I loved the first Picture; a restaurant on Great Portland Street serving attractively presented small plates. It helped that the 3 chaps who own it, Colin and Alan (in the kitchen) and Tom (front of house), are all really nice blokes. It was great then to see they were opening a second Picture, this time in Marylebone.
It’s a simple dining room with white walls and a hint of exposed brick and a few fancy light shades. The atmosphere was chilled and, much like you might expect for the area, filled with wealthy locals.
As they were having a soft opening, and I am partial to a soft opening me, we took advantage of the 50% off food by ordering the 6 course tasting menu (£40).
The food was impressively good and surprisingly, as can often be the case with multi course meals, there were no duds. It started with a chilled red pepper soup which was perfect given the muggy weather. Charred cauliflower was next; a light dish made lighter by peas and sea purslane. It’s not often a plate of vegetables can really excite me but this was lush.
Lightly smoked pork was served with a mustardy potato salad. The slice of pig had a crisp exterior with little pockets of soft fat which was heavenly. A thick chunk of stone bass with peppers, tomatoes, aubergine and courgettes was a taste of the Mediterranean. 28 day aged bavette was a gloriously fatty piece of beef, with a texture similar to wagyu, cooked exquisitely.
Cheese, from La Fromagerie round the corner, was an extra £9 for 3. Our favourite was the Tunworth which is always a crowd pleaser. And talking of pleasers, dessert was dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel; totally indulgent and just the right amount of “mmmm” to finish.
Service was sweet and efficient and considering they’ve only been open a week, it had the vibe of a restaurant that had been nestled into the neighbourhood for a lifetime. So it looks like the lovely folk of Marylebone are very lucky indeed to add Picture to their already brilliant local restaurant scene.
Would we go back? Yes.