The newly opened Picture is an unassuming restaurant on New Cavendish Street alongside the swathe of Marylebone’s swanky outlets. Over the zebra crossing I walk towards a sun-drenched restaurant littered with laissez-faire individuals sipping rose, sporting highly reflective lenses. I carry on down the street a dozen yards and meet my guest who is waiting and outside Picture. As I say, in comparison Picture is unassuming with its modest, dark facade – but there is plenty going on inside.
At 7pm we are seated at a small square table near the front the restaurant that is still pretty much empty and with menus we are asked to choose from their à la carte or tasting menu. Opting for a full-rounded experience (neither my guest nor I are fussy eaters) we opted for Picture’s tasting menu at £40.
Modern European dishes that don’t strive too hard to be something they’re not, each dish on the tasting menu has clearly been put together by someone who knows what they’re doing, (by founders Tom, Alan and Colin to be precise who worked together for many years within Michelin-starred restaurants). Already with a successful restaurant in Fitzrovia Tom outlines – “The aim was to open a restaurant serving top quality food in a relaxed setting that was affordable. We love to feel part of a neighbourhood so Marylebone seemed an obvious next destination for us. We’re so fond of our Fitzrovia community and benefit from a lot of repeat business and word of mouth, and we hope the charming Marylebone crowd will be as pleased to welcome us.”
The deliciously affordable tasting menu at Picture is always changing but features dishes such as chilled green summer vegetable soup – a light, gentle start, glazed young beetroot with goat’s curd and roasted hazelnuts which complemented each other as if they were designed for one another. Lightly smoked pork with roast carrot and greengage puree, (the best piece of pork I’ve had maybe all year), a delicious and generous course of cod; 28 day aged beef with a bone marrow crumb and red wine sauce – beautifully blushing of course. We finished with a dark chocolate mousse with a salt caramel crumble and by the time we looked back up from our plates not only were our stomachs bursting but the restaurant was too.
Picture offer real food but at a Michelin level for those who love fine food but not the price tag to follow. And the environment is far from stuffy. Relaxed, friendly with a creative, cool edge, Picture lets its menu shine and welcomes in everyone with open arms. A new restaurant that opened on 4th July of this summer, Picture Marylebone strives to offer the same popular level of food with warm hospitality that its older sister is known for. Tapping into the BYOB trend, Mondays allow for diners to bring along their own wine with no corkage charges. Enjoying seeing and learning what their diners bring along with them on the evening and what they choose to complement their dinner with.
On top of the brilliant tasting menu that we enjoyed, Picture Marylebone also exclusively serve a selection of weekly changing larger dishes such as roast monkfish tail, baked aubergine, chickpeas and harissa; crispy pork belly, bbq shoulder, breast of duck, summer turnips and gooseberry – all served for two; this keeping diners on their toes and effectively insuring that a return is tempting.
Address: 19 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 9TZ www.picturerestaurant.co.uk T: @PictureMaryleb1 T: 0207 935 0058 / picturerestaurant.co.uk
