Dovetale Summer Terrace, 1 Hotel Mayfair in London / By Natasha Heard / Publisher LLM Reporters

When the oppressiveness of London on a stifling summer’s day hits, there’s only one thing to do: escape. And when you can’t leave the city, you’ll have to find another way to transport yourself.

A great thing about luxury London hotels and their top restaurants are the terraces that some of them are bestowed with – the perfect antidote to the stuffy scenes of London.

Michelin-level meals in the open air with great food and cocktails to boot – it’s relaxed fine dining at its best.

Sitting inside the sustainability focused 1 hotel Mayfair, with its cool brown interiors and smartly dressed staff, is two-Michelin starred chef Tom Sellers’s Dovetale restaurant, and just for the summer guests can choose to take their meals al fresco and dine on the stylish terrace.

Commandeered by top tequila brand Casamigos, this partnership sees cool Montauk-esque interiors blend with a special menu, boasting the same great quality as Dovetale’s typical fare, with the sophistication of the suited and booted staff and the fun of the ‘build your own margarita’ concept alongside the margarita trolley adding a little flair to proceedings.

Chic, coastal décor invites patrons to relax and be transported to the shores of Montauk

The terrace is the more relaxed, easy-going version of Dovetale, and while the restaurant’s usual menu is available to dine on here, patrons are also invited to choose from the summer terrace menu.

The food choices are carefully selected to complement the theme of the terrace – ‘From Montauk to Mayfair’ – which is decked out in a chic living room style with comfortable mid-century-style seating and armchairs to encourage diners to relax from start to finish.

At one end there’s a fireplace surrounded by slim shelves which are festooned with shells, books, vases and a message in a bottle, alongside framed pictures of seaside-inspired art to evoke a sense of ease and allow you forget for a moment that you’re in central London.

The shelves, ornaments and artwork sit upon a wall adorned with rustic wooden boards, while large vases filled with pampas grass, ropes and a wooden boat, aptly named ‘Casamigos’ complete the chic coastal décor.

Once you’re seated, you are handed a card which invites you to pick your tequila (Casamigos Blanco, Reposado or Mezcal), sorbet (sweet strawberry, fresh apricot, zesty lime), garnish (lime salt, ugly berry salt, tajin) and something to ‘top it off’ (popping candy, coconut flakes, mint). On this rather fiery day in the capital, I opted for a refreshing Blanco, zesty lime, lime salt and mint concoction, which was then crafted at the knickerbocker station. My choice turned out to be a very refreshing, lip-smackingly good and well-recommended, option.

Frozen Margaritas are order of the day at Dovtale’s summer terrace in partnership with Casamigos

In no time at all l was sipping on my sweet frozen marg, and the next step was to choose from the tasty selection of foods on the terrace menu.

The menu has been created specially for the summer season and aims to bring a taste of the US Atlantic coast straight to your table, or rather, momentarily transport you away from the streets of London.

Choose from seafood options consisting of six or 12 oysters with lemon and Tabasco; tuna tartare ‘gazpacho’; and a Scottish lobster spicy roll with Dovetale fries.

Meat options consist of a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with avocado, hot honey sauce and pickles; and a wagyu cheeseburger with smoked pickles and thousand island dressing.

There are a choice of two salads – house cobb salad with chicken, crispy turkey bacon, chargrilled corn, avocado, egg, blue cheese dressing; or grilled peaches burrata with rocket, pistachio and white balsamic.

Add a side of Dovetale fries and finish, if you wish, with a slice of baked American cheesecake, which is paired with a seasonal compote.

The lobster roll is a winning dish

One glance at the lobster roll on the menu and I couldn’t look anywhere else; a glossy, toasted brioche bun was filled with a generous portion of lobster in a gently spiced, and very flavoursome, sauce on a bed of shredded lettuce and topped with a complementary garnish of parsley, chervil and tarragon leaves.

The quality of the lobster roll was fantastic and was only elevated with the serving of a hefty helping of crispy, salty fries on the side.

This proved to be a winning plate of food indeed and my guest agreed with her choice of the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich.

She described the chicken as being the perfect combination of being nice and crispy on the outside with the meat inside proving to be moist and tender. She felt that the hot honey sauce was a nice addition, and was perfectly complemented by the cool avocado which added a refreshing element.

A buttermilk fried chicken sandwich is served with avocado, hot honey sauce, pickles and fries

We both couldn’t resist the sound of the dessert and so happily tucked into our baked cheesecake.

It was a fresh and fruity end to the meal with the sharp compote cutting through the cheesecake well and adding the perfect splash of colour and flavour to the dish. It’s safe to say that we were two very happy diners, with the generous portion sizes filling us up and ready to head back out in the world with gusto.

The meal went down very well indeed and was a perfect late afternoon visit before we popped off to check out a new musical in the nearby West End.

In a nutshell

The perfect antidote to the city’s heatwave, Dovetale’s summer terrace is the perfect pick for a lazy afternoon sipping on frozen margs and tucking into the finest coastal-casual-chic cuisine you might find on the streets of London.

Factbox

Book your table and enjoy the summery coastal vibes until August 31^st.

Address: 3 Berkeley Street, London, W1J 8DL
Tel: 02031374983
Email: reservations.dovetalelondon@1hotels.com
Website: 1hotels.com