Menuwatch: Barley Mow, Mayfair, London

20 December 2022 by

Ben Tish celebrates the traditional Mayfair club with a solid menu of classic dishes

Chef-director Ben Tish describes the food experience at the Barley Mow, the latest addition to the Cubitt House portfolio, as Anglo-British. "The menu is quite classic, simple, but with lots of technique and execution in the background. Food-wise, it's predominantly British with a smattering of French, and we are bringing back a bit of the classic table service," he says.

There's a nod to brasserie-style dining at the London Mayfair pub, with different sections on the menu including seafood with oysters from Wright Brothers at £4 each, served with either seaweed, cucumber and Manzanilla; shallot mignonette; or fried in breadcrumbs Beau Brummell style; along with steamed cockles for £15 served with parsley butter.

Roasted celeriac, beetroot and lentil cottage pie
Roasted celeriac, beetroot and lentil cottage pie

The carvery is a wonderful piece of theatre, performed at the counter in the middle of the upstairs restaurant, serving daily roasted rare-breed meats (£36) supplied by Walter Rose, with either gratin Dauphinoise, house fries or Westcombe Cheddar Curd aligot, along with seasonal greens and Madeira gravy, with silver service at the table.

Head chef Chris Fordham-Smith, previously of the Great Northern hotel and the Westbury, both in London, has developed the menus alongside Tish, bringing his old-school style to create a ‘clubby feel' without the stuffiness.

"The house terrine en croûte with shallot and beetroot chutney (£15) is one of Chris's dishes and it's one of our best-selling starters. Chris joined us in January, and he's been helping on other projects in the group until now. He's a very strong chef, with a clear vision at the Barley Mow and he gets things done," says Tish.

Crab rarebit
Crab rarebit

The puddings menu includes the extravagant and theatrical, such as the baked Alaska for two, doused with a jug of booze and lit at the table (£20) and crêpes Suzette (£12). The cheeses are all supplied by Neal's Yard Dairy and are displayed in a glass cabinet with a selection of 15, with three for £16 or five for £23. Guests are escorted to the cabinet where a plate of cheese is prepared alongside a choice of condiments, all presented in antique silver bowls and platters.

Downstairs in the bar, which still looks like an old boozer (albeit a posh one) the food offering includes a native breed beef pie and mash, with parsley sauce (£23) – one of the biggest sellers – and a hot meat bun with various meats and pickles, served with gravy (£13).

Ben Tish
Ben Tish

Tish has been chef-director of Cubitt House for just over a year. It is a collection of nine pubs, restaurants and boutique hotels throughout London. Cubitt House is privately owned and operated by Georgie and Sam Pearman and the portfolio includes the Grazing Goat in Marylebone, the Builders Arms in Chelsea, the Alfred Tennyson in Knightsbridge, the Orange in Pimlico, the Coach Makers in Marylebone, the Princess Royal in Notting Hill, the Beau Brummell in Piccadilly and the Thomas Cubitt in Belgravia.

He says he gives ownership of the menu to all the chefs in the group: "They all know micro cress and herbs don't work for me, and what I like and don't like. We always make sure there is a balance of protein on the menu, and there is mostly always a burger. The best part of my job is coaching the chefs, and I go to all the tastings where we work together to tweak the dishes and menus."

Roast beef
Roast beef

The interiors have been designed by Pearman, who wanted to maintain a pub-like feel, with design touches such as wooden panelling and antiques, complemented by velvet-covered banquettes. The ground floor retains the original back bar from the 1800s, with the addition of a striking, earthy brown marble bar top.

Lara Rogers is general manager, having previously worked at the nearby Guinea Grill alongside her father, Oisín Rogers, and classically trained restaurant manager Michael McGivern, previously with Corbin & King at Brasserie Zédel and the Colony Grill at the Beaumont, has come from the Princess Royal.

From the menu

  • Whipped smoked cod's roe, chicory and walnuts £8
  • Haggis Scotch egg, whisky mayonnaise £10
  • Sausage roll, homemade brown sauce £8
  • Roasted celeriac, beetroot and lentil cottage pie £19
  • Baked squash, spelt, sage and Ticklemore salad £13
  • Soused mackerel, fennel, cucumber and crème fraîche £12
  • Wild sea bass, pumpkin, chanterelles, brown butter £42
  • Free-range chicken (½ or whole), sage and truffle butter £25/£45
  • Cambridge burnt cream £10
  • Poire belle Hélène £10
  • Sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel sauce, Ivy House clotted cream £10

82 Duke Street, London W1K 6JG www.barleymowmayfair.co.uk

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