from Pub cellar to country house, the chef for all seasons

A few years ago I discovered THE most amazing restaurant in London called Evelyn’s Table. Which I have never reviewed and is not the subject of this article. Why, you may well ask, did I not wax lyrical about it on these pages if it is (which it is) so utterly, wonderfully, divinely amazing? Quite simply, because I am a selfish so and so and with only 10 seats (I think it’s gone up to 12 now) it was nigh on impossible to get a reservation without adding thousands of lawyers into that mix.

Evelyn’s Table can be found at the bottom of a very dodgy staircase in a pub called the Blue Posts on Rupert Street in Soho. You literally take your life in your hands by going down those stairs and in the seconds it takes to descend there is more than enough time to ask what on earth you are doing here. A question that reverberates even more when you reach the entrance to the restaurant and see that the loo is right next to it. Not the most auspicious start.

When you enter the “restaurant”, the shocks keep on coming. It’s TINY. The old beer cellar of the pub itself, there is a bar that separates the room and ten stools are propped on one side with a kitchen, three chefs and a sommelier behind it.

That’s it. The kitchen doesn't look big enough to boil an egg in and the four men look like sardines in a can. But sardines they are not. Artists they are. And this is where the magic came from.

The three chefs were three brothers, Luke, Nathaniel and Theo Selby (and if you think policemen look young, these looked like they were the coppers’ kids); the sommelier, Aiden Monk, another “baby.”

Once all 10 guests arrive (all of us are so close together in this tiny place that conversation and friendship become inevitable) the feast begins; the most sublime tasting menu and wine pairings that are better than anything you will consume anywhere ever. The food is a fusion of European, Filipino (the Selby brothers are half Filipino) with some Japanese flair added (Luke worked in Japan for a while) and the beverages are the most divine natural wines with some yummy sakes thrown in for good measure. Aidan really knows his stuff. I could go on for another 10 pages about the meal but suffice to say I will never forget the venison slider as long as I live (and that was a bonus course, not even a part of the menu!). I went back. Again. And again. As often as I could. Set my alarm for the 1st of every month to be sure to get a seat when bookings opened. The rest of the world seemed to have the same idea - especially after the restaurant - deservedly and unsurprisingly - got a Michelin star within a year of the Selbys being there. Then the bubble burst. With a very loud bang. I saw on Instagram that the Selby Brothers were leaving. It’s fine, I thought. I will follow them wherever….. except, that ‘wherever’ happened to be Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Raymond Blanc knew a good thing (or three) when he saw it and had poached the brothers to his two Michelin Star restaurant near Oxford. My heart broke all over again. Not only was this not somewhere I could pop into once a month but the prices could have meant I would never again taste another Selby masterpiece in this lifetime.

I never went back to Evelyn’s Table. They got another great chef and are now into another iteration. It’s still supposedly amazing but…….. Luke Selby’s cooking is just something else and I did not want to change my perfect memories of the place.

It took me two years to find the time, the reason and the credit card to go to Le Manoir. Paul and I booked to go on a Friday night because 11 months later I would be celebrating a very big birthday - well, that’s a good reason isn’t it?

We decided not to stay at Le Manoir as the room prices were a tad out of our budget (when I say a tad, I mean totally) at around £900 a night. Yes, you did read that correctly. So we found a great little pub (The Fox and Goat in Tiddington) five minutes up the road and stayed there. It was really nice and a fraction of the price which went partially towards assuaging our conscience for what we were about to spend on food and drink.

I was beyond excited. But also a little nervous. I had been to Le Manoir many many years before and, whilst clearly a stunning place, wasn’t exactly the relaxed, chilled, fun, intimate experience I had loved at Evelyn’s - and would the menu be traditionally French without that Selby je ne sais quoi? I had messaged Luke to say we were coming and he had even said himself that the food was very different from Evelyn’s. Were we about to make one very big and expensive mistake?

“The staff were super friendly and informative and welcoming. Attention to detail was meticulous. Try as we did, there was simply nothing to fault and everything to praise.”

We arrived early and had a glass of champagne in the lounge (which itself was about twice the size of Evelyn’s). It felt friendly and relaxed and so I started to relax too.

Then we were shown into the dining room. En route, Luke appeared to greet us and to offer us a glimpse of the kitchen. As we walked in I think my jaw hit the ground. It was HUGE. White. Stainless steel. Clean. With about, I think Luke said, 30 chefs! Talk about polar opposites. Luke seemed so happy (sadly Nathaniel and Theo had the night off) as he talked about how much he was loving working with Raymnd again (Luke had worked at Le Manoir in the past so is very much a Blanc protegee), how he was enjoying being able to grow most of the produce on site and how he was adding that Selby magic to a well established formula.

The kitchen exuded calm and professionalism; which totally echoed Evelyn’s. Luke is no loud, look at me chef. His zen aura takes over any environment.

After our tour, we went to our table for the show to begin. The room itself was beautiful. Not many tables (it was one of three dining rooms) with every table far away from its neighbourts so it felt very private and special. We opted for the Seven Course Dinner which is described as ‘an exceptional seven courses of reinvented Le Manoir classics’ and also chose the wine pairings of which there were various selections; a ‘selection classique’ through to’ selection exceptionnelle’.

The canapes arrived - and disappeared within seconds. Honestly, they were EXQUISITE. Paul said if the bill arrived then and we had to go it would have been worth it just for those canapes.

But what was to follow was equally extraordinary. I was right back in that Selby heaven. The chicken liver parfait was so light it almost floated in. The risotto of wild mushrooms was rich and unctuous and made even more sublime with truffle shaved over it. The raviolo of lobster, which in lesser chef’s hands may have been a bit too much for me, was balanced to perfection with the use of yuzu, lemongrass and ginger. The pork, venison and the Wagyu were mindblowing. We ate for hours. And drank glorious Rieslings, Chardonnays, Champagnes and much more.

Luke came out to see how we were enjoying ourselves and seemed genuinely humbled by our effusive praise. This man has no ego but is just the loveliest human being who clearly does not see just what a superstar he is.

Just when we thought we could not put another morsel into our mouths, desserts came and we were reborn with new appetites. A citrus fruit cleanser paved the way for Le Chocolat (paired with Sauternes) which was the icing on the cake. Or at least we thought it was until the petits fours arrived.

The staff were super friendly and informative and welcoming. Attention to detail was meticulous. Try as we did, there was simply nothing to fault and everything to praise.

In the blink of an eye, the evening was over - but let me tell you we had been there for about five hours. It was GORGEOUS. I can honestly see three stars next year.

Our bill came to around £900 which, truthfully, was not as shocking as I imagined and whilst clearly a lot of money, this is not an everyday place but somewhere very, very special and, hand on heart, was worth every single penny. Raymond Blanc is one very smart man. By bringing the Selby brothers to Le Manoir he has created Le Manoir 2.0, a restaurant for 2025; a lighter version of classic French cuisine, a more green approach which is what consumers want and expect today and an atmosphere that is less formal and more suited to our times. I won’t be visiting as much as I did Evelyn’s (sadly) but I will most definitely be going back. 

Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons Church Rd, Great Milton, Oxford OX44 7PD 01844 278881

https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/ oxfordshire/belmond-le-manoir-aux-quatsaisons/dining

plus it would not be fair not to mention

Evelyn’s Table

Located in The Blue Posts

28 Rupert St, London W1D 6DJ

https://www.theblueposts.co.uk/evelyns-table/