After closing some of his most beloved eateries (adieu, Social Eating House), and announcing a slew of brand new ones, laureled chef Jason Atherton is launching into his brave new era with the opening of Sael.
And let’s just say, we’re sold.
The name (pronounced ‘sale’ in your best Old English accent) means season, and neatly sums up Atherton’s vision for this glamorous new brasserie: four menus throughout the year, changing to reflect the seasons and the best of British produce.
The restaurant itself is, frankly, gorgeous. Sael sits in the former Aquavit space in St James’s Market, a secluded walkway that feels miles away from the buzz of Haymarket and Piccadilly either side. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap around the double-height space, and serve less to pour light into the space, than to pour the warmth of candlelight, brass and shimmering marble onto the austere streets outside. There are expansive sage-green banquettes for large groups and intimate booths for two or three; stools pulled up to a central bar, where bottles stand stacked in front of dry-ageing cabinets; and tucked away at the back is a high table looking onto the open kitchen. It’s buzzy, relaxed and full of warmth – the kind of place you could come both for a breezy business lunch, or, when the lights are turned down low, a dinner date ending with bread & butter pudding soft serve.
Visiting in autumn, the menu is awash with figs, tomatoes, beetroot and fresh oysters – but we hope for everyone’s sake that the laminated brioche never goes off the menu. It’s an unbelievable opening salvo to a menu that’s wall-to-wall hits; a fist-sized pastry whose crisp outer layers, ruffled like pleated chiffon, give way to a soft, cloud-like interior. The whipped roasted onion butter on the side is an almost unholy addition.
In fact, we’d recommend going heavy on the snacks so you can enjoy the most variety: there are marmite custard tarts, whose fragile casing and crème brûlée shell give way to an unexpected umami sucker punch; baked oysters humming with XO sauce under a shower of crisped-up sourdough; shimmering wedges of Cornish mackerel with piquant jalapeño and BBQ pineapple; and a flatbread laden with lamb kebab.
Atherton and his team have a remarkable talent for creating what is, essentially, some of the best comfort food you will ever eat. There are smoked, peeled potatoes swimming in an almost frothy Lincolnshire poacher sauce, dusted with seaweed. There are wood-fired, port-roasted figs with oozy stracciatella. Hours go into the prep of some of these dishes: Sael’s signature, the 100 layer lasagna, is made with snails, wagyu ox cheek and ‘proper red Italian sauce’; compressed with weights overnight; and served up the following day, fried on both sides, for a dish that is a real one-of-a-kind. Then there’s the mighty slabs of meat and fish, scorched over the open fire and served up in 200-300g cuts. Couple them with sides like the exemplary Koffman fries, smoked swede or the outrageously smooth chicken fat mash with gravy, and you won’t need to eat for a week.
If you can, though, give some attention to the desserts – because the kitchen certainly has. The Roly Poly is a half-sponge, half-brioche creation wrapped around seasonal jam and baked in a cast iron pot under a seal of caramelised smoked butter. And that bread & butter pudding soft serve proves that sustainable menus don’t have to be virtuous: the team take the day’s unused sourdough and bake a pudding last thing at night. In the morning, it’s transformed into silky ice cream, then topped with whisky-soaked raisins and a dusting of dried croissant as it arrives at your table.
Going with all this – and Sael’s upbeat, Britpop soundtrack – is an easy-to-navigate wine list, with lots available by the glass, lots that’s affordable, and even a couple of bottles that are made just a few miles away at London Cru (as well as sake and shochu, which have travelled considerably further to get here). And in a tongue-in-cheek Brexit reference, you can even order wine by the pint.
If the night is still young – and even if it isn’t – head upstairs in the Elton John elevator to Apples & Pears, a stunning cocktail snug that stays open till 1am. Here, cosseted in deep damson velvet, you’ll be able to indulge in signature cocktails that mesh neatly with the restaurant’s sustainable ambitions and experimental curiosity: try the Fig & Mushroom, a twist on a classic Manhattan with white chocolate, fig-leaf infused vermouth, and a fat-washed bourbon made with the buttery juices of sautéed shiitake mushrooms. It has such an impressively intense flavour, you’ll have to try it for yourself…
…or you won’t Adam & Eve it.
NOTE: Sael is open Monday – Saturday for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a three-course pre-theatre prix fixe for £29. You can make a booking on the Sael website, or just walk in for a drink at Apples & Pears.
Sael | 1 St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4AH
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