Fera, Claridge's

Fera, the new restaurant at Claridge's, has opened to considerable approval; it was one of only a few London restaurants to make 2015's Michelin star list in its first year of trading. This comes as no great surprise, however, with Simon Rogan at the helm; his Cumbria restaurant L’Enclume was named the best restaurant in Britain by the Good Food Guide, and has two Michelin stars of its own to its name.

Rogan’s new opening in Mayfair takes seasonal ingredients as its focus, most often sourced from Rogan’s farm in the Lake District, and declares itself as serving world-class modern British cuisine. At Fera, Rogan and his team encourage diners to ‘pull up a stool’ and watch the chefs at work in the kitchen, exposed to the dining room itself.

The brightest star in Fera’s firmament looks to be their tasting menu; 6 courses of dishes designed to showcase Fera’s take on British cuisine. The menu throws diners in at the deep end, starting with an intriguing rabbit, Pollack and ‘seaweed Tunworth’ concoction, and then wends its way through salted ox tongue, cod and roe deer before finishing with desserts featuring dandelion and sheep’s yoghurt. Rogan’s grand bouffe weaves between deceptively simple and quietly experimental in a way that is certain to keep the palate guessing.

Fera also boasts an eclectic list of house cocktails. Here, too, the emphasis on seasonal ingredients is in evidence, with offerings including ‘Pea shoots, apple marigold and vermouth’, along with Fera’s take on the Bloody Mary, featuring horseradish and mustard vodka.

For a more casual experience, Fera also have a set lunch menu for £39, which currently features pork shoulder and jowl, as well as an enticing roasted hispi cabbage dish for those of you less carnivorously inclined. However, if you are planning on making a visit, we recommend you get on the phone as soon as possible, as reservations at Fera are hot property.

Since critics have been sceptical about the large price tag, we'd suggest stopping in for their more affordable £30 lunch menu, and soaking up the atmosphere in this new hotspot at Claridge's.