Alyn Williams is at the Westbury. Hurrah!

When he was sixteen Alyn Williams applied for a job as a luggage porter at the Westbury, thankfully he didn’t get it. Fast forward to the 28^th November 2011 when the Westbury opened a new, super-slick, highly ambitious restaurant with Alyn’s name over the door - “Alyn Williams at the Westbury”. Both Williams, and the amiable front of house Giancarlo Princigalli, know a thing about running successful restaurants within smart hotels as they served time with Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley. The new venture seats 40 plus a couple of private dining rooms and has been completely re-designed – this may be the only restaurant in town with a glitter sparkly carpet.

The service is on the friendly side of formal, the prices are on the low side of the going rate and the food is very good indeed. This is  a menu laden with the kind of dishes that leave you groping for superlatives. Working through the tasting menu is a treat, but the moment I fell in love was when the “Dorset snails, malt soil and chickweed” came to table and the sommelier recommended pairing the snails with a glass of DW – a 9.5% deep golden ale brewed by Sharps in Cornwall and conditioned in a champagne bottle. The sharpness of the ale, and its persistent fizz, went perfectly with the earthiness of the snail meat.

Chef Williams’s menu is a thing of beauty, dishes look good on the plate but there is no hint of over-fussy presentation. Starters like the “French onion consommé with crab, Gruyere and potato wafers” show a real flair for combining diverse textures – the consommé very rich almost jellied, the wafers crisp.  Great depth of flavour and synergy between the sweetness of the onion and the sweetness of the crabmeat. A dish of “veal sweetbreads with Jerusalem artichokes, celery and sherry” classically simple and perfectly cooked, splendid crunch from the crisp outside of the fried sweetbreads. Or how about “sand carrots with liquorice and foie gras” – the carrots very crisp, very sweet and lightly pickled for vinegary balance,  the foie gras in ice cold sticks about the thickness of a pencil – great contrasting textures and temperature. Well matched flavours.  A piece of perfectly roast turbot comes with the turbot skirt and tiny crispy bits, all balanced by a delicate, sharp beurre blanc.  The “Devon red beef sirloin with red wine, turnip, oxtail and croutons” is a fine dish – the meat cooked just about perfectly.

There is a formidable cheeseboard that’s presented by knowledgeable staff and the cheeses appear to be well kept. For dessert note the “chocolate mousse, peanut butter ice-cream and caramel” – elegant on the plate, indulgent on the palate; or perhaps the “tiramisù, Nutella brioche”. Despite the fact that it was week-one-day-one for our visit to the new restaurant the service was friendly and efficient. The sommelier gives good, and not always wallet threatening, advice. Some interesting Biologique wines from Alsace.  Not run of the mill options.

This restaurant is going to join the elite in a very short space of time, particularly in the light of the current merciful pricing structure. Seven courses £55, and a parallel vegetarian menu at the same figure. Three courses à la Carte for £45. For this standard of cooking that screams bargain. You do wonder what would have happened if Alyn Williams had interviewed better and become a porter not a chef, but as his restaurant at the Westbury flowers we will all be grateful that he didn’t.

Alyn Williams at the Westbury, The Westbury Hotel, Bond Street, London W1

(020 7078 9579 www.westburymayfair.com)