After putting Putney Bridge restaurant on the map, chef Anthony Demetre moved into Soho with Arbutus and later opened Wild Honey with even greater success.

The Venue
In the premises of a former club, Wild Honey is all wood panels, beautiful mouldings on the walls and even an original fireplace. It still has the feeling of a very chic club but without the pomposity that goes with such places. It is opposite St George’s church, Hanover Square, off the beaten track but not too far from the shopping hell that is Oxford and Regent Streets. It’s worth a detour to seek it out for a very civilised meal.

The Atmosphere
The menu is serious stuff indeed. Imagination plays a large part in the list of dishes on offer so that Wild Honey attracts a clientele that knows what it is eating and one that will not put up with second best. If you are not prepared to be surprised, then Wild Honey may not be for you, but if you appreciate something extraordinary and unpredictable there is much to enjoy here. All ingredients are fresh and seasonal.

The Food
The a la carte menu has starters from £6.95 to £12.95, mains from £17.95 to £23.95, with desserts at £6.95 or £7.95. Begin with fresh hand-rolled macaroni with crisp boneless chicken wings, peas and lemon thyme, a delicious if unusual mixture. The salad of heritage beetroots is a triumph with fresh goat’s curd, while the chilled English pea soup with vegetables and creme fraiche is a stupendously refreshing treat.

Mains might include lamb shoulder Greek style, slow-cooked Herefordshire beef which falls apart at the touch of a knife, salmon trout with Swiss chard, or coquelet, a young roasted chicken served with a warm salad of quinoa, young shoots and herbs – succulence on a plate. Desserts are just as spectacular: raspberry Pavlova, wild honey ice cream with crushed honeycomb, melon sorbet and blackcurrants, panna cotta and strawberries, floating island with pink pralines or a warm Provencal cherry clafoutis, a pastry stuffed with fresh cherries, stones and all, with sour cherry ice cream.

The Drink
What is good about Wild Honey is that every wine can be ordered in a third of a bottle (250ml) carafe, which means each diner can choose his or her own favourite tipple. Bottles are priced from £13.50 to £100 with carafes from £5 to £50. There are also some really fine wines hitting the £200 mark, a few rose wines, champagnes and dessert wines. The Torrelongares Spanish white (£14.50 and £5) makes for very pleasant drinking with the fish and the chicken, while in the reds the Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon (£19.50 and £6.50) is robust enough for the Herefordshire beef.

The Last Word
In a world where standards are not always as they should be, it is easy to forget just how good a restaurant can be. Certainly Wild Honey deserves its five stars on every count.

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