Wiltons of Mayfair launches Autumn/Winter menu

“For those of you that are new to Wiltons, welcome. To those who are familiar with the restaurant, welcome home.” This greeting epitomises the warm, traditional, and elegant character that the Wiltons brand has honed since 1742. A true Bastion of Britishness, the Jermyn Street restaurant continues to delight diners with its array of fresh seafood and game meat. I visited Wiltons a few weeks ago to try their new Autumn/Winter menu and chat with Chef Daniel Kent about seasonal cooking and catering to discerning palates.

For starters, I chose the London Cure sea trout, which was incredibly fresh and delicious. A dollop of horseradish cream was served tableside, which added a great punch of flavour to the dish. My lunch companion opted for the steak tartare, which we both agreed was the best we had ever had! “We still use beef fillet,” said Chef Kent. “Many other places use the wrong piece of beef. We ensure that ours is from the best cut and is well-seasoned and balanced.”

Roast Grouse is one of the classic British dishes on the menu at Wiltons

For our mains, we decided to go classic Wiltons and ordered the roast grouse and Dover sole à la meunière. The roast grouse was perfectly pink with crisp skin and the grouse liver made into a paté on the side. This was expertly paired for us with a Télégramme 2015, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe from the family-run Brunier estate in the Rhône Valley. The gamey flavour of the grouse really shone through and Kent told us that the grouse season may be even shorter this year due to weather conditions that washed away many of the eggs.

The Dover sole arrived next and was filleted for us tableside by Tomasso, who runs both the Dover sole and oyster masterclasses at Wiltons. The Dover sole is still the most popular dish on the menu, says Kent. He has tried to highlight other high-end fish dishes, but he says his customers still come time and again and ask for the famous Wiltons Dover sole. Wiltons serves their Dover sole grilled, in goujons, or à la meunière. Our à la meunière version had the most beautiful sauce made out of lemon juice, brown butter, and parsley.

We initially did not think we had room for dessert, but were quickly tempted by the cherry soufflé with pistachio ice cream, which was heavenly. The warm and airy soufflé was topped with a rich cherry compote and was cooled down by the creamy pistachio ice cream.

The dessert menu includes a heavenly Cherry soufflé with pistachio ice cream

Despite being London’s second-oldest restaurant, Wiltons has found the perfect balance by staying true to its roots and ensuring its menu is current and constantly evolving and seasonal. Wiltons’ sister restaurant Franco’s has also welcomed change and has just undergone an extensive re-design in celebration of its 75th anniversary.

The team from Cheah Rothe, who has worked with Claridge’s, The Connaught, and The Bulgari Hotel, has introduced grey woods, botanical-inspired wallpapers, and floor-to-ceiling windows to bring a contemporary feel to the London institution.

“Over the many years that we have called Jermyn Street home, we have amassed the most wonderful group of loyal diners and guests. Whilst the essence of our restaurant remains very much the same, we are excited that this presents a new chapter for Franco’s and hope to welcome new faces and friends as we approach our 75th year,” says Director Jason Phillips.