Daniel Humm’s Davies and Brook – Mayfair haute cuisine of the highest standard

In 2014, Claridge’s spent considerable time and money before selecting Simon Rogan to open Fera as their flagship restaurant. A special committee was formed, including outside specialists, which spent six months coming up with various options around the globe, before settling on Simon. He was replacing another signature chef, Gordon Ramsay. It didn’t work. Unfortunately, despite (or perhaps, because of…) Simon’s superb foraged food on offer, it only lasted three years before the search was on for yet another high-profile replacement. Although I thought it superb whenever Simon was in the kitchen, it really wasn’t what Claridge customers ate elsewhere. Still, you can’t blame them for trying, as while high end restaurants are known for their signature dishes, more and more high end hotels are judged by their signature restaurants.

Claridge’s has always attracted HNWIs (High Net Worth Individuals) or perhaps to be more accurate, couples or families, but their culinary tastes, while sophisticated, tend to be more in the conventional rather than avant-garde mould. This time the task has fallen on Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan. He certainly appears to have the relevant qualifications – three Michelin stars, four from the New York Times and perhaps the icing on the cake, former Number One on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurant list.

Davies and Brook (a play on Claridge’s street corner) opened in December in the same room as Fera but it is stripped down with a welcoming bar at one end with the only decoration being a wraparound series of puzzling landscape photographs by Roni Horn of what look like conical mountains with nipples.

The last time I saw Danny Humm was at a highly enjoyable but bizarre culinary event next to an Inca temple in Peru, where a handful of famous chefs cooked their interpretation of the sex life of an octopus. It was backlit with a photograph of Daniel stretched naked on a beach while an octopus appeared to be ravishing him in that style so beloved of Japanese erotic print makers. So, hats off to Claridge’s for selecting a safe pair of hands, if not tentacles.

But of more importance, does Danny deliver in these spectacular kitchens in London – and will it find favour with the HNWIs, HNWCs and HNWFs, not to mention the local and travelling enthusiasts who just come for the food? Well, I am happy to stick my neck (and stomach) out and say yes, on all counts.

For me, the real pleasure in eating Danny’s cuisine is his passion for letting all of the ingredients sing in harmony yet still project their innate flavours.

It started with a stunning amuse bouche, always a good indication of how a meal is going to progress. If you can’t get the opening act pitch perfect, there isn’t much chance that the overall performance will deliver. This was a trio of taste sensations, starting with thinly sliced raw Orkney scallops with layers of pickled green apple. It was seasoned with lemon vinaigrette and grated fresh horseradish, which was captivating as all the flavours shone through with a laser like intensity.

Not only that, but it came along with a small cup of perfect scallop broth consommé and a wholemeal laminated roll with butter the colour of a Van Gogh sunflower topped with scallop jelly and smoked seaweed seasoning. This was one of the most pleasurable starters I have had all year.

The meal progressed with more pleasurable creations which still remained faithful to the product – Sea Bass ceviche topped with an avocado cap that looked perfect enough to be an art work and yet had an intense avocado taste. Here too, an element of subtlety was the tiny cucumber cubes interspersed within the ceviche along with some shrimp oil.

The caviar dish comprised my favourite strain of Ossetia from China (also used by Alain Ducasse and Eric Ripert) and was served in a butternut squash which spread easily on the accompanying naan and smoked shellfish infused cream.

I am not a fan of wine pairings but thought it would be churlish not to see what was on offer and on this occasion, the choices were excellent and innovative – a superb English Chardonnay from Gusborne, more known for their Sparkling Wine or an earthy mineral backed Pinot Noir from Hirsch Vineyards on the Sonoma Coast of California. Then there was the spectacle of a trolley being wheeled into sight with a Bunsen burner and a red-hot pair of tongs which were used to crack off the top of a bottle of 2013 Cote Rotie from Ogier. It was an entirely redundant performance but it seemed to rouse the interest of the other diners. The accompanying dish was a perfectly cooked slice of dry-aged duck glazed with honey and lavender along with a delicate combination of beetroot and black pudding with a full flavoured civet sauce. For me, what was also impressive was when we moved onto a second bottle of this exquisite Northern Rhone, the sommelier brought out fresh glasses showing that he understood that no two bottles of fine wine should be mixed as they are never identical.

Not every dish was absolute perfection, but no meal ever is. My only quibbles would be that for me, too much seasoning was used in some of the sauces, though overall, they were admirable. The black truffle sauce on the celeriac baked inside a pig’s bladder overwhelmed it, and it was also marginally overcooked. Also, there were not many vegetables used, but given that it was mid-winter, perhaps this was understandable. The puddings were simple but satisfying – I have never yet eaten a doughnut that made me want another one but, on this occasion, it was a thing of beauty, stuffed with miniature pieces and a purée of Granny Smith Apple. The Mandarin segments along with a Mandarin sorbet stole the show though, helped perhaps with a perfectly mature 2002 Sauternes from Chateau Suduiraut. Again, for me this showed a fine appreciation of the wine as most high-end restaurants would go instead with the 2001, one of the Sauterne vintages of the century yet nowhere near ready.

So, an impressive debut with food already approaching two-star Michelin level. The prices too are reasonable for this quality – a seven course tasting menu for £145 plus an amazing two course offering for an express lunch for a mere £38. This is potentially the most impressive haute cuisine restaurant currently in Mayfair, despite the presence of Ducasse, Roux and Darroze just around the corner.

Contact: www.daviesandbrook.co.uk