Fallow in Mayfair: A creative restaurant with a truly sustainable focus

Tucked moments away from the bustle of Regent Street, in one of London’s more popular locations for eating out, is Fallow, a stylish restaurant with a sustainable focus. Born from the minds of Will Murray and Jack Croft, who met while working at Dinner by Heston, the establishment aims to highlight sourcing, preparation and produce through a succinct and thoughtful menu, printed on paper made from harvested algae. This creativity makes one keen to return and see what exciting dishes have been concocted next – and an enforced closing ten days after the launch in March certainly doesn’t seem to have dampened the team’s spirits.

The mixture of warm and natural lighting, leather chairs and wooden tables alongside the open kitchen behind the bar, makes for a relaxed, cosy, almost rustic feel. Though the only cocktails available are a London Negroni or Frozen Margarita, the wine list is fairly extensive. Served by the glass, it includes offerings from Renegade Urban Winery, where the grapes are sourced from Europe (and Herefordshire) but processed and bottled in Bethnal Green. They “cherry pick the best fruit, grown by the best people,” which rings particularly true with the Jamie Bacchus Nat Fiz sparkling wine: fruity, clean and charmingly served in a coupe. The only criticism here is that there aren’t more options to order by the glass – just three whites and three reds.

We began our meal with the Corn Ribs, scrumptious husks of corn, beautifully fried in oil nearly to the point of burning and drenched in paprika-spiced butter, alongside the must-try Mushroom Parfait with shitake and truffle – both vegetarian. There was no holding back from the truffle in the slightest, which made the dish intensely earthy and wonderfully rich with umami, eagerly spread onto toasted hunks of sourdough. The corn was a favourite from the whole meal, and the generous portion remained on the table to be snacked on between courses.

The Fallow Tartare with hazelnut and pickled onion was delicious, made from venison adorned with shitake mushrooms and paired with thin, crispy flatbreads, which gave the soft texture a welcome balance of crunch. The mustard was perhaps a little excessive, as it slightly detracted from the namesake flavour of venison.

The Dorset Snails with lovage and bone marrow was the most eye-catching of the dishes, the sustainable sauce (made from whatever “bits of green” they had in the kitchen) a dark, forest green. The texture was once again balanced wonderfully by a bone marrow panko crumb. 

The focus on sustainability was exemplified by the Hake Head, a part of the fish that would often go to waste. Cooked over charcoal and soaked in homemade sriracha butter, this one is not for the fainthearted, as it required some digging about to get to the delicious flesh. Nonetheless, it’s entirely worth it, and only misses a slice or two of bread to mop up the mouthwatering sauce. Soon after this came the Middle White Pork with Crown Prince squash and chard. The pork was tender and succulent and the squash deliciously caramelised to the point of jamminess. Be sure to get this with the Boulangère Potatoes and you will not be disappointed. 

Intrigue continued right to the bottom of the menu, the two desserts being Lemon Peel Pudding with milk ice cream and Sea Salt and Sourdough Soft Serve. The former was suitably sour and filled with a surprising treat of hot caramel sauce; the latter was unusual – even strange – but still devoured in its entirety. 

The team at Fallow should be truly proud to have pulled through the industry-wide impact of Covid-19. The service was attentive and friendly, with front-of-house and kitchen staff more than happy to tell the story behind each dish – no doubt they will continue to surprise and spark curiosity.

★★★★★

Food ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Lilly Subbotin
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

Fallow has now moved to a new location at 2 St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4PH. To book a table call 07785 937 900 or visit their website here.