Inside an exclusive Michelin starred takeover at The Petersham, London

On Wednesday, 30 October, for one night only, Michelin starred restaurant SanBrite took over The Petersham in Covent Garden for a culinary celebration. Chef Riccardo Gaspari presented a unique tasting menu that combines traditional techniques with contemporary flair, drawing from his family farm and rich experience training under the guidance of Massimo Bottura.

SanBrite’s approach to ‘agricucina’ — regenerative cuisine rooted in local, natural ingredients — made it the perfect candidate for the takeover as it shares The Petersham’s commitment to responsibly sourced, organic produce. Each of Riccardo’s dishes featured ingredients sourced directly from his family’s farm, which led to them being awarded a green Michelin star for sustainability.

Related: The Tempus Christmas gift guide 2024 – Advent Calendars“We believe in letting the ingredients speak for themselves”, chef Riccardo explains. “What we create is a harmony with the natural environment, much like The Petersham’s approach. This collaboration is a chance to bring together two different landscapes with a shared love for honest food and sustainable practices.”

As soon as you enter Floral Court, you forget that the hustle and bustle of the busy and touristy Covent Garden is mere footsteps away. Instead, you find The Petersham surrounded by lush gardens and lit up with hundreds of beautiful fairy lights. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a wonderfully refreshing bellini, before we sat down for the main event.

And what an event it was. Our first course was a warm, soothing mushroom broth, complete with a few twigs of rosemary dipped in for the perfect aroma. This was followed by a selection of smoky cold cut ham, which was complimented perfectly with a glass of white wine.However, what followed next became one of my favourite experiences of eating bread and butter. I am a firm believer of the fact that a good spread of bread and butter can make or break an experience. In the case of SanBrite and The Petersham, it most definitely made it. The butter arrived in a beautiful heap that was then portioned into little pieces with a lot of savoir faire.

The accompanying bread tasted delicious with this homemade butter, and made me even more excited for what lay ahead. This gorgeous course was followed by hare marinated in red fruits, jus and pil pil sauce — something I’d never had before. The meat was tender, the jus and sauces married perfectly with the hare and overall, it was a lovely experience for my first time.

Related: Review – Benares Mayfair is London’s definitive Indian fine diningWe then moved on to the spelt ditalini pasta with trout roe and smoked butter. This was one of my favourite courses of the night. Just the perfect medley of lip smacking pasta and rich flavours that make you want to lick your plate clean. Then came the venison that was just impeccable.

Towards the tail end, we were served with a wonderful cheese selection to cleanse our palates before eating one of the more unique desserts I’ve ever had: the corn ice cream with licorice broth. Now personally, I am not the biggest fan of licorice, but coupled with the corn ice cream, the tastes were surprisingly balanced. The dessert was paired with a very tasty and sweet sparkling wine, which made for the perfect end to a lovely meal.

Overall, this Michelin-starred takeover of The Petersham was an incredible experience. SanBrite delivered amazing, top quality Italian food in a beautifully situated restaurant and a wonderful ambiance. The only downside? The fact that it was for one night only, because I’d come back for it again and again.

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