Villandry St James’s is the second Villandry restaurant in London (another is at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire) and it is certainly the grandest.
Opened at the end of last year, Villandry St James’s occupies a stunning Edwardian baroque building on Waterloo Place, in between Regent Street and Pall Mall. It brings a fresh new spirit to a part of central London that is characterised mostly by old institution restaurants and traditional private members’ clubs.
While the Great Portland Street original is understated and simply furnished, the lofty Villandry St James’s is all about European grand cafe elegance with red leather banquettes, gilted wood panelling and tarnished mirrors.
It’s set across two levels with an airy cafe for all-day dining and a raised restaurant area with more intimate feel. There is also a mezzanine floor with two private dining rooms and a low-key bar.
We visited at the beginning of the week, which is coincidentally Villandry’s popular Lobster Monday. Having already experienced the delighted of Lobster Monday, we ordered from the main menu, even though most of the diners around us were chomping down tasty lobster and chips.
On arrival, we were seated in a delightful circular booth (with real, butter-soft leather seating) close to the high arched window – a great spot with plenty of natural light.
The wine Sommelier was on hand to make recommendations, but we were in the mood for cocktails. As it was a warm day, I ordered a classic Mojito (£8.80), which was refreshing and just sweet enough, packed with lots of muddled fresh mint and lime.
Steven’s Old Fashioned (£8.80) was well-balanced and very strong, clearly made using quality Whisky.
I started with Asparagus & Poached Egg – with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil (£9.50). The tender, fresh asparagus was accompanied by a perfectly-cooked poached egg with cracked black pepper and long shavings of high-quality Parmesan, drizzled with a dash of earthy truffle oil and sweet Balsamic vinegar. It’s the ideal dish to order if you fancy something light and pleasing without filling up before the main course.
Steven’s White Crab Salad (£9.20) was without a doubt the star dish. Cool, flaky white crab meat was packed together and topped with chunks of avocado. It was served with crispbread, avocado puree, a lightly dressed salad and lemon juice. It was generously-sized and deliciously fresh and summery – a perfect choice for the warmer weather.
To follow, I went for an irresistible French classic – Confit de Canard with braised red cabbage (£14.50). The duck was really delicious, with tender, well-seasoned meat that just fell away from the bone and an almost perfect crispy, golden skin topped with fresh herbs.
I loved the slow-cooked, tangy red cabbage with honey-marinated currants and the rich, meaty duck jus.
To accompany the plentiful confit duck with a side of the most fantastic Crushed Potatoes (£4.50). Flavoursome potatoes were mixed with copious amounts of butter and olive oil and topped with fresh herbs. The extremely moreish, generously-sized crushed potato elevated the duck confit to an even more comforting dish – simply food heaven on a plate.
Steven tried the Saffron Chicken Supreme with peperonata (£18.50). The succulent, juicy chicken breast was well-marinated in fragrant saffron and was served on a bed of sauteed, blackened red peppers with cracked black pepper and mixed herbs. The light, tasty chicken went well with a bowl of Hand-cut Chips (£4), which were thick and well-seasoned, served with a choice of condiments.
For dessert, it had to be the Villandry Pudding Platter (£12), so we could taste a little bit of everything. The array of tempting treats included a mini raspberry macaron, pineapple carpaccio, mini rhum baba with exotic fruits, Stonehenge meringue, chocolate square and mini creme brulee.
All of the desserts were exquisite and perfectly bite-size, but I particularly enjoyed the creamy white chocolate creme brulee and the pineapple carpaccio drizzled in a piquant chili and passionfruit sauce and cooling coconut sorbet.
We finished with two pots of lovely Earl Grey Tea. Petit Fours (£2.50) can be ordered to accompany tea or coffee, if you’re skipping dessert or have a sweet tooth.
Villandry St James’s is a stylish spot to enjoy all-day French classics, sumptuous cakes and light bites. It’s close enough to Regent Street’s shops for a quick and tasty refuel yet relaxing and chic enough to feel like a secret address. I can’t wait to go back and try more of the tempting menu.
Chérie City was a guest of Villandry St James’s
Photos by Chérie City (interiors by Villandry St James’s)
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