Ormer, Mayfair, restaurant review: Proof that there’s still life in small plates

Let’s be honest: most people hate small plates. You know the scene – you’re perched at a table, staring at a dish the size of a child’s frisbee, hoping to tease a meal’s worth of satisfaction from a few artfully scattered morsels. It’s culinary minimalism at its most frustrating; like being promised a grand novel but getting a haiku.

But then along comes Ormer in Mayfair, and suddenly, you’re rethinking your stance. This subterranean lair beneath the Flemings Hotel, once the domain of Shaun Rankin (now wooing the north at Grantley Hall), is now under the spell of Sofian Msetfi. Msetfi’s credentials speak for themselves: Tom Kerridge’s The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Midsummer House in Cambridge, both two stars. He’s the kind of chef who was always destined to captivate and, at Ormer, he doesn’t just shine – he dazzles.

In a venue that bagged its first Michelin star earlier this year, you’d expect the food to be the star. But at Ormer, it’s the wines, curated by the ebullient Piotr, that steal the show. They could reverse the whole operation and serve a wine list with optional food pairings, and no one would bat an eyelid.

Take the Sclumbeger Pinot Gris from Alsace. It’s a sprightly, crisp number that sidles up beautifully to a “modern” Waldorf salad. Not your limp, sad hotel buffet offering, but a plate of julienned celery, grape gel, candied walnuts and dehydrated Muscat grapes, crowned with a diced Roquefort jelly. It’s the Michelin touch that lifts it into another realm, with the Pinot Gris cutting through like a knife through butter. One bite and you’re convinced that salads have souls.

Then there’s the Palomino from Cadiz, making eyes at the warm Iberico ham jelly. Yes, you read that correctly – ham jelly. Rich, silky and balanced with parmesan and pickled Bramley apple, it’s the stuff of culinary alchemy. The Palomino, with its slightly oxidised, nutty notes, doesn’t just pair with the dish; it serenades it. If you’re ordering only one dish at Ormer (which, technically, you can’t; this is tasting menu-only territory), make it this one.

The cured Cornish mackerel, adorned with sesame, kombu and a spiced nage, finds its soulmate in the Koshu “Yamanashi” from Japan. The wine’s delicate minerality lifts the umami-rich fish, creating a harmony that’s both powerful and refined.

Scottish langoustine, roasted to tender perfection, meets a Paul Hobbs Chardonnay from the Russian River in California. The Chardonnay’s rich, oaky profile complements the langoustine’s sweetness, with yuzu gel and saffron sabayon adding layers of complexity. Luxurious is an understatement. The milk-fed Pyrenees lamb, paired with a Blaufrankish from Austria’s Moric Project is another high point. The lamb, tender and pink, sits alongside cucumber gel and lime. The wine’s dark fruit and spicy notes add depth, making this a dish that lingers both in memory and on the palate.

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Desserts at Ormer are no afterthought. The preserved English cherries with a Brachetto d’Aqui from Piedmont is a palate cleanser par excellence. The wine’s effervescent sweetness pairs beautifully with the tart cherries, while buttermilk sorbet and pine add a refreshing twist. It’s light, bubbly and the perfect prelude to the grand finale. Which is a thyme yellow mille-feuille, layered with brown butter and Tahitian vanilla, paired with a 10-year-old Malvasija from Madeira. The Madeira’s rich, nutty flavour melds seamlessly with the mille-feuille’s complex textures, creating a symphony of sweet and savoury that leaves you on a high.

In Mayfair, a neighbourhood teeming with glitzy restaurants and opulent hotels, discovering a hidden gem is a minor miracle. Ormer manages to fly under the radar with aplomb, proving that sometimes, it pays to be the understated option in a sea of extravagance.

At Ormer, it’s the meticulous attention to detail that transforms a potentially humdrum small plates menu into an unforgettable culinary journey. It turns out that sometimes, the smallest dishes can tell the grandest stories. So if you’re still sceptical about small plates, Ormer might just convince you that what looks like a haiku can, in fact, read like a novel.

Our rating: ★★★★☆

Seven-course tasting menu is £122, signature wine pairing is £122 and prestige wine pairing is £195

7-12 Half Moon Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 7BH | 020 7499 0000 | www.flemings-mayfair.co.uk/fine-dining-london/ormer-mayfair-restaurant