Department stores generally have an old fashioned dusty connotation but London’s Selfridges offers so much more than your bog-standard shopping emporium as one of its newest ventures – courtesy of Richard Caring’s Caprice Holdings – proves.
On walking into the Brasserie of Light on the first floor you’re transported away from the bright lights of the shop floor to an enchanting world of flying bejewelled horses (Damien Hirst’s 24-foot jewel-encrusted creation dominates the main dining space) and cool club beats.
Think a shiny chocolate box crossed with a fairground carousel ride, with a scattering of sophisticated bling added into the mix and you get the Brasserie of Light.
On entering the eatery, you might just forget about the shopping tasks you had in mind, as you’re enticed to wine, dine and be merry by staff members dressed in funky studded silk-effect waistcoats.
Galloping down to the spot on a Wednesday evening with a friend we took a spot at the bar before being transferred to a corner booth.
The place instantly put us in a good mood with its warm ambiance, filled with chatter, music and clinking glasses.
On that note, I kicked things off with an Absolut vodka olive martini while my friend Aysha perused the gin and tonic menu. In the end she went for the ‘wild’, which came with a delicious pink peppercorn and pomelo tonic.
Moving to the food we indulged in quite an eclectic spread.
The menu features an appetising mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, so we decided to mix things up a little.
To start we went for a shared portion popcorn shrimp – Aysha had spied a chap at the bar eating this and thought it looked good.
We paired this with some bread, butter and herbed black Provence olives.
Opting to go vegetarian for main we decided to share a portion of crispy polenta, another featuring chargrilled roast vegetables and to top it off, a side of fries.
Both portion sizes were spot on and so artfully presented, they looked too good to eat.
Thanks to some delicate dissection we steadily made out way through the fun culinary masterpieces.
Realising we had already been sat at dinner for more than two hours we swiftly put in an order for pudding.
Aysha nipped to the bathroom – the pink marble toilets are worth a trip alone!! – and left into me to pick dessert.
Feeling in a little bit of a decadent mood, I went for the intriguing-sounding chocolate bubbles washed down with a warming glass of cognac.
For brownie lovers, the pudding comes highly recommended, as you’ll find gooey pieces of cake submerged in a creamy mouse. It proves to be a very moreish combination!
Overall the Brasserie or Light certainly gives you a warm glow.
It’s fun, fanciful and will get you wanting to go around for another ride.
Brasserie of Light is located at Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, Marylebone, London W1A 1AB
To book a meal visit www.brasserie-of-light.co.uk or call 020 3940 9600
