Last Updated on April 27, 2025
A Japanese Izakaya, Mayfair Style – The Aubrey
It stands to reason that a hotel like the Hong Kong owned Mandarin Oriental should have an Asian restaurant to complement the rather fine food offerings elsewhere in the hotel. So, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the launch of The Aubrey – an izakaya restaurant in what used to be Bar Boulud. That said, I was just a little sad to hear of the change. With its own entrance, fronting Knightsbridge, the old Bar Boulud was a favourite haunt of mine pre-lockdown, serving seriously good burgers and Lyonnaise food all curated by American Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. My curiosity was piqued though; naming your new creation after Aubrey Beardsley, a writer and illustrator best known for his decadent, sometimes erotic, sometimes grotesque and often humorous prints that shocked his Victorian audience seemed a provocative move in its own right, even if the artist did have a fascination with Japanese art. And, technically an izakaya is something akin to a Japanese pub – a drinking den – rather than somewhere you’d expect to find excellent food and rather special cocktails. But then, this is Mayfair and this izakaya is billed as an ‘eccentric’ venue – though as we found out it’s a truly delightful one with excellent food and drinks.
Arriving early for a late brunch, there was a birthday party in full flow using one of the private rooms and spilling over into the bar area. The vibe was young and chic – I loitered in the corner sipping on a rather fine cocktail and enjoying the beautifully presented and unusual bar snacks waiting for my guest and for the table to be ready. Once we went through into the main dining area though, the pace slowed and we both remarked on the carefully laid out tables with comfy seating and enough space to ensure you wouldn’t be forced to eavesdrop on your neighbour. Elegant and grown-up with a definite Japanese influence, we felt right at home.
The brunch menu is £58 per person with £40 to enjoy bottomless sake, champagne or wine for £90 minutes. It’s a clever concept for those who want to chill at the weekend – starters are all shared by the table while the main course is one you pick for yourself and the dessert comes in the form of a bento box selection of all four dishes on the menu. So, you really don’t need to do any more than pick what you’d like to drink and choose a main course.
What’s more the freeflow drinks are quite special. I picked the Chateau Minuty – Rose et Or. My companion, Luisa Vogliolo-Welsh is a wine educator and she was particularly surprised to find this on the list. These are her notes, shamelessly added because she knows much more than me about wine!
Chateau Minuty is a household name in Cote de Provence as every restaurant, and every wine shop will list it, it’s so very popular. It’s the archetype of Provence rose’, instantly recognisable, delicious, elegant and refreshing and it probably offers better value and taste than any other Provence rose’ wine. Chateau Minuty was built in the mid 1800’s and in 1936 it quickly became recognised as one of the region’s benchmark properties. Its status was confirmed in 1955 when Minuty became of the just 14 chateaux in Provence to be designated Cru Classe’ (this is important). The main grape is Grenache Noir, but they also use a little amount of Tibouren, which is a grape local to St Tropez, as a homage to the area where the family who currently owns the Chateau are based. What’s important to know is that the wine is made by a technique known as pressurage direct – which means that the juice is extracted simply by the weight of the grapes pressing down from the top on those at the bottom. The technique is also known as saignee, or ‘bled’, which is easy to understand. The result is a very pure juice which is fermented, made into wine in the normal manner and bottled. It’s known as Rose et Or. Not much is produced and it’s usually expensive.
Meanwhile, she went for the Sake (I had some to try too!).
As the make advertised as part of the free flow was not available, we had the Sohomare Tokubetsu Kimoto – Junmai (which incidentally was the one I would have happily paid extra to try). This sake is a contemporary rendition of the ancient Kimoto style of making sake, when the fermentation vat in which the rice was held was pounded for up to 28 days in order to create lactic acid (they then discovered that they could get the same results by adding lactic acid by using another system, known as Yamahai). But Kimoto remains traditionally ingrained in the people’s perception of sake, hence recreating the style – if you want to know more, please ask. But basically you are writing a review, not a lecture on sake! Incidentally the brewery uses this high quality rice for all its sakes, not just their top ones – this is commendable and spells out quality.Suffice to say that this sake is soulfully drinkable with plenty of acidity and ample umami – all in perfect harmony. The work ‘Tokubestu’ simply means ‘special; so when it’s seen on a label, it means that something special has taken place in making the sake. In this case, they have used the highest grade and most prized sake-brewing rice, Yamadanishiki, which is also the most expensive. The combination of the rice, the specific yeasts used and the brewing method give the sake a rich, expressive flavour, gentle clarity and balance.
If the drinks offered as part of the bottomless brunch were remarkable, we were left wondering how the food would stand up. We shouldn’t have been worried. Luisa doesn’t eat oysters but I do and was thrilled by the plump and succulent offerings, which came with Japanese garnishes that really enhanced the flavour.
A delicate plate of sashimi arrived next, with fresh wasabi and soy sauce on the side.
There were sea salt sprinkled edamame beans and these delicious shishito peppers with katsuobushi (bonito) flakes to nibble on.
One of the more unusual, yet achingly simple dishes were these crispy breaded baby corn, served with black kewpie mayonnaise. Perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of bite, these were truly moreish and I’d order them as a side dish or snack any time.
Two tiny chicken yakitori added a burst of flavour.
And, a spinach salad laced with sesame (Gomae) is a dish I will be trying to make at home. It was light, refreshing and full of flavour.
Seasonal mushroom gyoza came with a little pot of chilli dipping sauce. In fact, every one of the dishes came with its own sauce or condiment. Delicious!
For main courses we chose the Chicken Katsu Sando – a Japanese take on a toasted sandwich with milk bread filled with crisp crumbed chicken katsu. It seemed slightly incongruous but, genuinely the kind of food you might find in an Izakaya in Japan rather than Mayfair!
Salmon Teryaki was beautifully executed, with firm, flaky morsels of fish in a delicious but light teryaki dressing.
On the side, a refreshing green salad and a dish called chawanmushi which is a kind of steamed savoury egg custard flavoured with dashi and here laced with seasonal mushrooms. I’m not normally keen on egg dishes, but this was a great accompaniment to both the main courses.
Dessert came in the form of a dainty bento box with four miniature puddings including a chocolate mochi, a monaka purple potato semi freddo, a refreshing compressed fruit salad and yuzu cheesecake.
Meanwhile, we were treated to a very special glass of dessert sake. 2019 Tamagawa Time Machine 1712 Sake. Apparently it’s brewed following a method recorded in 1712.
It’s matured in small cedar casks for no more than 2 years, the optimum length of time for the sake to acquire the aged cedary taste. The cedar casks can only be used 3 times then they have to be discarded. The end result is something that is not oversweet, but rather ‘aged’, full of umami and with a natural taste.
London is full of fabulous places to eat and drink, but The Aubrey is now firmly on my ‘want to go back soon’ list. Visiting any restaurant in a five-star hotel is unlikely to be a budget-saving exercise, but we think brunch offers an excellent way to dip your toe in and try a whole range of dishes without any compromise.
Brunch is served from 11.30 am to 3.30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays with live DJ music on both days.
Telephone – +44 (0)20 7201 3899
Email MOLON-AUBREY@MOHG.COM
or book online through the Mandarin Oriental website
The Aubrey
66 Knightsbridge,
London
SW1X 7LA
Leave a Reply