The opening of Hide in Mayfair will herald the arrival one of the biggest restaurant wine lists in London...
The restaurant, opening Tuesday 17 April, is owned by Yevgeny Chichvarkin and Tatiana Fokina of luxury wine shop Hedonism.
It has a regular wood-bound list of 450 wines but customers will have access to the full 6,500-bin Hedonism wine list via ipads at a modest mark-up of £30 a bottle.
If they choose a wine it can be delivered within approximately 12 minutes, though they can also call in the wines in advance and have them chilled or decanted for their arrival.
Although the Russian-owned shop is famous for its glitzy interior Fokina is at pains to stress the list is affordable.
‘I can’t bring myself to pay some of the prices that are currently charged in restaurants,’ she said.
‘Our aim is to make sure that on every section of the list there is something below £50. Our entry level red and white are £28 and £5 for a glass.’
There are 65 wines available by the glass, and the wine list includes a range of bottle sizes, including magnums, double magnums and half bottles, said Fokina.
Another draw will be the food which is masterminded by one of London’s most exciting chefs, Ollie Dabbous, who has been without a permanent base since his eponymous restaurant closed in July 2017.
The three floor property on Piccadilly occupies the site formerly owned by the Lebanese restaurant Fakhreldine and includes a basement bar ‘Below’ which stocks over 400 spirits and liqueurs and a vast walk-in air-conditioned cellar.
There is a casual dining room ‘Ground’ with an in-store bakery on the ground floor which will also be open for breakfast and tea and a fine dining restaurant on the first floor ‘Above’ which will serve Dabbous signature tasting menu.
The director of wine, who heads a 12 strong team of sommeliers, is Polish-born Piotr Pietras MS, formerly of Launceston Place though all the purchasing is done through Alastair Viner, head buyer at Hedonism.
Hide is at 85 Piccadilly and opens 7 days a week from Tuesday April 17th 2018.
Fiona Beckett is a Decanter contributing editor and chief restaurant reviewer.
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