Muse - Mayfair, London

Tom Aikens burned his constellation in the fine dining firmament when he arrived in London and became the youngest British chef to ever be awarded two Michelin stars at the tender age of 26 at Pied a Terre. Now, after a five year hiatus from haute cuisine, he's returned with Muse, an upmarket and miniature enclave located in a beautiful Belgravian townhouse. Muse serves two tasting menus, each with an autobiographical element evoking his journey as a chef. We visited for a lunch in January to see how it was shaking out for Mr Aikens.

 The dining room at Muse features only 26 covers, including 12 counter seats and a smattering of tables for three and four. The counters on each floor are beautifully wrought. Upstairs you'll find six powder pink and blue stools sat in front of a gorgeous dark red marble bar and overhung with zeppelin-shaped art deco pendant lighting, as well as a wraparound banquette with tables eating. Downstairs you'll find a holding bar with cream seating in front of silver marble that resembles mother-of-pearl. We shared two seats at the counter upstairs and were given front-row insights into the steps taken to create each dish. 

The six course tasting menu costs £95 and details the Proustian memory that fed into the dish. We were met by tiny snacks of smoked venison tartare served amongst forest accoutrement, before enjoying a dish named Just Down the Road - ricotta with a burnt leek purée, crisps made from leek and honey jelly. Of everything sampled, our favourites were the Sea Lavender and Playing with Fire. The former is an Asian interpretation of mackerel with a daikon broth and kombu while the latter was Norfolk dairy cow cooked sous vide then grilled, served with an incredible chip and a baked onion stuffed with beef mince. 

Muse is an excellent restaurant and obviously gunning for stars. We thought that it was good value compared to many of the tasting menus in London.