Belgravia’s dining scene seems to be having a bit of a resurgence at the moment: Cornus immediately impressed on opening, The Goring Dining Room has had a revamp, the clubby At Sloane is a new den of iniquity, and near La Poule au Pot amazing things are happening at Wildflowers.
Newson’s Yard (and indeed Pimlico in general) may not be an obvious location for chef Aaron Potter and designer Laura Hart’s first permanent venture. This somewhat caché ‘design hub’ may be a goldmine for high-end retail but there isn’t exactly a flow of footfall at dinner time. The name may also confuse, though it isn’t a sequel to Adrian Martin’s Wildflower in Camden which closed and moved to Dublin.
If this visit was anything to go by it seems there is nothing to worry about as it was busy and bustling. The open plan dining area with exposed kitchen may not be for everyone though: you can’t exactly be a wallflower at Wildflowers, but it does allow for eagle-eyed service from the pass and on the floor (there was just one mix-up with an order, and somehow an umbrella was stolen, but the important thing is these issues were handled calmly and professionally). There is also a fabulous semi-alfresco bar upstairs, and as I’ll explain in a moment, this is (or should be) very much part of the experience.
Wildflowers deserves to be successful
Back to the restaurant proper and Aaron Potter’s wonderful cuisine. His experience working with Adam Byatt and Phil Howard clearly shows but this is his own love letter to the Mediterranean. You could argue that there really isn’t any regional specialism but only culinary pedants will lose sleep over generic Eurofare; it really doesn’t matter when it’s technically faultless and so damn delicious. My companion and I had actuarial difficulty whittling down choices as we wanted to eat everything on the menu – there wasn’t a single album filler or self-indulgent instrumental track in sight. Sadly, neither waistlines nor wallets would permit such wanton profligacy (and the prices are… Belgravian, but not insane). Oh well, we’ll just have to go back won’t we?
Alongside focaccia (notably served gratis), fried polenta bites with gorgonzola, speck and honey made for a delightful opening gambit at £4.50 a pop. I’d order those by the dozen but had to allow some sort of space for the moules farcies.
Ah, the mussels were an absolute joy, each little mollusc slathered in enough garlic butter for TfL to ban you from the whole Tube network for a month – a packet of Smints will never be enough to counteract that lingering garlic breath, but like so many of the best things in life you should just enjoy the moment and worry about it later.
Then, after a quick and polite correction, two steaming plates of tagliolini with black truffle and aged parmesan. Tagliolini – the svelte cousin of tagliatelle – is entirely appropriate (and traditional) as a vehicle for this; while tagliatelle works well for a ragù as it allows the meat to cling to the pasta like a wet shower curtain, narrower tagliolini yields more starch. I daresay it’s also more elegant. In this dish the truffle was pleasingly incorporated into the buttery sauce and not just a showy shaving or two on top. Generosity is the watchword at Wildflowers.
Grilled sugar pit Iberico pork chop with crassane pear, almond purée and gremolata
Moules farcies and tagliolini with black truffle and aged parmesan
Blood orange polenta cake with crème fraiche
And then a true showstopper: carabinero prawn and smoked veal sweetbread baked rice. Could there be a more heavenly description for a dish? The rice held its shape and texture but the veal sweetbread here was particularly impressive, just melting like an embarrassed MAGA bully having their lies exposed on live TV.
Wait, there was more! The grilled sugar pit Iberico pork chop with crassane pear, almond purée and gremolata delivered all those promised nutty notes and the pork was beguilingly luscious – never losing its moisture or flavour despite the way it was cooked on the coals.
Even the vinaigrette with the salad sang with elderflower and showed this is a kitchen that cares about every tiny detail.
There was no dropping the ball in the dessert department either: a seasonal blood orange polenta cake with crème fraiche was a study in less-is-more, each element there for a reason and perfectly executed.
And to accompany all of this, a fine 2020 Mercurey cut across everything beautifully. The French, Italian and Spanish-leaning wine list may be mostly young but has been clearly thought out very carefully to match the food, and at reasonable mark-ups too.
As for the aforementioned bar, I’m always pleased as punch when a restaurant has its own purpose-built drinking area. It allows a one-stop shop for your aperitif, dinner and digestif in different areas without leaving the building; it’s even better when the bar is a legitimate destination in itself (à la Bellamy’s). Cocktails are not just some token afterthought here though; they are taken seriously by Emanuel Ferris-Hue, who helped to set up Disrepute and has managed the bars or consulted at The Ned, Kitty Fisher’s and Cora Pearl (amongst others). From the house drinks I couldn’t resist trying the Fernandito after Emanuel waxed lyrical about his time in Argentina (where Fernet Branca with cola is incredibly popular). The off-menu classics are extremely good here, a Martini (with Plymouth gin and Sacred vermouth), a Martinez and Paper Plane all being made perfectly to order.
This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult times for hospitality in the UK and what a restaurant’s balance sheet really needs is returning regulars. I’m confident that Wildflowers is not just a flash in the pan though. I certainly plan to return. It deserves to be successful.
Newson's Yard
57 Pimlico Road
London
SW1W 8NE
March 2025
