As we mentioned before when the news first circulated of a new restaurant at the Liberty department store, there has always been slightly a missed opportunty in not having a destination restaurant in such an iconic and beautiful building as compated to, say, Harvery Nichols or Harrods. There was Café Liberty and then Arthur’s but they were more in the style of a provincial department store’s offering of afternoon tea than somewhere which captured the genuinely unique nature of Liberty.
Because Liberty is and should always be a store unlike any other. From the arts and crafts edifice that verges on the gothic, to it’s unique fabric prints, the store has ploughed its own utterly creative furrow.
Which I think also meant that there was no way a cookie-cutter exiled-oligarch friendly steak restaurant could not and never should be parachuted in here in a way that perhaps some other stores have been too tempted to do. And they have done perhaps the polar opposite. The restaurant is quite exquisitely beautiful and a showcase for Liberty’s fabrics, with a well chosen selection of off-red and pink floral prints and vintage velvet across the banquettes and with even the side of the bar upholstered.
Brass rails and green panneling – which fits perfectly with the upholstery then drift upwards to a 1964 Liberty design from the archives which depicts Persian gardens and is surrounded to chinoiserie motifs. They have created a beautiful, relaxing space which simply could not be taken as anything other than Liberty. Wonderful.
Then the food itself. The menu is calm and confident, and is the product of a collaboration with well known high end catering specialists Goose + Berry. My wife, daughter and I went for lunch, and it was good to see quite a traditional menu structure for once: nibbles, starters, mains, sides and puddings. Not labelled as such, but clearly identifiable and while capable of being shared they lent themselves to a relaxed traditional lunch.
Albeit the food was far from lazily traditional. From the nibbles the Tunworth and caramelised oniion tartlet with pickled shallot was a delicious mouthful of perfection and the pastry thin and crisp as it should be. Then focaccia with sea salt and.. whipped marmite butter. Good grief this was fantastic, and I don’t even like marmite! We ordered another round of both…
From the starters another one of my pet dislikes (beetroot) was turned on it’s head with a stunning dish of beetroot (of several types), chard, crème fraiche, walnuts and dill. The pickled beetroot together with the dill and crème fraiche was a revelation. Less so perhaps the sea bass crudo which itself was excellent, as was the cucumber and lemon soup on which it sat, but the almonds just did not work texturally and added nothing to the dish.
The main courses were back on firm ground, and has that reassurance that comes from every dish being one you would happily order. After a satisfying ponder I had the hake in leek and mussel sauce (a bit of classic, and it certainly was) while my wife and daughter shared beef sirloin, which came sliced in the most glorious sticky thyme and beef sauce. They liked it. A lot. And I liked, also a lot, the smoked potato puree with crispy shallots. Maybe its in the Irish bit of my blood, but I do love well executed potato dishes and this was gooey and creamy and unctuous and absolutely amazing. I ordered a second portion while trying to ignore my wife’s raised eyebrow. Try it. You’ll see what I mean.
Chef Joe Holness
Puddings were as puddings are, and perhaps the most traditional part of the menu. Never one to knowingly turn down a Bakewell tart I soldiered through this plate of cherry and almond deliciousness while my daughter devoured a strawberry and vanilla cheesecake. And smiled.
There are also other menus – afternoon tea, with treats such as wild mushroom and truffle vol-au-vent and lemon tart with Italian meringue and lime, and there is brunch with Burford Brown scrambled eggs on toasted brioche with summer truffle and sautéed wild mushrooms topped with fresh herbs.
And I am sure they are very good indeed – they were assembling the afternoon tea as we left and only a “don’t be a pig” comment from my wife stopped me settling in for the afternoon as well. But the lunch and dinner is what has made the difference here – it is proper food in an elegant, friendly room with terribly nice staff. A good wine list, some fun cocktails and – despite having only recently opened – a perceptible buzz of people seeking it out for a date, a long lunch with friends, somewhere to collapse after an exhausting afternoon in the West End.
Why? Because it is very good indeed, that’s why.
Regent Street
London, United Kingdom
W1B 5AH
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday: 10am – 8pm (last food orders 6.45pm)
Brunch: 10am – 11.45am (last orders 11.45am)
All-Day Dining: 12pm – 6.45pm (last orders 6.45pm)
Afternoon Tea: 2pm – 5.30pm (last orders 5.30pm)
Sunday: 12pm – 6pm (last food orders 4.45pm)
No brunch service
All-Day Dining: 12pm – 4.45pm (last orders 4.45pm)
Afternoon Tea: 1pm – 4:30pm (last orders 4.30pm)
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