8.1
Great
Restaurants

Hattie Lloyd 28/09/21


Pivot

‘Pivot’ was the restaurant buzzword of 2020, as dine-in spots countered lockdowns with takeaways and deliveries.

And now, it’s the buzzword of 2021, too.

Because it’s the debut London restaurant from Mark Greenaway, the award-winning Scottish chef whose acclaimed Edinburgh eatery is centred around celebrating seasonal produce.

You’ll find it at 3 Henrietta Street, an elegant 18th century townhouse that contains a family of dining options – bakery & brunch spot Lilly’s (from former Claridges pastry chef Kimberly Lin); The Gentlemen Baristas coffee house; subterranean tiki den El Ta’koy; and Pivot on the first floor, with high ceilings and bright Victorian windows boasting a rare, direct view over Covent Garden’s piazza.  But despite its positioning, the best seats in this house are up at the intimate chef’s table, where you’ll be able able to watch Mark and his team assemble his culinary creations…

Which brings us to the food: a modern British menu curated into a four course (£65), or a six course (£85), tasting menu that changes completely each month according to the seasons. But while the genre here is very much fine dining, there’s a clear sense of fun in the menu (with the signature opening course for each menu being ‘Mushrooms On Toast’: wild shiitake mushrooms served on the log they’re growing on… ). You’ll be presented with an array of tools you can use to detach said mushrooms, as well as whipped truffle butter, a vibrant parsley emulsion, and toasted sourdough.

The rest of the menu will depend entirely on seasonality, which at launch resembled a jaunt through Greenaway’s favourite dishes from his childhood, each given the elevated haute-cuisine treatment. Amongst the courses there were quail kiev bonbons with garlic butter; a haggis-stuffed Roscoff onion served on creamy potato mousse; an upgraded Sunday roast with hay-aged Aberdeen Angus beef fillet, confit potato and fluffy Yorkshires; and, to top everything off, an ice cream sandwich combining candied violets, caramelised waffle, bramble ice cream and Rice Krispies.

Just to keep things snappy.

 

NOTE: Pivot is open Monday-Sunday, 8am-1pm. You can find out more, and book a table, HERE.

Pivot | 3 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8LU


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Pivot


3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8LU

8.1 | Great