Lucky Cat Mayfair review: A masterclass in technique, flavour and modern hospitality

He trained under some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Marco Pierre White, Albert Roux, and Guy Savoy.

In 1998, he opened his flagship restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, in London, which later earned three Michelin stars, the highest honour in the culinary world.

But what happens when the golden boy of British dining turns his hand (or knife) to Asian cuisine? Lucky Cat is what happens...

Lucky Cat Mayfair launches new brunch menu

This weekend, I was invited to try the new brunch menu at Lucky Cat in Mayfair, the first of Ramsay’s pan-Asian-inspired restaurants to open globally.

Now with venues in Manchester, Bishopsgate, and Miami, Lucky Cat has become a mecca for famous faces, foodies and socialites searching for a taste of Asia, done the Ramsay way.

The Grosvenor Square restaurant is housed inside the former Maze site in central London (just a stone’s throw from Selfridges). However, with low lighting and art deco-inspired décor, guests are transported to the moody, taboo drinking clubs of 1930s Shanghai.

Of course, this is all part of the plan at Lucky Cat, which offers diners a consistently opulent dining experience from start to finish. The new brunch menu celebrates bold Asian flavours through a cleverly curated selection of sharing dishes.

It starts with two appetisers: Kyoto cucumbers in a sesame dressing and steamed edamame with Maldon salt. This is followed by the chef’s mixed sushi platter featuring the finest and most flavourful fresh fish, served in a variety of ways.

The spicy tuna maki and creamy tartare, served in a tiny prawn cracker, were delightful morsels that showcased real expertise in balancing flavours and texture.

This course also includes unctuous mushroom dumplings with cumin, and Lucky Cat’s signature egg fried rice, which is hand-mixed at the table.

With bright and bold flavours that pack a punch from ginger and chilli, and a clever bit of kitchen wizardry that sees a perfectly poached egg emulsify to create a silky sauce - this is a far cry from your typical takeaway egg fried rice. It is hardly a surprise that it is a menu favourite among staff and customers alike.

The experience then moves into the bottomless bao course, which features three indulgent flavour combinations: tofu & spicy avo, GFC & pickles, and stone bass with Thai chimichurri.

We were also able to sample the bonito fried duck leg bao, which was nothing short of incredible. Although it isn’t part of the set brunch menu, I would highly recommend ordering it as a supplementary dish.

This is the greatest example of Ramsay taking a beloved dish and escalating it to new heights with layer upon layer of flavour and contrasting textures.

Every bite, from the smoky hoisin sauce to the rich, umami confit duck leg, was sublime. I would return to Lucky Cat for this alone.

Another dish, that does not come as part of the brunch but is well worth ordering, is the sweet and sour prawns. Fat, juicy prawns coated in a crispy, bubbly, light-as-air tempura batter and tossed in a vinegary, sweet, acidic sauce with pickled red onion and charred pineapple chunks. They had me giggling with joy.

The brunch ends with the sweetest and tastiest ‘Lucky Lollipops’. One is a rich, tart cherry and chocolate ganache with a light, crispy wafer, and the other is a mouth-watering apple and cinnamon cake that tastes like a bite of autumn (perfect for a drizzly day in London!).

These came with a sweet, smooth and high-quality vanilla ice cream, which was the perfect antidote to a feast of rich food.

So what’s it like to dine at Lucky Cat Mayfair?

If I could sum up my dining experience in five words, it would be “masterclass in technique and flavour.”

You think you’re going for classic Asian food, but you’re met with an extraordinary high calibre of attention to detail from taste to texture.

Each dish is meticulously crafted to ensure the diner has the most excellent possible experience. From mixing the egg-fried rice at the table so it remains dense and velvety through every bite, to creating dishes with polarising textures that please the palate, such as the Benito fried duck leg.

Lucky Cat Mayfair is another example of Ramsay’s culinary excellence and commitment to high-quality hospitality.

Outside of the food, the staff were attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and fun, offering meaningful recommendations and anecdotes about working in the restaurant.

And despite being relatively quiet for a Sunday lunchtime, the restaurant still had the buzz from the ghosts of the night before.

The brunch is priced at £55 per person, with optional bottomless drink pairings available — prosecco or draught beer for £40, signature cocktails for £60, or champagne for £80. And it is worth every penny.

I can’t recommend Lucky Cat Mayfair enough as a destination dining spot for a date or gathering with friends on a Friday night, or as a place for brunch and a catch-up over exquisite food on a Saturday lunchtime.

This is the place that foodies flock to for brunch, and then they talk about it for weeks to come.

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