Peter Emrys-Roberts
“Beauty is only skin deep.” It’s a mantra held by many of London’s most esteemed restaurants. The idea is that the food should be God, and anything else is but a distraction, as typified by the spartan interiors of St. John (of which I am an apostle), which act as a neutral backdrop for their cuisine. So it was with some caution that I entered Amazónico to celebrate their 5th birthday, fearing it might be the triumph of style over substance.
You see, it is a lavishly designed space – artist Lázaro Rosa-Violán has created a full-on assault on the senses where every customer touchpoint is dialled up to the max. It’s an extraordinary journey, and it all starts with the interior. A tightly curated and multi-layered cacophony of plants, materials, and textures, dextrously illuminated, with enough speakers that the music is never too loud nor too soft.
The evening began with cocktails, and I let Yanek, their mixologist, call the shots. First, an Amazon Negroni that includes a splash of pineapple and sesame bitters. Loved it. Then, a cocktail he composed using a list of ingredients I couldn’t hope to note down at the time, but suffice it to say it was fabulous and totally tropical.
The private dining room hosting the event was at the back of this labyrinthine and vast space, affording us a glimpse of the numerous areas that ebbed and changed, exploring variations of their theme, which is tropical South American. In one area, a live band played Cuban salsa, a DJ was playing what could only be described as Latin House in another, and there was a pianist in the last room. It was a Monday night, yet the restaurant (with just shy of 300 covers) was pretty full, and the staff we encountered were at the top of their game. Charming and attentive, present yet invisible.
Some 20 of us were treated to a menu of sharing plates that went on and on. Here are the highlights:
Starting with canapés: crab on spicy cassava cake with tomatillo sauce, then Toro tuna tartare with coconut and Baerii Vintage caviar, and last, pulled pork on crispy plantain with achiote seeds. Each was as prettily presented as they were bursting with flavour.
The middle courses included stone bass ceviche with avocado cream and jalapeño, which was gorgeous, as was the messy but delicious Ensalada Amazónico, combining mango, avocado, confit tomato, and kalamansi citrus. And the Nigiri was as good as it gets.
The mains, again delivered to us for sharing, included a grilled Cornish red bream served with lightly battered bites of the same laid on its belly and Amazónico XO sauce. The grilled fish was great, the fried less so. Their skirt steak marinated in chimichurri was tender and full of flavour, and they nailed the pulpo, served as one entire tentacle. But for me, the one dish I would take away was the wagyu steak. Cut off a giant skewer in front of us, it was beautifully rare and wonderfully charred. I could eat it all day.
There were two desserts, and I loved that neither was overly sweet: white pepper ganache, orange gel, and chamomile ice cream.
Holistically, it proved to be a wonderful evening. Yes, it is delivered at a hefty price point, but if this is what you’re looking for, it’s unlikely anyone can match it in London at this point.
Amazónico ,10 Berkeley Square, W1J 6BR
