trekking to the lobby loos!) and swapping the aqua colour scheme for elegant interiors in more natural beachy shades.
Charming as ever, every last member of staff seems genuinely excited and proud of the developments and none more so than Proyart himself, who spent the months running up to the relaunch perfecting his new menu.
The effort that’s gone into this is palpable. Fans of old will recognise ingredients and themes – Proyart’s trademark king crab and richly satisfying meat and fish combos to name but two – but, whereas the cooking was good before, it’s an entirely different ball game now. Indeed, our first revisit was easily the ‘Meal of the Year’ so far.
The new concept is grazing-style food, which means you get more of all the goodness. We tried no less than six ‘petit plats’, ahead of cheese, dessert and petits four, and every last bite was utterly delicious.
The highlights? Tender bites of king crab legs with sweet chilli sauce (a classic and sure-fire winner), pan-roasted halibut on coco bean and truffle cassoulet with a plump langoustine dumpling on the side (rich seafood cookery at its best) and delectable salty caramel with chocolate mousse and coffee foam to finish.
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