I want to admit right off that I am not objective about Labombe. I’ve been a Trivet regular since 2020, and I’ve gotten to like and admire Jonny and Isa. I’ve been talking with them about their vision for Labombe and acting as a willing guinea pig for recipes for a couple of years. I am rooting for its success. And I knew it was going to be good before I set foot inside. Which is why I rushed to make a booking for its second night. I wanted to get in early.
And I’m pleased to tell you that, happily, it exceeded my most optimistic expectations. Labombe features some of the best food that I’ve had in the last 18 months.
You should book and try it for yourself. You’ll love it. I promise.
And you might enjoy its origin story: Long before Trivet, before his time at the Fat Duck, before he met genius sommelier Isa Bal, Jonny Lake was a 13 year-old student in Canada where he developed the Labombe idea as part of a class project. Though, in a nod to the importance of his later partnership with Isa, he left the drinks out of the original submission. Jonny entirely forgot about the idea for about 40 years, but found the exercise book hiding at his parents’ house. The rest, as they say, is history.
While Jonny and Isa are the founders and forces behind Labombe, they are handing the day-to-day over to another impressive duo: head Chef Evan Moore and Head Sommelier Philip Reinstaller. Moore, another Canadian, was most recently head chef at Dinner by Heston. Reinstaller also did a stint at Dinner then wound up at Mauro Colagreco in Raffles, where he was named UK Sommelier of the Year in 2024.
Jonny spent two years testing recipes for Labombe on Monday nights at Trivet. But the menu reflects Moore’s strong influence, as well. And the food reflects the understated, unswerving dedication to excellence that both Jonny and Moore share.
The menu is fantastic. Hidden in the bottom left corner is a list of bar snacks, and any Labombe journey should begin there.
Happily, the list features Jonny’s “Hot tongue bun,” which I experienced at Trivet on my very first visit in November 2019. I was with two friends. We had been out for a long lunch and were, shall we say, a little tipsy. We had a few more glasses of wine in Trivet’s bar, and ate about seven tongue buns. They are truly among my favourite ever dishes anywhere, and definitely the best thing I have ever eaten on bread.
There is also a “Grilled Duck Heart & Cherry Skewer,” which turned out to be simple perfection. The heart was packed with flavour thanks to the addition of a little crudo and the full treatment on the restaurant’s centrepiece: A bespoke, wood-fired Ox Grill. Paired with a juicy Pinot Noir from California’s Sonoma Coast, it was a highlight of my week.
Then there was a “King Oyster Gilda.” I only ordered this because both Jonny and our server recommended it, and I’m so glad they did. At a time when Gilda seem to be on every menu, this was several tiers better than any I’d had before. The mushroom was lightly fried. The pepper was pleasantly spicy.
Moving to proper starters, the highlight was “Farinata” — a chickpea flour pancake cooked over the wood fire, then topped with an array of cheese and perfectly toasted breadcrumbs. DIY mortadella was served alongside for an extra punch.
There was also extraordinary pate en croute, handmade by charcuterie artist George Jephson.
But the surprise was “Wild Mushroom Pici,” which was also a recommendation from our server. A thick hand rolled pasta from Tuscany paired with the deepest mushroom sauce I’ve ever encountered. It wasn’t just a flavour. It was like being immersed in every facet of the mushrooms’ essence.
Mains included “Sweetbreads Grenobloise” and a simple bavette, from Txuleta, who specialises in imported Basque beef. It was gorgeous and perfectly cooked, though perhaps slightly smaller than we were expecting.
The sweetbreads were next level. Grenobloise is a lemon, caper, and brown butter sauce, poured liberally over the sweetbreads and a couple of slices of homemade bread. It was a rich bowl of buttery goodness, sure to make a cardiologist blush.
Desserts started with “Warm Hazelnut & Manjari Cake.” This was basically a fondant stuffed with runny hazelnut instead of chocolate, and it was stunning. We spent ten minutes talking about how beautiful it is to eat Hazelnuts when they are done so well.
We also tried the Creme Caramel as a level-setter. Its level was outstanding.
The vibe at Labombe was similarly fantastic. One of my favourite things about Trivet is that feels like a neighbourhood spot. Labombe similarly feels like a neighbourhood place, if your neighbourhood is Park Lane. It isn’t stuffy, and I would be perfectly comfortable sitting at the bar, eating a few Gilda, and drinking a glass of wine or three. And there’s a great section overlooking the busy world outside through a picture window.
The final aspect of Labombe that we must cover is the wine.
Isa and Reinstaller have developed a completely fresh concept for it. In short, there are two lists — an A list and a B list. As Isa told Nick Lander:
The former is the collection of wines we currently find exciting for everyday drinking, including several from Georgia, Armenia, Greece and Türkiye, my home country. The second, B list, is because so many fascinating wine-producing areas begin with the letter b: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello. Also, Jonny and I agree that with the increase in the cost of wines, wine represents a larger part of everybody’s dinner bill, so there are 150 wines on the list under £100 and 280 under £150. Plenty by the 125-ml glass, too.
This sort of sounds like heaven to me. During our visit, we enjoyed a couple of glasses of fantastic Chablis at the bar, then got through a couple of bottles of Pinot Noir and an Auslese Riesling. All were outstanding. And both lists are, of course, full of stunning wines at any price point.
And that might be the best reason to make Labombe a regular haunt for your professional lunches. You can have a great meal in a comfortable atmosphere with a stunning bottle of wine, and still get the bill past your FD.
Actually, that’s stupid. The best reason is make Labombe a regular haunt is because it’s great in every respect. And it’s a superb choice for a professional lunch or dinner.
Quick hit: Unqualified commitment to excellence in everything food, drinks, service, and space.
Details: Booking recommended. Mayfair / Park Lane. £££.
Restaurant website. More on Instagram.
Find it on Google Maps. 19 Old Park Lane, W1K 1LB.
Thanks for reading this week’s review. Whats’s your favourite spot in Mayfair? Tell me in the Comments. And please subscribe if you haven’t already.