From Mayfair to, well, Mayfair

Saturday, December 27th , 2025

Michael Caines at The Stafford is a new restaurant in St James. This was very enjoyable, with especially charming staff and food that was of a generally high standard. The beef and pigeon dishes were particularly good, and the dining room was elegant and blissfully free of music and hard surfaces, so conversation was easy.

I had another excellent meal at The Cocochine in Mayfair. As well as the dinner, I had a separate set lunch the same week, to take advantage of the £39 three-course lunch, a genuine bargain given that it features dishes like lobster ravioli. The dinner was to the usual high standard, with dazzling langoustines and lobster and superb sika deer among the many highlights.

Hope that you all had a great Christmas.