Dec 6

Dec 6 Fine Dining at Galvin at The Athenaeum, Mayfair

Restaurant Review: Galvin at The Athenaeum, Park Lane, London

Style Points: 5/5
Price: ££
Overall: 5/5

The Athenaeum Hotel and Residencies re-opened this Summer after a multi-million pound refurbishment, including the opening of Galvin at The Athenaeum in partnership with Michelin starred London chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin.

Housed in the five star hotel, entering Galvin at The Athenaeum is a lavish affair, as we made our way past the comfortable lounge area to the restaurant itself. The restaurant is sleek and classy and hasn’t been over-designed, syncing with the decor of the hotel itself.

We were seated at a table for two towards the back of the restaurant and started our fine dining, michelin star experience with a glass of champagne!

Champagne at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

What’s on the menu?

For the first time, brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin have moved away from their trademark French inspired menus and instead adopted a British style menu, championing home grown produce from independent farmers across the UK.

We ordered some wheat bread and netherend farm butter for the table and were pleased to see that we weren’t presented with an overly large basket of bread which would ruin out appetite for the meal.

Cocktails at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

For starters we ordered from the Galvin Classics section of the menu and opted for Galvin cured smoked salmon, blini, sour cream and caviar. This was a beautifully presented dish with an extremely good portion of salmon. We also tried the heritage beetroot and westcombe ricotta on crisp sourdough, which was a great dish to start a meal with as it was light but still full of flavor.

For our main courses we ordered the yellowfin tuna burger, with white cabbage slaw and avocado. This was a hearty dish packed full of delicious flavor, however we couldn’t finish the bread on the burger as there was also a large amount of tuna in the middle.

Bread at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Salad at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Salmon at Galvin at The Athenaeum - Review

On our waiter Paolo’s recommendation we also tried the risotto of autumn wild mushrooms, artichoke and hazelnuts which was an ideal dish for the winter months as it was warming, wholesome and moreish.

The dessert menu looked irresistible and there were many winter warmer dishes such as black fig and almond tart, Valhora chocolate mousse and even a milk chocolate Jivara baba. However we ordered the caramelized apple tart with cider brandy cream, which as crisp and delicious. We also couldn’t resist order the classic dessert that is sticky toffee pudding with Carnish clotted cream. Both desserts were a dream and a perfect end of our meal.

Risotto at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Tuna burger at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Could I afford to dine here again?

The a la carte menu at Galvin At The Athenaeum is not overwhelming expensive, as is usually the case with michelin star restaurants. Additionally they also offer a set menu with three course for £29.50, which is immensely good value considering the quality of the food. There is also a set Sunday lunch menu with two courses from the Sunday roast menu as well as a glass of wine for £25.

Sticky Toffee Pudding at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Apple tart dessert at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Desserts at Galvin At The Athenaeum - Review

Overall?

I had a fantastic meal at Galvin At The Athenaeum as every dish we sampled was delicious. However what made our experience even more enjoyable was the attentive and friendly customer service. Our waiter Paolo was fabulous and made informed personal recommendations for food and drinks, which contributed greatly to our enjoyment of the meal.

This was actually my first time dining at a Galvin restaurant but I now plan on visiting a few more as I had such a great time at Galvin At The Athenaeum.