A bit of Hush
The trend for opening dining complexes with several food and beverage areas hit London's Mayfair at the tail end of last year, with the launch of Hush. Located in a courtyard just off Brook Street, the establishment comprises a brasserie, bar and fine-dining restaurant and is the brainchild of Geoffrey Moore (son of actor Roger Moore) and entrepreneur Jamie Barber.
Minimalist in style, with discreet neutral tones and wooden flooring, Hush Up, as the 50-seat fine-dining eaterie is coyly termed, clearly aims to attract diners with money to spend. And with Moore and Barber's entertainment connections (ex-lawyer Barber specialised in media clients and has also worked with George Michael as a song-writer), it's no surprise to find a sprinkling of celebrities dining in the 40-covers-a-night restaurant.
The à la carte menu from which they choose their meals is the creation of head chef Simon Barnett (formerly of Harvey Nichol's Fifth Floor and Foundation restaurants, London) who heads a kitchen brigade of three in the Hush Up kitchen. Barnett, who is also responsible for the three-strong team operating in a separate kitchen for the brasserie, Hush Ground, offers his customers a choice of five or six dishes at each level.
His cuisine, he concedes, could be termed "modern European", but Barnett prefers to refer to his food as, simply, "good, wholesome grub". A typical example of his cooking on the opening menu is a popular starter of leek and truffle tarte fines (£7.50). This sits alongside another starter using a classic luxury ingredient, foie gras parfait served with cornichon (baby gherkins) and brioche (£9).
Although Barnett has yet to bring in a full change of his menu (he anticipates six-weekly changes once Hush Up has bedded down), the foie gras starter is an example of a dish he has tweaked - it started life as foie gras and celeriac with a Puy lentil dressing. "We already have a lot of regulars and I've got to keep them pleased and interested," he says.
Another starter that has been replaced is a dish of native oysters served with a shallot vinegar and spicy lamb merguez sausages. In its place is Barnett's one concession to non-European cuisine - a dish of salmon cake served with crème fraîche and chilli sauce (£8). "It's just pure salmon, nothing else in the fishcake," he stresses.
Selling well among the main-course offerings is another foie gras concoction, the classic tournedos Rossini (£20), while apple crumble accompanied by crème fraîche ice-cream and an apple biscuit branch (£6.50), and chocolate fondant with white chocolate ice-cream (£6.50), top the charts among the desserts.
Evidently, customers tend to stick to well-loved dishes and ingredients. But while their palates may be a touch on the conservative side, their spending certainly isn't: average spend per head is currently running at about £70. But then, Hush is in Mayfair.
Hush Up, 8 Lancashire Court, Brook Street, London W1Y 9AD. Tel: 0207 659 1500
Open: Mon-Sat, 12pm-3pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm
