Isabel restaurant review: a feast for the eyes

There are few restaurants that have you trying on half your wardrobe before you go out because you don’t want to be upstaged by the waiting staff. But then, there are few restaurants like Isabel in Mayfair.

Chilean banker turned restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz’s latest London eatery has been open less than a year, but is already a regular fixture on the celebrity scene, with the likes of Princess Beatrice, Robert Pattinson, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender among those spotted on Albemarle Street.

Step inside and you quickly see why. Down a sleek, wooden hallway lies a golden palace of a dining room. The décor is a seductive mix of chinoiserie and Art Deco, rich golds and dark Macassar ebony, all lit by 300 brass lamps that hang over the central square bar.

Impressively, it was designed by Santa Cruz himself, using fabrics mostly sourced in the UK.

 “My inspiration was Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor,” he tells Portfolio. “That and the great ocean liners of the 1920s and 30s.”

It is not only the room that shines. Our fellow diners appear to have stepped out of the pages of Tatler, while the waiting staff swish around in Johanna Ortiz.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere is relaxed and inclusive. “All my clients are special and deserve their privacy,” says our waitress Vanya, when I ask for the dirt on the most famous people she’s served.  

Settled down with perfectly crafted cocktails, we are talked through the menu, also designed by Santa Cruz and based on sharing plates – think tapas, only more refined.

“The menu is inspired by the places I have lived or like to spend time – Chile, Argentina, Switzerland, the US, Spain and Italy,” he says. “I find the idea of sharing fun, but people can choose their own dishes if they prefer not to share.”

Also loving the idea of sharing was our sommelier Adam. Indeed, he says, it is “exciting” to try and match the ideal wine to suit a mix-and-match menu. Instead of recommending the wine to the food, he asks our mood, what we fancy drinking tonight rather than what is the “correct” wine to have. He comes up with a beautifully crisp Wild Boy Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, which finally overcomes my dislike of this grape (born, it must be said, from drinking nothing else in the early Noughties).

Following Vanya’s advice, we chose four plates to start with, the highlight of which was the mini take on a pizza –  a slim, crispy gluten-free base topped with goat’s cheese, red onion and watercress – and a deliciously tasty beetroot cured salmon.

While happily agreeing to share vegetables for our main course – although there was some fighting over the crisp potato rostï – there was no way my meltingly wonderful braised beef short rib with its rich, lick-the-plate-clean red sauce was going anywhere else. My guest, however, was rather disappointed with the selection of salsas to go with her fillet steak and glared jealously at my choice.

Any resentment disappeared after dessert – a creamy dulce de leche fondant together with a rich chocolate gateau – followed by a trip to style heaven: the incredible toilets.  Each room features unique handpainted De Gourney wallpaper. The assistant didn’t need to ask twice if we wanted to check each one out. We did. With photos. 

After dinner, guests can continue the party downstairs, where a cosy “after hours” bar and dancefloor awaits.

There is only one question Portfolio has still waiting to be answered. Isabel was named after Santa Cruz’s grandmother – are Britain’s great and good dining on her recipes?

“I don’t think she ever cooked anything at all!” says Santa Cruz. “But she was a formidable organiser so food at her house was always delicious.”

After a night at Isabel, it’s fair to say she would approve.

Isabel, 26 Albemarle St, Mayfair, London