It takes us a minute to find Amethyst, tucked away in an unassuming, bank-like building on a side street off London’s grand Piccadilly. I might call it a hidden gem, were such hackneyed wording not banned here at The Independent. It’s bound to feel exclusive: this supper club-meets-chef’s table experience seats just 21 guests at a time, along a curious, jaggedly cut communal table. Inlaid with real slabs of amethyst, mottled with seashell-like specks, it faces the unflashy open kitchen like a theatre audience waiting for curtain up.
And the show is ongoing. I arrive with my dining enthusiast sister expecting some edible art conjured up with showmanship, and we’re not disappointed. We’ve saved our appetites for the 12-course (count ’em) tasting menu, dreamt up, crafted and plated by star Italian chef Carlo Scotto – previously of London hit Xier, mentored by Angela Hartnett and formerly of the Michelin-starred Murano and Galvin La Chapelle among others.
Our minimalist banquet, inspired largely by Japanese and Scandinavian cuisine but with flavours from all over the world, kicks off with a glass of Nyetimber English sparkling wine and three instantly intriguing canapes. Each is served on a pebble-smooth dish, often trimmed with something earthy (seeds, hay), creating layers of texture on top of the already captivating gemstone table. We fall silent as we taste each in the recommended order: a croquette topped with truffle shavings is a highlight, as is a sticky-sweet Moroccan briouat filo pastry infused with nettle.
A kindly sommelier pairs wines with the next few courses, each distinct in texture and unusual in flavour combination. We zip to Scandinavia for a snow-pure scallop caviar daubed with salty caviar, earthy Japanese matsutake mushrooms and delicate edible flowers.
A cube of salmon is decorated with flora and infused with rose petals, its sweetness paired boldly with a buttery slick of foie gras. We’re introduced to concepts like mahlab bread, a dense Egyptian bun served with a Jackson Pollock splatter of yellow squash, walnut and fig-leaf puree, painted freehand on to the plate.
Twirls of fresh cavatelli pasta, served with sundried tomato and paprika, is the most traditional this Italian chef gets with his storytelling; the most avant-garde being a lump of coal served in a pool of liquid. On first bite this latter reveals itself to be Scotto’s take on Japanese black cod, burnt-treacly with caramelised miso and sweetened by a dashi broth.
About that “12 courses” claim: some dishes counted here are more like a canapé bite, while the average dish is a restrained size anyway, so don’t worry about starving yourself beforehand. Not everything is a hit, or generously sized: on our visit, a shot glass of “pear, liquorice, rum and maple” tastes only of puréed pear. Wines are well matched, with some new discoveries for us here, too; ours include an orange wine.
What’s good (by which I mean inclusive) about Amethyst’s take on the tasting menu is that options are flexible: you could visit at lunch to snap up a three or five-course menu, or opt for six rather than 12 courses at dinner. Prices range from £55 for the five-course lunch to £150pp for the 12-course dinner. A classic wine pairing costs £155 extra.
With food ticking boxes from arty to delicious, the only thing to accuse Amethyst of is taking itself rather seriously. The chef’s-table room is hushed, the lighting low. You get the feeling the staff are trying hard to weave in and out seamlessly, without disturbing things or pulling focus.
We had fun tasting every interwoven flavour of every dish and admiring the Japan-Scandi ceramics, but it didn’t feel like a place to laugh loudly, clink glasses or chat with fellow patrons (intentionally seated at just enough of a distance to avoid conferring). It felt, really, more like a masterclass in fine-dining cooking and presentation, a learning experience, than a night out – and there’s a place for that. Serious foodies and would-be Masterchefs will adore; those who dine out for buzz and conviviality could look elsewhere.
Still, Mr Scotto never said he wanted to open a hotspot. He has described a mission “to take diners on a culinary journey based on [his] own travels ... with a real mix of flavours and cuisines in every dish”. To that I say: mission accomplished. The interplay of rose petals with salmon, of salty miso with sweet dashi and fig with white chocolate and salt will linger in my mind for some time.
Amethyst, 6 Sackville St, London W1S 3DD | 020 3034 3464 | amethystdining.com
