Is Mayfair's The Cocochine the Inspired Restaurant Missing From Your Hotlist?

Seen from the outside, The Cocochine could be many things. The glazed, tomato-red shade of its façade's precise tiling immediately roots the restaurant in the spirited and increasingly sophisticated gastropub scene of London — where it opened in March 2024 — and the UK as a whole. The scarlet, gold, and wood, along with the crafty canework of its exterior, give off an Asian-inspired vibe, while the discreet cafe curtains visible from the street and the lack of a browsable menu often have "mistaken The Cochine for a private members' club," I am told while stopping off for lunch at the eatery on an unusually warm, early March afternoon. Even before actually stepping inside the restaurant, situated in a four-story, brick-walled mews house in the quiet Bruton Place, a stone's throw from Berkeley Square and the bustle of Bond Street, visitors are already teased with multiple, contrasting stories. And that, I later find, is precisely the point.

A joint venture co-led by Tim Jefferies, the owner of the nearby photography gallery Hamiltons, and Sri Lankan-born chef Larry Jayasekara, who trained under some of Britain and France's most respected culinary innovators, including Marcus Wareing, Alain Roux, and Michel Bras, and previously served as the Head Chef of Gordon Ramsey's modern French fine dining hotspot Pétrus in Belgravia, The Cocochine is where they meet in the middle, and one of the best restaurants in London.

The Mayfair eatery gets its bold, eclectic art collection from Jefferies, whose star-studded gallery has exhibited anyone from fashion photography pioneers like Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, and Irving Penn to portraiture legend Annie Leibovitz, groundbreaking street photographer Daidō Moriyama, and prolific contemporary image-maker Paolo Roversi, alongside an unusually personal name ('cocochine' is an affectionate moniker he has for his daughter).

Raised in a rural village in Sri Lanka, Jayasekara comes in with an uncompromising commitment to the finest seasonal ingredients (the restaurant sources the majority of its produce and livestock from regenerative mixed farmland in Northamptonshire and the seas embracing Scotland's Tanera Mòr, with small batch, single-origin chocolate from Suffolk and preservative-free coconut cream from his homeland serving as the cherry on top) and worldly culinary flair. Together, they have grown The Cocochine into a destination for true aesthetes, whether you are looking to indulge in a painstakingly crafted food experience or surround yourself with works of influential art, photography, and design masters.

Imbued with a mazy feel, the space comprises a 28-seat dining room, a subterranean, Bond villain lair-style wine cellar scrupously curated by Head Sommelier Masahito Suzuki (he locked the door whilst we were inside of it, to give you an idea of just how precious it is), a kitchen so sleek you'd be able to look at yourself in it, a seven-cover chef's counter on the first floor, and an art collector-worthy penthouse fitting up to 14 guests on its higher level. Upon entering, I am instantly reminded of the level of detail that went into its realization.

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From the generous amount of space left between tables in the main room, which allows diners to have a nearly unobstructed view of the beautifully framed prints hung all around, as well as granting extra privacy, to the leather-clad handrails guiding them to the discovery of its other floors, at The Cocochine, design isn't simply about aesthetic — it's about making visitors feel welcomed, cocooned, and entertained. As hinted by the wood, marble, and leather surfaces that dress its dining room in a nod, it seems, to traditional French brasseries, and by its suffused, retro-fueled lighting, it is also about taking visitors back in time, or to another dimension altogether.

The latter occurs as they move from the ground to the first floor, where a custom-made floor mosaic, depicting two entangled snakes, inspired by an exhibition of Swiss photographer Guido Mocafico at Hamiltons Gallery, feeds into the movement of the abuzz chef's counter. Nestled in the beating heart of The Cocochine, this is where magic happens, and encircled by captivating abstract and figurative paintings, diners can watch it unfold while savoring their choice of pre-dinner drinks and canapés, or a single course paired with a glass of wine (it also makes the perfect setting for more intimate occasions).

But if there's a standout to The Cocochine, it ought to be its sweeping private dining room. Extending across the entire top floor, this lofty, eclectic restaurant addition, equipped with its very own kitchen and bookable for both exclusive, bespoke dining experiences and professional gatherings, is blessed by sunshine thanks to the three vaulted skylights that dot its coffered ceiling. It is here, in a former photography studio rumored to have served as the backdrop to hit model Kate Moss's shoots, that the greatest part of the restaurant's enviable art and design collection finds its home, I realize when I spot one of Spanish artist Nacho Carbonell's Light Mesh sculptural lamps in one of its nooks. Made from plaster, sand, and textile hardener, this tree-shaped, see-through light is as primordial in its raw silhouette and unfinished surface as it is hypnotically fantastical, infusing the ambiance with a sense of wonder.

Molding the penthouse into shape is a genre-bending selection of statement pieces, from an expansive, abstract rug in pastel, earthy tones and nostalgic, mid-century shearling sofas and armchairs to Brutalist, black marble coffee tables decorated with iconic photography monographs. Currently, the wall art includes a four-part, ballpoint pen-on-paper mesmerizing composition by Arte Povera pioneer Alighiero Boetti, western Australian Aboriginal artist Alec Mingelmanganu's hauntingly enigmatic Wanjina (Austral Gothic) ochre painting, developed on eucalyptus bark, and Torso (2000), a fascinating cyanotype rendition of a fractured marble by contemporary American photographer John Dugdale.

Hung in the other rooms of The Cocochine are equally striking masterpieces, including Irving Penn's Three Poppies, Arab Chief, New York, 1969, a photograph attesting to the image-maker's vigorous talent for still life, Helmut Newton's legendary black-and-white portrait of actress and Tiffany jewelry designer Elsa Peretti in a bunny costume, shot on the roof of a NYC skyscraper in 1975 and since gone down in history, Japanese artist's Ida Yukimasa bronze sculpture, Basquiat (2019), and more era-defining shots by Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, and Hiro, among others. In other words, eating at this Mayfair hotspot is like dining in an art gallery — only the food remains, despite the fierce competition, the undiscussed protagonist.

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From the delicate nuttiness of the whipped truffle butter served along entrées and the sweet-and-sour, revitalizing freshness of the oscietra caviar-topped, Japanese otoro tuna to the stewy deliciousness of Jayasekara's Sri Lankan line-caught red mullet, lobster, langoustine, cuttlefish, and bouillabaisse seafood combo — an explosion of textures and flavors that will transport you to a sun-filled beach — and Pastry Chef Aubin Farges' skillfully assembled, moon-shaped poached Yorkshire rhubarb, blood Orange, white chocolate, and yoghurt sorbet dessert, The Cocochine's culinary offering is just as multifaceted, vibrant, and daring as its in-house collection.

Much like the pieces on display in the restaurant, which vary to match different moods and inspirations, the menu too is ever-changing, incorporating notes the Head Chef gathered during his worldwide travels, as well as reflecting his most current preoccupations.

Eternally on the lookout for the next big thing, whether from a gastronomic or an artistic perspective, The Cocochine, which also runs The Rex Delicatessen — a quirkily atmospheric all-day cafe that turns into a British bistro at night — is destined to continue morphing. Who knows what will come next?

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