Scran Spot Review #2 - Wild Honey, St James
CUISINE
Adjoined to the Sofitel Hotel, St James, WIld Honey is described as combining ‘classic French techniques with the finest seasonal produce Britain has to offer’.
The restaurant offers à la carte, set lunch and early supper menus.
The restaurant has recently acquired its first silverware, a MICHELIN Star in the 2022 MICHELIN Guide Great Britain and Ireland.
Launch: 2019
Founder & Head Chef: Anthony Demetre
MY SCRAN CHOICE
I opted to share a duo of ‘Snack’ options with my Mum and my Nan, to lightly prepare me for the Main Course and the salivating thought of trying out Wild Honey’s signature dish, the Wild Honey Ice Cream.
SNACKS
‘Coppa - Air Dried Tuscan Ham, with Cinnamon, Coriander, Juniper and Nutmeg' & ‘Crisp Cheese Croquettes’
Although typically it is immensely difficult to source high-quality ham, Wild Honey really did deliver. It was truly delectable and left no ‘stringiness’ on the palette.
As for the croquettes, they were remarkably addictive and an added touch to these mini-balls was wrapping the ham around them to bring out the strong cheese flavour - a pairing as salivating as Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.
MAIN COURSE
‘Isle of Gigha Halibut, Norfolk Asparagus, Monks Beard, Mussel and Grapefruit Relish’
When I first saw the plate meet my table, I was almost overwhelmed as to where to begin, but in conjunction with each other, the ingredients were sumptuous. The Monk’s Beard was so crispy and I only wish there was more grapefruit relish to soak up the fresh halibut.
The presentation also really caught my eye. with the level of intricate detail going into the positioning of the accompaniments and the beige-green colour palette standout features.
ALTERNATIVE MAIN COURSE
‘Daphne’s Denbighshire Welsh Lamb, Romane Courgette and Tempura Flower’
DESSERT
‘Wild Honey Ice Cream, Bermondsey Raw Honeycomb, Warm Honey and Lemon Madeleine’
The pièce de résistance - the Wild Honey Ice Cream. Prior to arriving to the restaurant, I was made aware of this exciting dish by the extensive catalogue of positive reviews it has received from a plethora of pundits.
It really did steal the show, and the dish’s notoriety was only accentuated by the dramatic entrance of the waiter bringing out he ‘Honeycomb Frame’. He scraped off a chunk of honeycomb to dollop it onto the tantalising honey ice cream. It brought Kevin de Bruyne-esque elegance and showmanship to the meal and was a personal favourite. The soft citrusy madeleine offered a light relief to the textures of the honeycomb and ice cream whilst the honey really did hit the spot with its sweetness level.
THE REFRESHMENTS
ORANGE JUICE
I elected for the orange juice due to University commitments after lunch, but it was certainly fresh and tasty.
FLAT WHITE
To end the spectacle, an array of mini-treats were brought out alongside my flat white. The chocolates, jellies and pastries rounded off a fine outing to Wild Honey.
THE FEE
The ‘Snacks’ and the ‘Desserts’ were reasonably priced, but the Main Courses were very pricey. All-in-all, an expensive away day.
THE REVIEW
This fixture was always going to be a mouth-watering one. The portion sizes were perfect and overall, the somewhat renowned restaurant thankfully met my expectations.
The interiors, designed by Jim Hamilton, were elegant and intimate, providing an ideal backdrop to revel in high-class French food. And, although the restaurant’s ambience made lunchtime indulgence perfect for London’s business elite, the level of comfort that the venue provided ensured a spontaneous family outing would not feel out of place.
Room for improvement?
Two minor improvements could have improved what was a very enjoyable meal. The food could have been a little warmer whilst I would have loved some additional sauce for the halibut as I was devouring every mouthful of it.
Next time?
I will most definitely re-visit. Next time round, it would be interesting to share a selection of the other desserts to see if they match the quality of the ice cream. The ‘English Custard Tart, Golden Sultanas, Pine Nuts, Salted Butter’ and the ‘Chocolate and Orange Tart, Jaffa Cake Style’ were alluring options.
THE EYE TEST
THE TASTE TEST
THE SERVICE
ATMOSPHERE
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
- WILD HONEY ICE CREAM -
FINAL MATCH RATING
LOCATION
Postcode: 8 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5NG
Nearest Stations: Charing Cross (0.2 Miles), Piccadilly Circus (0.3 Miles), Leicester Square (0.4 Miles)
Website: https://www.wildhoneystjames.co.uk/