Last Updated on May 20, 2026
The Princess and the Mushy Pea
4.8 out of 5.0 stars
Imagine a world in which King Edward VIII hadn’t fallen in love with Wallis Simpson and then given up the throne. King George VI would never have become king, and his eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, would not have taken the crown on the death of her father, instead enjoying the lifestyle that made up the life of a young aristocrat. This is the premise behind Lilibet’s, chef/restaurateur Ross Shonhan’s fantasy fish restaurant named after Queen Elizabeth’s childhood monicker, and built on the 17 Bruton St, Mayfair site where she was born on 21st April 1926.
The original building was a Georgian townhouse owned by the Queen’s grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, which was demolished for redevelopment in 1937. The replacement was a modern office block and car park giving Shonhan and his designers Russell Sage Studios the opportunity to create a ‘house without walls’, a series of spaces that summon up the glamour of the pre-war period of the 1920’s and 30’s.
There are period light fittings and scallop shell sconces with a dozen unique banquette styles each with individual trims and George Smith upholstery. There’s a marble cocktail bar, raw and grill bars, a nook covered in Gainsborough fabric and walls lined with pads of woven horsehair, normally only seen now on Louis Vuitton luggage. In the basement are the gorgeous loos and a private dining room, the 22 cover Hartnell Room, dedicated to the Queen and Queen Mother’s favourite designer, whose atelier was just opposite. It’s a symphony of pink pleating, and the whole place is deliciously over the top and high camp.
Ross Shonhan made his name as executive chef at Nobu, then striking out on his own to create a series of striking and successful Asian street food brands. He started in 2017 with Rock’n Roll Ramen joint Bone Daddies, followed by Shack-Fuyu and Flesh & Buns. Shonhan sold his group and, 8 months ago, opened Lilibet’s, which, despite its heritage, does not have a British culinary focus – there is no fish pie – but delivers a mostly Mediterranean seafood menu.
Lilibet’s is a big operation, turning 120 covers over 2 sittings. Executive chef Alex Harper has a fine CV that includes The Ledbury, the long-lamented Texture and Le Manoir. He created the menu to Shonhan’s guidelines with a lengthy development process that is obvious once our food starts to arrive at the table.
The menu has a variety of pathways. There is a good value set lunch on offer from Monday to Fridays, two tasting menus, The Signature at £90 pp and the Royale at £125 pp; there is raw seafood, caviar and oysters from the Marenarium, seafood platters, snacks and breads; a selection of carpaccios and crudos from the raw bar, small plates, salads and dishes from the wood grill, grilled seafood and meats, sides and desserts.
We needed a couple of glasses of elegant Gosset Blanc de Blancs to get through the menu, but in the end, we opted for the Royale tasting menu, which covered a lot of the bases, garnering a raised eyebrow from our lovely waitress, who let us know that it was “a lot of food”. But I was ready to eat …
There is an attention to detail at Lilibet’s, which is reassuring. Both Blenheim Palace mineral water and our fizz arrive in beautifully engraved glasses. We started with a snack: an Anchovy Éclair was a delicious savoury bite; a light anchovy cream studded with fish eggs sat atop a choux pastry bun. The combination of the pastry and restrained saltiness of the cream was perfect as an opening dish.
I love the sweetness of red prawns, and for the Red Prawn Carpaccio, my favourite crustaceans were marinated in chilli and lime, creating a mild, citric spiciness. The crunch of a lavash flatbread was a suitable accompaniment.
As part of the Royale menu, you choose a fish, sea bass, sea bream or gurnard, which is then served in three courses as part of a fish ‘Triptych’ throughout your meal. The first element was a crudo with chunks of the raw fish being served in a French Caribbean ‘Sauce Chien’, literally translated as dog sauce, a hot sauce named after the ‘Chien’ brand of knives used to chop the blend of garlic, onion, hot pepper, parsley and lime juice. The fish was very fresh and zinged with citric heat, with the parsley adding a vegetal note.
Baked Shellfish Rice is really a Spanish seafood rice. Charred red prawns sat on top of the hot, intensely flavoured rice. I sucked the rich juices out of the prawn heads and made a joyous mess.
A Chrysanthemum Salad is an Asian salad using bitter Chrysanthemum leaves which were here covered in a Caesar dressing.
Hand-dived scallops came beautifully cooked, lightly seared with the flesh delicately flaky and then doused in the richness of a seaweed butter.
For the 2nd course of the Triptych, a grilled fillet of sea bass was served with a herby, garlicky ‘mojo verde’ sauce, a simple way to highlight the quality of the fish.
Side dishes at Lilibet’s are taken seriously. Green beans had plenty of snap and were covered with the funky umami notes of an XO sauce. And Lilibet’s Mash was a dessert-island dish. A dollop of Robuchon-style mash (waxy Ratte potatoes with as much butter and cream as the world can supply) served with a shellfish bisque and tender morsels of lobster.
The 3rd Course of the Triptych was described as the ‘Bones’. An à la minute soup with the fish carcass, some vegetables and chilli pressure-cooked for 15 minutes. It was warming and comforting with a pleasing chilli kick.
Dessert was the ‘Chef’s selection’. A light Biscoff mousse had a toasted almond crunch and a crisp biscuit base; however, the mousse itself was underpowered and needed more guts.
Rice pudding with a Gariguette strawberry compote was a delight. It was a cross between a rice pudding and a trifle with lots of cream and jelly. Pumped up nursery food perfect for a Princess.
After some excellent Armagnac truffles and a restorative glass of raspberry eau de vie, it was a struggle to get out of my chair. Where were the footmen to assist me? The loos at Lilibet’s are genuinely worth a visit, but you might not want to leave. The restaurant is carefully calibrated to give you a good time. It’s buzzy and a lot of fun with food that is very pleasurable. Maybe we can all live like a Princess for a day?
Lilibet’s
17 Bruton St, London, W1J 6QB
+442038288388
Check out our Ten Best London Fish Restaurants
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