Alex Webb on Park Lane - Mayfair, London

Alex Webb made quite a splash when he landed on Masterchef: The Professionals, so much so that the InterContinental Park Lane invited him to stage a pop-up at their hotel in October 2022. Suffice to say, he knocked it out of the park. So much so that they've decided to make it permanent. With his experience at Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, Dinner by Heston, Roux at Parliament Square and The Frog in Hoxton. We dropped in on a Friday afternoon and Alex was flexing his fine dining muscles. 

The dining room plays elegant foil to Webb's exquisite cooking. It's a lovely, bright and airy space given definition by the natural light that streams through its large windows. The colour scheme leans heavily into blue and teal grace notes, which can be seen in everything from the chairs and sofas to the blue 'gluggle jugs'/koi fish jugs that are doted around the room. Separating the space between the waiting area and the restaurant is a wooden partition of interconnected rectangular motifs. We kicked back with a brace of flutes of Hattingley Valley English Sparkling Wine from Hampshire then girded our loins for the incredible meal to follow. 

The meal kicked off with a trio of canapes: oyster with caviar, roast artichoke, cheese tart. A starter of tuna tartare with avocado puree, crispy capers, citrus salad and squid ink cracker was toothsome and nutritious, as was tempura broccoli with chilli jam. Mains were just as good, especially the lamb rump, padded out with sweetbread, lamb bacon, red pepper gel, romanesco and lamb jus. Dessert was one of the most appealing dishes of the evening. We were in love with a banana souffle with caramelised pecan, caramel sauce and banana ice cream, as well as a vegan chocolate and orange tart with passion fruit, orange sorbet and gel.

For anyone looking for finessed fine dining in London's most elegant borough, Alex Webb on Park Lane is a great bet.