View all newsletters
Have the short, sharp Spear's newsletter delivered to your inbox each week
  1. Wealth
September 21, 2018

Hide review: Ollie Dabbous’ Piccadilly project is a slice of heaven

By Olenka Hamilton

The wunderkind chef has struck gold again with his latest venture, writes Olenka Hamilton

Just four months old and apparently a £20 million job, Hide has arrived fully formed, complete with knowledgeable staff and cinematic views over Green Park.

The man to thank for this marvel is the maverick Michelin-starred British chef Ollie Dabbous; one must also be grateful for the Russian owners who were so inspired as to hire him.

Chef Ollie Dabbous, photo by Joakim Blockstrom

At ‘Above’, Hide’s top-floor restaurant, we start the £95 eight-course tasting menu with delicate charcuterie wrapped around feathers and bones and the ‘nest egg’ – an egg shell in a nest, stuffed with a creamy mushroom, egg and smoked butter mixture. Next appears a peeled tomato in a bowl: as if picked from Willy Wonka’s garden itself, it’s really deconstructed gazpacho which tastes the richer because it is so unexpected. For mains, we try barbecued Cornish lobster with fennel, followed by tender duck breast, served with a confit duck dumpling tasting happily like a vamped-up crispy duck pancake.

As if the food weren’t enough, the wine is also a major event at Hide, which is backed by wine emporium Hedonism. Faced with a list of more than 6,000 wines, ranging from affordable to almost £100,000 for a bottle of d’Yquem, my husband opts for the Classic Wine Pairing for £65. Pregnant and not remotely envious, I make a glass of very good house Champagne last eight courses.

The final flourish is pudding, which starts with something like a superior Twister lolly of green marigold sorbet and peach ice cream all served on a brick of ice, followed by the frankly glorious ‘fig leaf’. With its layers of fig compote and ice cream, ricotta and chia, it leaves you pleasantly full but begging for more. ‘The best meal out I’ve had in London in 20 years,’ says my husband – a man who has had many meals out – as we roll down the Art Deco tree-trunk staircase out on to Piccadilly.

Olenka Hamilton is staff writer at Spear’s

Content from our partners
Meet the females leading in the FTSE
A cut above: Charles Sanford on why HNW clients choose LGT Wealth Management
How the Thuso Group’s invaluable experience and expertise shaped the Spear’s Schools Index 2024

Select and enter your email address The short, sharp email newsletter from Spear’s
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network