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London’s Mayfair may not seem an obvious destination for comfort food, but with the recent opening of Sackville’s – positioned, of course, on Sackville St – it soon will be. However, with Gordon Ramsay’s former sous-chef Wayne Dixon in the kitchen, and fabled mixologist Monica Berg (formally at Pollen St Social) on bar duties – this is no typical home cooking.
The intimate and refreshingly unpretentious space inhabits an old tailor’s shop, which has been lovingly adapted while preserving some of the original features – the basement bar of Sackville’s is crafted from workshop’s original wooden desk. There’s space for around 40 covers, and the menu offers a concise and specialist edit of the world’s finest cuts of beef, flavoured with decadent black truffles sourced from Istria, Croatia. In short, it’s a classic collection of steaks and burgers, (there’s a poussin on the menu, but we recommend sticking to the star offerings) and a fantastic choice of accompaniments.
Dixon uses three cuts of beef: the USDA is marbled and juicy cut from grain-fed cattle, fabled for its tenderness, while the Casterbridge Angus is a grass-fed and 28 day-aged cut with a traditionally mature flavour. Finally, the Wagyu needs little introduction: an exquisite, heavily marbled meat with an unctious texture and deep flavour.
Glass dove headfirst into the menu with a sharing pate of incredibly flavoursome slivers of USDA beef carpaccio, sliced impossibly thin for a lighter-than-air texture – a perfect warm-up. Next, we sampled the burgers. Although the “gourmet” burger concept may be the most overused dining gimmick of the past year, it’s fair to say that Sackville’s has truly raised the bar. Our favourite was the Fat Pat – a perfect combination of Angus and Wagyu patties, sandwiched in a truffle-infused brioche bun with tomato relish, peppery pancetta and oozing emmental: the search for that perfect London burger ends here.
The side dishes are similarly nap-inducing, but not to be missed: while the truffle fries are great, the impossibly creamy mac and cheese is the must-try – a childhood favourite, elevated to grown-up new heights via generous shavings of earthy truffle. Finally, in the unlikely event that you have any room left for dessert, opt for the fantastic tequila lime pie, which comes topped with salted popcorn.
Out evening ends with a brilliant encounter with the maître d, Jesus, who promptly encourages us to try a shot of his “water” – it’s truffle-infused vodka, of course. When we asked him to sum-up Sackville’s, he replies, simply: “it’s comfort food, but the very best comfort food” – and we wholeheartedly agree.
by Roberta Lister
Sackville’s 8a Sackville Street, Mayfair London W1S 3DF
Tel: 020 7734 3623