Review: Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO

There are very few hotels and restaurants in the world that can stay on par with the hospitality standards of the Asian market. The Singaporean five star hotel chain Raffles, which recently opened its London establishment at the now-converted Old War Office, is one of those hotels. Naturally, any restaurant that operates within its walls should also live up to the same standards. Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO exceeds it.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were met with simple yet chic decor, artfully decorated flowers and a calm, elegant ambience. The staff are extremely attentive and friendly, making your entire experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible. This is Michelin-starred Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco’s signature restaurant. And every single element of this establishment — from the atmosphere to the staff and most importantly, the food — reflects that.Every plate is immaculately decorated and presented, as demonstrated by the arrival of some light snacks from the restaurant’s Knotted Garden Flower menu. Designed to make it look like you’re witnessing a miniature flower garden, the food looked almost too pretty to touch, yet every snack we sampled was delicious. 

This was followed by some bread, which came with a little poem — also about bread — and some olive oil. The bread is chef Mauro’s grandmother’s special recipe, with the chef having elevated this personal element to a fine dining delicacy. And while this may be the only dish that directly lifts from the chef’s personal life, his personal touch and Argentinian roots are evident in every dish we sampled at this restaurant.

Related: Chef’s Table with Joseph Denison CareyOne of the causes that is very close to Mauro Colagreco’s heart is sustainability. He is world renowned for his award winning biodynamic garden practices and is a huge champion for sustainably sourcing ingredients and ensuring every part of a fruit or vegetable gets used. This is very apparent in the menu, as each dish features a hero ingredient — coming with its own little cue card with a complete explanation of the ingredient down to its scientific name — revealing more than 70 varieties of vegetable and fruit, all produced in Britain. 

We opted to try the three course á la carte menu, but they also have a five course tasting menu for those not wanting to make any decisions. For our first course, I went with fennel, which also featured poached scallops, lardo and green almond, while my friend went with the courgette with chicken mousseline and crab, Sturia caviar, lemongrass emulsion.

The presentation for my dish was beautiful, featuring the fennel front and centre. The scallops were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the fennel complemented it perfectly. As for the courgette, my friend reported similar results. Each element on the dish was perfectly complemented by the other. If even one element had been missing, the dish wouldn’t have worked.We then moved on to the main course, which was by far our favourite. I opted to try the aubergine with lamb, aubergine mole and hazelnut purée, and I have to say, I have never had so many variations of aubergine in a single dish. For someone who has never really liked aubergine that much, this dish was a culinary masterpiece. The lamb was juicy and delicious and the different variations of aubergine — from the crispy skin to the purée to the aubergine itself — sang together perfectly to bring out the smokiness. It was truly a perfect dish, one I would go back for again and again.

My friend tried the watercress with an ex-dairy cow, watercress sauce, veal jus, wild garlic capers and whey. The presentation on this dish was next level. The dish came with a transparent film made out of rice paper and adorned with flowers. It almost looked like a layer of water. Visually stunning and even better tasting, the main course was definitely a favourite for us both.

Related: 24 Hours in Park Lane — A guide to Mayfair’s finest shopping destinationThen came time for dessert, and like the rest of our culinary experience, it did not disappoint. We tried the purple potato and chocolate dishes on the menu, with purple potato being the absolute star of the show. The purple potato ice cream — something that you wouldn’t really think would work — just melted in your mouth and it was perfectly paired with the coffee cream and candied potatoes.

We were also treated to some bite sized dessert snacks to go with our coffees, and both of us had a clear favourite. One of the snacks was a tiny ball filled with milk and white chocolate, and as soon as we bit into it, it burst and melted instantly, creating an explosion of flavour that was to die for. It was the perfect cherry on top of our incredible dining experience.As we made our way out of the restaurant later in the evening, we couldn’t help but marvel at the kind staff, the simplistic grandeur of the hotel and the restaurant and the genuinely incredible food. As two people who are more than familiar with the hospitality scene in Asia, we both agreed that Mauro Colagreco is a restaurant that can deliver an experience that is on par with the standards of their Asian counterparts.

If you’re looking for a restaurant that lives up to the prestige of its location and the Michelin starred chef that owns it, Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London is the place for you. Here, you will find some of the best hospitality the industry has to offer, sustainably sourced and personalised dishes that will leave you wanting more and an experience to cherish and remember for a long time. 

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