Apsleys

Great Italian restaurant!
The price is a bit high, but for a special dinner, it’s worth it.
The ambience is great, the service is great, the food is excellent.

Although no place can compete with the view of La Pergola in Rome, the kitchen magic of Heinz Beck is very effective in London. The tasting menu was stellar. Everything was great but especially memorable was the scallop, the fagolini carbonata, sea bass, and lamb shoulder. They were great about subbing something for foie gras, which I don’t like.
I’m normally not a big fan of game but the pheasant breast in rye toast was amazing. No doubt it helped that the kitchen did all the work and I didn’t have to conduct a biology experiment that is typical with eating a game bird. (During a tasting menu in the US, I recently sent back a quail as under done and too much work.)
Overall, all the courses were delicious! The wine pairings were perfect and closer to full glasses, if not even larger, than «tastes.» Enrico, formerly of La Pergola in Rome, did a magnificent job.
The space is beautiful and reminded me of Daniel in NYC. My service was impeccable. Perfectly timed. Not rushed but not left waiting. This may have been helped by the next wine pairing arriving immediately at the end of each course but it worked perfectly. I was never left with an empty wine glass.
Aside from the view, the food and service are comparable to La Pergola in Rome but less expensive. Hurry up and eat here before they get another Michelin star and prices go up! I highly recommend eating here.

A big thank you to my friend Hilary who treated me to a slap up pre-​birthday dinner here at Apsleys. Knowing that I’m a bit of a foodie, she was pleased and I was impressed that she came up with a Michelin starred restaurant, which wasn’t on my radar
The brainchild of Heinz Beck, who runs the 3 Michelin starred La Pergola in Rome, Apsleys is based in the Lanesborough Hotel. Obviously a classy establishment, the Lanesborough has a home away from home feel in the lobby with tables replacing the check in counter and china vases everywhere
The dining room is stunning and Venetian inspired with a high glass roof, 3 huge chandeliers and plush seating. The Italian waiting staff were however very friendly and Hilary and I appreciated the professionally casual and non-​overbearing feel to the service
A generous tray of different breads was served with an extra virgin olive oil and sea salt to dip them in. Our favourite was the poppy seed bread. Onto the tasting menu
1. Amuse bouche
We heard it as quail egg but was in fact a quail leg, which was served as a lollipop and fried in thin batter. Served hot, it was a great single bite to start the meal on the right note
2. Tuna & veal
Wow! Our favourite dish of the evening. Seared loin of tuna with veal jelly containing sharp accents within it and tuna snow. What may have seemed initially like strange bedfellows were perfect companions. Clean flavours
3. Scallops, liquorice, smoked potatoes purée, fennel and pink grapefruit
The scallop was big and juicy with a perfect sear on the outside but the accompaniments were a little too similar for me. Would have appreciated maybe another flavour like citrus in there or perhaps a different texture
4. Fagottelli carbonara
One of Chef Beck’s signature dishes, the fagottelli are llittle pillows of thin pasta encasing a molten mix of carbonara flavours. Wonderfully intense flavours and the word pillow is apt as they’re so light
5. Wild seabass in fine herbs crust with sweet red pepper and «S.Marzano»
The star of this dish was in fact the sweet red pepper and S. Marzano tomato sauce — you could almost taste the sunshine stored up in those vegetables
6. Wild mushroom infusion with balsamic roasted goose foie gras
OK, with me and foie gras, you can’t really go wrong, except for serving me too little foie gras! They didn’t make that mistake here with a large slab of seared foie gras in a broth of fresh wild mushrooms.
7. Organic «Rhug» saddle of lamb with Mediterranean flavours
Nice tender sous vide lamb was the star of the plate
8. Milk chocolate, coconut and pineapple sorbets
An OK dessert, most of which was repeated on a special happy birthday plate from the kitchen
We had some nice petit fours to finish off the meal. A good start to the birthday celebration season

Summary: Beautiful interior, great food, decent lunch prix fixe.
Came by myself on a Fri. for a late lunch. Tried the 2 course set lunch menu (£25 for 2 courses, £35 for 3 courses). Ordered sea bass and cod. Both were tasty. Also came with an amuse bouche and a few candies afterwards.
Interior was beautiful and calm, service was very good.
Would certainly come back for the set lunch menu, and maybe for the regular menu.

Another amazing st. Regis property. The afternoon tea is very traditional and the best part about this place is that they have their own blend called the Rose Orient, i believe and it phenomenal. You can purchase some if they have any, but they didn’t for us!

Apsleys is a Michelin Star restaurant situated in the beautiful Lanesborough Hotel right on Hyde Park Corner. Looking for something a little special for the Boyf’s birthday, we found an offer for three courses plus a glass of franciacorta for £45 per head here and decided to snap it up.
It was freezing cold when we arrived but the blazing fires as you walk in to the hotel warms the soul, as well as the body. The Maitre d’ was really friendly when she greeted us, took our coats and got us seated in the restaurant.
The room itself is absolutely stunning. It’s almost a giant conservatory, with incredibly tall glass ceilings, but it still manages to be warm and welcoming despite the size. The furnishings are smart and sophisticated, the music and lighting at the perfect level. On the whole, the ambiance was superb.
We were presented with our glass of fizz and both the set menu and the al la carte (just in case we wanted to change our minds!). It was great to peruse the full menu but we decided to stick with the original plan and go for the three courses. The choice wasn’t huge but there were things that we both fancied.
The wine menu is huge and unfortunately there is nothing below £45 — it would be nicer to have a greater range of wines at the lower end as I would say 95% were over the £100 mark and I’ll be the first to admit that, although I like and appreciate a good bottle of wine, I lack the knowledge and experience to justify spending this much of my hard earned cash on plonk.
We took a bit of advise from the sommelier and went for a bottle from a previously unheard of region of Italy.
We werepresented with a dish of the finest Italian olive oil. It shone green like emeralds and had the most beautiful flavour. It was actually the lasting memory from the whole meal. The bread basket had a good selection and it came around twice which is always a good thing!
The amuse bouche came next — a cheese and beetroot morsel that was tasty, but overpowered by the beetroot.
For starter I chose sea bass tartare in crispy bread with watermelon. Unfortunately, along with the watermelon was celery — the devils food. If you are going to sneak this abomination into a dish, at least make sure it’s subtle and not the overpowering flavour, especially when you have missed this key information from the menu. The dish was fresh but slightly ruined by this addition. My boyfriend had the tortellini which was cooked to perfection, but lacked a distinctive flavour.
For main course I had the lamb — it looked like it was beautifully cooked, being very pink, but unfortunately it was a little tough. It was served with courgette but again there was another flavour that was over powering but I couldn’t quite place. The other half had fish which again had celery in it — what happened here? Did they have a glut of celery that needed using up??!
A pre-​dessert arrived next. A lime cheesecake that was delicious. Likewise, the dessert of mango mouse with passion fruit coulis was divine. They definitely excel at pudding here.
The service was good and attentive. My only gripe being that twice they removed our plates while one of us was still chewing our last mouthful. They even asked if I wanted tea or coffee while I still had pudding in my mouth and my plate was being whipped away. Give me a second to digest my food first!
Even though we decided to give coffee a miss, they did bring a selection of petite fours which was a nice touch. I love these extra courses and I wasn’t really expecting them with the set menu.
Although the food was good here, I do think that when you dine at a Michelin star restaurant, there should be some wow factor with regards to the food. Apart from the desserts and the olive oil it certainly didn’t do this. That said, I would return and perhaps try eating from the al la carte menu, for the beautiful surroundings if nothing else.

As a Michelin starred restaurant, I think i expected more than we experienced. Perhaps my mistake was venturing into the 7 course tasting menu on the day after Christmas when clearly the staff had been taxed to the breaking point the day prior. However, a place with this reputation should not be tired– those stars don’t come easily. Many of the courses were quite good — the pasta in particular. The meal fell apart with the fish and meat dish, a suckling pig that was overcooked and a tad tough; while the sauce was quite flavorful, the meat had the dry texture of one that perhaps re-​heated rather than freshly prepared. And if it was freshly prepared, then I think the maitre d was correct with his thought that it doesn’t take much to cook it too long. My partner had the vegetarian tasting menu which was quite good and exceptional in presentation and taste. All in all, a good meal with some spotty service. One pet peeve though… I hate when hotel restaurants set up for breakfast service when diners are still enjoying dinner– and that happened for the last 3 courses which I never understand. If we return, I’d have the salads and the pasta but am not anxious to try the meat or fish dishes. If you are a vegetarian this is a great option but pricey for the tasting menu– £130 whether you have the fish/​meat it is all the same price. Lastly, the wine steward seemed concerned we were having the wine pairing suggested with the tasting menu. He was surely being nice by suggesting we get two bottles rather than 7 different wines but we thought someone put time into the tasting menu so we should stick with that. Glad we tried it and I am sure regulars have a very different experience.

Outrageously good, and the best food we had on a week’s trip to London dedicated to eating.

i had dinner at Apsleys with my wife and a friend last night. I travel extensively, so one of my joys of traveling is dining out. I chose Apsleys for the following reasons: 1. considered one of the best restaurants in London; 2. interior looks amazing; 3. I love Italian food; 4. Michelin Star restaurant.
My wife and I arrived early, and decided to take an apéritif in the Library Bar and waited for our friend. After our drinks we walked over to the dining room. 3 of us were walked to our table. We received a warm welcome. The tables are chairs are beautiful. I highly enjoy the silk-​cotton table cloth. First problem we encountered, minor but very simple oversight is a missing serviette. The table had three plate settings, but my plate was missing its serviette. The matre’d and wait staff didn’t notice, even though they personally handed the other two diners a serviette. Such a simple and obvious oversight but the staff didn’t notice. Oddly, the matre’d took our order and I mentioned to him my missing serviette. After 10 minutes I asked our waiter. Second problem, someone turn brighter the light above our table. My companion asked the floor manager to dim the light. After 10 – 15 minutes we asked the floor manger, again. We were joking with him about ruining the atmosphere since it was so bright. Yes, minor things, but when you are paying £30-£40 for an entrée and dining at a Michelin restaurant you should expect more.
We were given a nice amuse-​bouch of crab meat, shortbread, & dill. Amuse-​bouch was light and clean. A nice teaser to start the experience. Not deep or rich in flavors, but enough to tease. I’ll only provide what I ordered and why.
1. Foie gras terrine with cherries.
Why: I love foie gras. (I prefer pan sear foie gras, but terrine is a nice change)
Comment: Very nice and beautiful rich flavours. Good balance between the cherry and foie gras.
2. Foie gras in sweet corn soup.
Why: I love foie gras and wanted something light to balance out the secondi.
Comment: very balance and broth not as sweet as I expected. The sweet corn didn’t over power the other ingredients. The flavours of foie gras and sweet corn is brilliant.
3. «Segovia» suckling pig.
Why: try something different
Comment: disappointed in the dish. Pork meat lacked a rich flavour I would expect from ‘suckling pig’. The dish was adequate, but not memorable. After eating the slice i felt something was missing from the dish. I would have trouble dishtinguishing this dish from a upscale neighborhood restaurant. Too bad.
No deserts since we were tired and it was late.
1 bottle wine (Sicilian but I forget grape and vineyard)
Total cost £420.34
Overall: restaurant’s interior is amazing. The food is good but not memorable. The most disappointing point of the experience is the service. Service is adequate, but should be better. I believe ‘Michelin Star Service’ is when the wait staff knows what you want before you know. I had enjoyable experience but nothing special. I would not return unless I was in the area and low on options for fine dining.

The service was flawless — very attentive.
Sadly, I found the pasta mediocre — way too much pesto and a little undercooked. Apart from the wine and dessert, which was absolutely delicious, I think this place would better suited for afternoon tea.

Je vois que j’ai l’honneur d’être la première à écrire un avis sur le Lanesborough en français ! Cet hiver nous nous sommes fait une petite escapade à Londres avec une amie. Depuis longtemps nous rêvions de prendre un afternoon tea dans un palace de la capitale (on pensait plutôt au Ritz mais celui là je le reserve à ma maman) et c’est sur le Lanesborough Hotel que notre choix s’est porté.
On nous a recommandé de réserver avant, ce que nous avons fait. Et après de multiples péripéties nous arrivons enfin devant la sobre, mais très jolie façade. Selon un gentil vigile de Harrod’s qui nous a indiqué le chemin, c’est dans ce palace que s’arrêtait le défunt Michael Jackson quand il séjournait à Londres. A l’intérieur c’est splendide, en passant j’ai pu voir qu’ils préparaient joliment une salle pour le nouvel an.
Le personnel a été très agréable et souriant. On nous a pris nos manteaux et amené à une table. Rapidement pris notre commande. N’étant pas amatrices de thé (oui je sais, ça peut paraitre étrange pour des personnes qui aiment les tea times et afternoon teas) nous avons demandé à ce qu’il soit remplacé par du chocolat chaud. Aucun problème.
Notre chocolat arrive, le serveur nous sert spontanément. Arrivent ensuite deux verrines, puis les mini sandwiches et pâtisseries qui nous sont présentées par le serveur. Tous ont une touché d’originalité et c’était très bon. Nous avons eu le droit à de petits sandwiches au saumon, au concombre, un délicieux sandwich dinde-​salade-​confiture, une mini brioche avec des oeufs brouillés, des cakes enrobés de chocolat noir ou blanc puis un dernier étage de pâtisseries assez sophistiquées (j’ai moins aimé certaines choses, comme une tartelette avec du roquefort ou une pâtisserie qui avait pas mal de canelle, mais c’est plus une question de goûts qu’une remise en cause de leur cuisine).
Plusieurs fois le serveur est venu nous resservir en chocolat. Arrivées au deuxième plateau nous sentons que ce sera dur de tout finir, il va falloir faire des choix. Nous décidons de laisser à contre coeur les pâtisseries qui nous disent le moins. Arrivent ensuite les scones et muffins, accompagnés de clotted cream, de confiture Même si je né peux plus rien avaler, gourmandise oblige, j’opte pour un scone normal (comprendre sans raisins). je né peux pas quitter Londres sans en avoir mangé au moins un ! ;)
Arrive l’addition, nous avons eu une petite surprise, les prix que nous avions vu sur internet né comprenaient pas le service et nous avons payé plus que ce que nous avions prévu. Je crois que nous en avons eu pour 83EUR à deux.
Petit passage aux toilettes avant de partir, j’ai adoré le fait qu’on utilise des serviettes en tissu individuelles pour s’essuyer les mains, qu’on jette ensuite dans une corbeille à cet effet. Ça change des sèches-​mains bruyants ou des serviettes en papier !
On passé au vestiaire, ce sont deux bonhommes sympathiques qui nous rendent nos affaires.
En somme c’était très bon, personnellement je n’ai pas eu besoin de diner ce soir là, le personnel est aimable, souriant et aux petits soins pour vous, le décor est très beau J’ai mis moins de 10 minutes à m’habituer à tout cela et je suis ressortie avec une furieuse envie de devenir riche pour pouvoir me permettre ce genre de plaisirs plus souvent !

Apsleys at The Lanesborough is my very favourite place for enjoying a decadent and totally delicious afternoon tea. Located in the beautiful Lanesborough Hotel, opposite Hyde Park, you can at least walk off those calories afterwards!
Both experiences of afternoon tea here have surpassed my expectations and afternoon tea is my absolute favourite thing to take part in, so for me to rate it as my No.1 place has to be saying something.
The food was exquisite, the staff were adorable and the tea sommelier was mind-​bogglingly awesome. The pianist remembered us from a previous occasion (nice touch) and even remembered which song I had requested! Afternoon tea was plentiful copious amounts of food being replenished at timely intervals, yet the waiting staff were attentive yet not in-​your-​face.
A wonderful place: I celebrated my 40^th birthday here and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend anyone to go here for ANY occasion! In intend to visit again very soon, to celebrate the end of my year-​long medical treatment I truly cannot think of anywhere else I’d rather visit in the world for afternoon tea.

This is a beautiful Italian 1 Michelin star restaurant, situated in the Lanesborough Hotel.
Food is AMAZING here, I did not think Italian food could be so good!
Wine list extensive too.
Lots of bread offered with the most amazing oil and balsamic vinegar. The amuse bouche & pre dessert treat were a bonus too.
Service was a bit slow, but very friendly.
I definitely recommend this place, if you fancy fabulous Italian food and either have a fat wallet or a generous eating partner!

I can not rave about this place enough. I might need to let out a little squeal before I get started with my review… hold on… YEEEEPPP!
Alright, now that I have that out of my system, this place might be one of my favorite restaurants ever. The food is TO DIE FOR and the service is flawless. I wish I could eat here everyday! I was here for breakfast and dinner and both were nothing short of perfection. If you go to one place while you are in London, you must go here!

Apsleys came up on my list of restaurants when I visited London a few times, but never quite get to it … last saturday, I finally got a chance to taste what Apsleys has to offer, and guess what ?
WOW is the word. Trully trully extraordinary culinary experience.
I am not talking about your normal average restaurant that tastes good … this place is a new michellin stared restaurant in 2010 list. What I can say is that it’s worth more than 1 star … I am comparing the food served with «Gordon Ramsays at Royal hospital road» here …
Food is all italian with a twist.
I am planning my next visit there already … can’t wait.

Striking décor — before dining at Apsleys, I had read about a $ 2m refurbishment to the dining room and upon entering the restaurant, was far from disappointed by the ornate interior. But despite the elegant surroundings, Apsleys still feels like and is a hotel restaurant; this may not be a bad thing to many people, but to the extent that you prefer not the dine amongst out-​of-​towners, or when finishing your meal, to walk right into the lobby of the St. Regis — this may not be the place for you.
The food was excellent and the kitchen generous (amuse-​bouches, pre-​dessert, and petit fours all included with the a la carte menu). Langoustine Carpaccio was flavorful; a Tomato Consumee light and aromatic; Spaghetti with Lobster and Almonds perfectly fresh and rich. Dessert was a highlight: the «Milk» sampler contained five or six different items, each of which whimsically focused on the main ingredient in very different ways.
Service, sadly, was lacking at times. It look repeated looks and gestures to ask for the bill; our orders of tea and coffee were delayed until we had finished our dessert; the wine service was slow and not particularly helpful. That said, despite these bloppers, I found my experience on the whole quite good. I would come back — and look forward to comparing Apsleys to other Michelin * Italian Restaurants in London.

Many years ago, I had a lovely afternoon tea at The Savoy for my birthday (although I have no idea what it’s like now), and 2 years ago I enjoyed the Fashionista afternoon tea at The Berkeley with some girlfriends (with colourful cakes shaped like handbags and shoes, how could it not be superb?). The afternoon tea at Claridges — complete with art deco finery, live tickling of the ivories on the grand piano, a constantly refreshed serve of sandwiches/​cakes/​scones and at least 1 major celebrity sighting — still remains hard to beat. Refuel at The Soho Hotel also offers a fun, more casual version. Not that I do this all the time…
However, on Sunday, I was off for a very la-​di-​dah ladies’ afternoon to try out The Lanesborough for tea. I was eyeing off the furniture by the time of our 4pm sitting.
The Lanesborough won the UK Tea Council’s Award of Excellence 2009 and Best Afternoon Tea in London 2008. It also lays claim to England’s first tea sommelier, Karl Kessab, to guide you through your tea selection — although I didn’t clap eyes on him on Sunday.
The ritzy main dining room is set off by large round chandeliers, high glass ceilings and big spacious tables, for the pleasure of young and old alike in all their Sunday finery. In contrast to my recent visits to some of London’s steakhouses, the crowd is largely women. Dressing up is, of course, half the fun. Soft piano tunes tinkle away, although it’s hard to see the live piano player.
I am not a huge tea connoisseur, and the only teas I like are certain green teas or Earl Grey. I opted for the Earl Grey, while my companions were more exotic in their selections. The teas came served in individual shiny silver pots, although I was a little disappointed in the flavour and aroma of my tea it tasted more like English Breakfast tea to me, missing those lovely fragrant bergamot flavours which usually hit me immediately with Earl Grey. The other teas were lovely. My only other word of caution with the tea go easy if you’re not used to drinking copious cupfuls after 4pm. I had quite a few re-​fills, and as a result was still wide eyed into the wee hours of Sunday night (#traps for beginners).
An amuse bouche of a light parfait with berries and chocolate kicked off proceedings. A lovely sign of things to come.
Our 3 tiered bounty of sandwiches, cakes, friands, scones and tea cakes then arrived, accompanied by a plate of heavenly Stilton and caramelised red onion tarts. The sandwiches were more hit and miss the selection included cucumber (of course); chicken and sundried tomato paste; smoked salmon; and egg filled brioche rolls. The flavours were nice enough (no amazing stand outs) but there were some questions over the freshness of the bread, which was quite dry in places.
The scones were gorgeous quite dense, and served with delicious strawberry jam, clotted cream and lemon curd. With a mere flick of the wrist, we ordered a second round. The fruity tea cakes were also quite nice.
The next tier of happiness contained some lovely friands — chocolate, carrot cake and lemon varieties. The chocolate was particularly good, although it was so decadent and rich that I could only manage a sliver (we had diplomatically sectioned everything up into quarters for sharing).
And then, at the top, the penthouse. Intricate and colourful cakey/​moussey creations set off our tiered stand wonderfully, like a lady’s feathery racing day hat. Very Alice in Wonderland. I really liked all of these, and a Mont Blanc style sweet with meringue and chestnut cream (the one that looks like its wearing wholemeal spaghetti) was scrumptious.
Service was formal, but helpful. Sittings can be booked at 4pm, 4.30pm or 5pm, but maximise the luxury with a 4pm sitting since service ends at 6pm regardless. (No-​one wants to be booted out mid friand). We had the pleasure of the standard afternoon tea for £35 per person, although there are more expensive options if you wish to add champagne.
Frocking up for The Lanesborough’s afternoon tea, on the fringes of Hyde Park, is a delightful way to spend a leisurely afternoon. I did think I may never eat again, although of course that all changed as the sun set and I found myself gorging again separate stomachs for sweet ‘n savoury and all that…
For photos see Greedy Diva @

Went there for dinner with a large group, ate upstairs as they had had a flood. Superb amuse bouche, Lobster medallions (slow cooked) did not work for me. Pasta dish simply outstanding and memorable-​fagotelli carbonnara, veal with artichoke slightly over salted but very tasty, venison again slow cooked and had an almost pâté texture, quite tasty but not 100% my liking, pre dessert outstanding and main dessert creamy cheesecake & lemon ice cream subdued but scoffed. I did not get to choose the wines, but they were acceptable. So Very good and very relaxing. Outstanding pasta. Again– 3 for dinner this time. What a lovely room. Friendly but slightly distracted service.
Very good food. Wine list a bit of a challenge as I have not won the lottery, but some approachable bottles.
Will return for the Lunch special.

Really a hidden gem.
The atmosphere and attentive staff have already been mentioned.
I loved the 5 course menu and thought it was excellent value at 59 pounds, having been warned to be careful with going for the wine sampling menu though which aparently involves 5 glasses of wine (small i.e. 175 each)!

Had afternoon tea here witha group of about 10 ladies.
Of all the afternoon teas I have enjoyed, this one had the most amount of food (choice and volume!).
In addition to the usual scones, cakes and sandwiches, we were offered fresh strawberries and cream, crumpets and toasted tea cakes — yummy!
Cost was around £35 — about average for afternoon tea in London.
This is a good venue to go to in the summer — firstly because you are in a huge conservatory so you get tons of natural daylight flooding in, and secondly because its right opposite the park so you can stroll off some of those calories!

Afternoon tea in The Conservatory at the Lanesborough Hotel is a lovely experience. A gorgeous room, piano music, and attentive staff are enhanced by the delightful tea sandwiches, freshly baked scones, rich clotted cream, tangy-​sweet lemon curd, and delicious fruit preserves. The variety of food is remarkable, and it’s easy to understand why the UK Tea Council awarded Best Afternoon Tea in London to Lanesborough Conservatory in April, 2008.
I chose from an assortment of wonderful teas, but must say that after the first cup, my tea was always lukewarm. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the meal in this beautiful setting.