London
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught
Why we point you here
Chef Hélène Darroze brought the flavors of her native southwest France to a Mayfair grand hotel — and made the dining room warm and unstuffy rather than starchy.
A fourth-generation chef from Les Landes, below Bordeaux, Chef Hélène Darroze cooks her heritage at The Connaught: foie gras, Espelette pepper (there are little pots of it on the tables), and Armagnac from her own family, folded together with ideas gathered on her travels, like lobster with tandoori spices. The room, redesigned by Pierre Yovanovitch in soft blush and pale wood, is deliberately cosy for a place at this level — the opposite of a hushed temple. Don't skip the signature Baba dessert, served with a choice of Armagnacs from her brother Marc. Named the World's Best Female Chef in 2015, she earned the restaurant's third Michelin star in 2021. A grand London occasion that somehow still feels like dinner at a friend's.
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