Bistrot at Wild Honey

"Business meetings tend to be pretty boring. That’s because, generally speaking, you’re not allowed to discuss important topics like Cute Dogs You Saw Online and Pete Davidson’s relationship status at work. We think that’s a shame, but the fact remains that you need a particular atmosphere and setting if you’re going to have a successful business meeting in a restaurant. An atmosphere and setting exactly like the one you’ll find at Wild Honey, a restaurant that feels like it was born to impress clients, one perfect St James Fizz cocktail at a time. One of the reasons why this all-day restaurant inside the Sofitel hotel in St. James’s is peak business meal material is because it’s willing to work around your schedule. You can swing by for some french toast in the morning, hit up the £35 three-course set menu at lunchtime, or opt for a full tasting menu situation in the evening with that client who you need to trap for at least two hours to ensure they sign that contract. Big smiles and corporate cards, initiated. It’s polite, the food is reliable, and once you look around, you’ll realise that you’re basically in the world’s chic-est velvet padded cell. There’s very little about this setting that’s wild–we’ve never come across this much tan leather and gold detailing at a Strokes gig–but the space does remind us of honey. Partially because it’s all very smooth, but mostly because there are servers walking around shaving actual fresh honeycomb into people’s ice cream. See, impressive. photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli This place serves an ever-changing seasonal menu, but you can expect things like Scottish partridge with apricots and sage, beef cheek ravioli, and roast heritage beetroot with black pudding. As well as sounding interesting, a lot of the food here sounds like it should have its own family crest. Don’t believe us? Well, all we’re saying is that if someone offered us a stay with The Provencal Figs or The Cornish Sardines, we’d pack our Sunday best and expect tennis courts. But, most importantly, a lot of this food is also very tasty. We’ve had a burrata here that we almost gave a slow-clap, not to mention some Welsh lamb with sheep’s ricotta that made us reassess whether we’d be happier people if we relocated to the Brecon Beacons. The thing is, if you come here and have a bad business meal, it’ll be because you left your laptop at home and attempted to display this quarter’s numbers through interpretive dance. Sure, it’s all a little too serious for a banging birthday party or a charming date night, but otherwise it’s very hard to go wrong at Wild Honey. The service is enthusiastic and attentive. The setting is sleek and entirely inoffensive. And if all else fails, there’s the ultimate power move of ordering the Fallow venison, which, rumour has it is, was spotted out and about with Pete Davidson. Just don’t bring that up during the meeting. Food Rundown Full Vegetarian English Breakfast We’ve tried the Full English here, but there was something about the sweet potato and cauliflower hash that has worked its way into that part of our brain purely reserved for great vegetable dishes. Our Ocado lobe if you will. A great way to start your day. photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli Burrata, William Pears, Nasturtium Leaves, Herb Oil Vinaigrette, Dukkah Spice Perfectly tasty. Perfectly creamy. And a perfectly good way to begin a meal here. photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli Hand Cut Macaroni, Cacio E Pepe, Chicken Wings Some people, herein referred to as ‘the haters’, might say that chicken wings and cacio e pepe macaroni don’t belong on the same plate. The haters are wrong. This is a tasty starter that we’d definitely eat as a main. Classic Bouillabaisse Marseille Style Constructing this classic Bouillabaisse is pretty fun. Eating it is less so. The fish is excellent, but we wouldn’t hate it if the broth had a little more kick from the rouille. photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli Daphne’s Welsh Lamb, Roast Salsify, Fresh Sheep’s Ricotta, Italian Greens We have a lot of questions. Good ones, like ‘who is Daphne?’ and ‘when can we marry her?’. This lamb is pink and tender, plus it goes with the ricotta an absolute treat. photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli Wild Honey Ice Cream, Fresh Honey Unlike that dramatic memory of dropping your Mr Whippy as a child, this dramatic fresh honey situation is very lovely. They come to your table with a big old chunk of honeycomb from the Cotswolds and carve it into your ice cream. Twelve quid feels a bit steep for such a small portion, but all in all it’s worth it. photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli Warm Chocolate Soup, Toasted Rice Ice Cream Toasted rice can sometimes sadly look like a little bit like, well, err, maggots. That’s just a fact of life. But this chocolate heavy dessert is all the better for some crunch. Basically, a thick chocolate mousse that’ll put your Dairy Milk yoghurt pot to shame." - Heidi Lauth Beasley