One of the latest additions to London’s stellar restaurant world is truly somewhere special. Bacchanalia is named after the Roman festivals of Bacchus – orgiastic rituals that could last days – and from the moment you step inside, it shouts indulgence and escapism.
Johnny Stephens Photography
From the triple-height dining space with gasp-inducing giant sculptures by Damien Hurst suspended from columns to the modern interpretation of an orgy in the mural adorning the back wall (complete with laptop and cellphone) and the mirrored tables and toga-clad waiting staff, Bacchanalia delivers the perfect combination of fun and fantasy.
Inhabiting the space that used to be the Porsche showroom on the edge of Berkley Square, this extravagance of a restaurant is the newest baby of restaurateur Richard Caring and is rumoured to have cost £68 million to get off the ground. Money well spent, I say. It’s a fabulous space with slick service, decor to drool over (even a visit to the toilets involves a photo shoot), and the food is surprisingly good, too.
The menu is inspired by Greek and Italian cuisine – it’s not a fusion of the two, you understand, but a range of different dishes reflecting both epicurean lands. And there’s a wine list to match, which is more like an encyclopedia with over 700 wines to choose from – lucky the charming sommelier is on hand to recommend some pairings and make our lives easier.
Lunch involves a selection of small plates to share. We start with what has to be the most beautiful bowl of crudites ever (of course), served on ice to keep them crisp and perky. They come with beautifully creamy and tangy taramasalata and earthy hummus for dipping. And a bowl of plump olives on the side.
We then move on to luscious keftedes – Greek-style meatballs served atop smoked yogurt with tomato relish, and a charred beet salad served on a bed of walnut pesto. The flavours are bold and the two cuisines make perfect partners, though the next course is pure Italian – pasta, of course.
Rich rigatoni ragu is tomatoey and satisfying with a lovely al dente bite. Still, it’s the spinach and mushroom lasagne that really steals the show with its wonderfully frothy bechamel, robust aromatically rich mushrooms, and delicate sheets of pasta.
By now, we’re appropriately replete for a bacchanalia, but our lovely waitress Victoria, won’t let us leave without dessert – recommending a pudding that’s new to the menu. A banana semi-fredo is encased in beautifully sculptured chocolate and it quite simply melts in our mouths. Heaven on a plate.
This seems fitting because dining at Bacchanalia feels a bit like I’d imagine dining in heaven would. The majesty of the setting takes your breath away, the food is delicious and delivered with flair and there’s a large bar area that looks extremely tempting. And don’t forget to visit those toilets. There’s everything you could possibly desire for a hedonistic adventure in London’s Mayfair.
www.bacchanalia.co.uk
Words by Sandy Cadiz-Smith