Review: Sabor, Mayfair

After a couple of false starts, we finally got around to eating at Sabor and I’m very glad we did! Showing up at 12 on a weekday turns out to be just fine now, whereas I think there was more queuing a couple of years back when Sabor was the exciting new kid on the block.

The heart of the place is a long marble kitchen counter, behind which the chefs are busy and the Josper grill is growling and spitting sparks. But in a unique twist, we sit not perched high on bar stools but in perfectly comfortable chairs. Chairs at a kitchen counter, eh? What wizardry is this! And thus, befitting its Michelin star, we can relax into a comfortable two hours of splendid Spanish food and a couple of glasses of good wine.

We start with a piquillo pepper stuffed with goat cheese. Hardly unexpected, except this specimen has been battered in a beautifully crisp tempura shell and drizzled with honey, making it gorgeous to eat; a sweet crunch with the oozing hum of goat cheese beneath. Our second bite is a dish of well-scorched kalettes draped with slivers of papada Iberica – fat from the cured jowl of the pig – scattered with crunchy Jerusalem artichoke crisps, a nice mix of smoky brassica and pork flavours.

Next up, a personal favourite whenever I get the chance, arroz negro. This was as good as I’ve ever had, the rice perfectly al dente and the richly marine flavour of the squid in every mouthful. Three good nuggets of battered monkfish made a great centrepiece, and a bite of that paired with the lush aioli and inky rice was heavenly. Alongside this we picked a salad of tomato and ventresca tuna. Perhaps the time of year, but I didn’t find the tomatoes very good on flavour or texture.

Dish of the day probably has to go to the tortilla. I had to think hard before ordering such a weird pairing as tortilla with Devon crab and prawn aioli, but it turns out that potato and egg really does pair with everything. Brown crab meat mixed into the middle of the tortilla, cooked perfectly with a firm outside and lusciously oozing interior, was very delicious. But the real taste explosion was the prawn aioli, absolutely snarling with the flavour of roasted prawn shell. All together a really great dish. Last plate up was lamb sweetbread, garnished with crisply fried leaf. The sweetbreads were small and beautifully firm, in an elegant gravy that didn’t overpower them. Very lovely.

Shout out to our shared dessert: goat cheese ice cream with liquorice sauce. The ice cream was unashamedly goaty and beautiful, the sauce was sweetly liquorice and an inspired pairing. We spent about £65 each before drinks, and given that we shared all six dishes I’d say we’ve had many six-course tasting menus that cost more and delivered much less! Sabor instantly becomes a new favourite, albeit for slightly more special occasions.