As soon as you enter the Brasserie of Light, it’s obvious they’ve gone hard on the concept of light and space. Huge east-facing windows overlook Duke Street, just off central London’s Oxford Street, while the ceilings are so high in the dining area that there’s room to suspend a giant, sparkling statue of the mythical flying horse, Pegasus, created by Damien Hirst. With a 30 ft wingspan, the crystal-encrusted statue would dominate a lesser space, but here it’s more a fascinating oddity that is given only a cursory glance by entering diners.
But it’s the Art Deco mirrors and dazzling lights that expand Brasserie of Light beyond its limitations, sitting as it does at the back of the Selfridges department store. Even the corridor to the bathrooms is like stepping into a funhouse hall of mirrors, while the bar and dining area shimmer with gold from wall to ceiling. It skirts garishness but just about leans in towards elegance instead.
Entering up a grand white staircase, accessed via Selfridges’ Duke Street entrance, you are ushered in by courteous staff into a lively room filled with people having a good time. The clientele are well-heeled, or certainly dressed up for the occasion, though the menus do have some very reasonable offerings, particularly for breakfast or on the a la carte menu (served until 5 pm).
The dinner menus are largely seasonal, with some inspired cocktail and food creations for events like fashion week or the recent ‘Brasserie of Fright’ for Halloween. The autumnal menu we chose from also had some timeless classics, such as oysters and champagne or imperial caviar with quail eggs, for those who wish to treat themselves.
Food and Drink at Brasserie of Light
Starting with a couple of their excellent cocktails, our knowledgeable and attentive waitress, Ana, walked us through our options. There was a world menu feel and something to please every taste, with a particular East Asian influence to dishes such as the tuna carpaccio served with mooli and a citrus ponzu, bang bang chicken salad, or the miso black cod.
We opted to start with the oak-smoked salmon with rye bread and the seafood rolls, shiitake mushrooms and edamame beans in a lobster broth. The broth in particular was lovely, with a great balance of salty and sweet. For mains, first, a fine example of a well-cooked, dry-aged rib-eye was served up with American-style fries and a béarnaise sauce (sides are extra), and second a lobster spaghetti with sun-blushed tomatoes and rustic tomato, basil and chilli sauce.
So far, so good. The wine was excellent, Côtes du Rhône always being a safe choice for quality without breaking the bank, and Ana was always on hand to replenish our glasses. The room was buzzing with energy and the Instagrammers were at work snapping shots of themselves, the food, themselves and the food, a few more just to be sure.
It’s always a thrill when the dessert menu has a lot of chocolate options, let’s be honest. ‘Chocolate Bubbles’ runs with this idea, with a feast of Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate, chocolate mousse, brownie, vanilla ice cream and chocolate pearls. The ‘Orbit’ is an interesting option too, basically a chocolate mousse with salted ice cream and honeycomb, but designed to look like moons orbiting a planet, topped with popping candy.
We opted for the Orbit as well as the Golden Apple, which was a sort of tarte tatin with candied pecans, cinnamon streusel (a crumbly topping), vanilla ice cream and a toffee sauce. This takes a little time to cook, but is worth the wait. There is an array of excellent digestifs, but we finished with an espresso before heading off back into Selfridges to pick up a few treats to take home.
Brasserie of Light
400 Oxford Street
Duke Street
London
W1A 1AB
United Kingdom
