The Traditional English Restaurants of London

Brian Turner, the Yorkshire-born chef, who is well-regarded as a serious champion of British food, recently opened a new restaurant in the Millennium Hotel Mayfair.

Brian Turner Mayfair is an 86 seat restaurant with adjacent Turner Bar, a large private dining room and an all-day al fresco Champagne Terrace. The food at Brian Turner Mayfair echoes traditional Britain, and includes many of Brian's signature favourites, incorporating numerous UK organic and specialist suppliers.

Typical dishes include smoked eel fillet with streaky Cumbria bacon on a warm potato salad, steak and kidney plate pie with oysters and kidney gravy, and fudge and blueberry bread and butter pudding.

Prices are moderate, with a three-course à la carte meal costing from £30 per person for food, not including wine. There is also a set lunch menu at £19.50 for two courses, £21.50 for three. The wine list comprises approximately 175 bins, and is a broad selection of New and Old World, with prices starting from £16. The sommelier is Edward Hutchings, who was formerly at Hakkasan.

Turner Bar seats up to 45, with an assortment of small club chairs, stools and banquettes. The bar manager is Baz Douglas, and the head bartender is Marco Maresca. They are part of an energetic young team of staff targeting a new clientele for both the restaurant and bar. Cocktails are a speciality, incorporating both classic and innovative drinks.

Designed by Noel Pierce of Portfolio Design, the interiors are an elegant combination of rich wood (polished oak flooring and Zebrano wall panelling), striking hand-made cast textured glass (on several walls and area dividers), comfortable leather seating (chairs and curved banquettes in tones of azure, taupe, biscuit and sable), and a wine ‘alley’ leading into the the bar.

The light-filled restaurant faces Grosvenor Square, and the evening lighting, using both overhead horsehair chandeliers and small table lamps, provides an intimate ambience.