Summer Vibes at Mandarin Oriental’s Hyde Park Garden
Heston Blumenthal’s team has set up on the Mandarin Oriental’s private al-fresco terrace for their final summer. Looking out across the park, Hyde Park Garden reopened last month and runs until September, led by the two-Michelin-starred team behind Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. It is one of the must-visit Knightsbridge summer dining destinations set in a garden that feels like it’s been lifted straight from the English countryside.
The menu is built around Heston’s characteristic blend of historical research and culinary theatre – the inspiration for each dish can be dated. A ‘Compost’ salad drawn from a medieval preservation technique recorded around 1390. ‘Joutes’ from 1430, a savoury custard royale made with bone marrow and cream finished with a rarebit toast, and the famous ‘Meat Fruit’, which dates to around 1500 and arrives looking precisely like a mandarin orange, concealing a chicken liver parfait inside. If you know Dinner, these are the dishes that made its reputation.
New this season is the Chippy Tea, a sharing spread for two that takes Heston’s triple-cooked chips as a starting point, alongside beer-battered haddock, pickled onions, quail eggs, and a lemon posset to finish. The afternoon menu adds scones with clotted cream, served in a garden on a summer afternoon.
There’s a thoughtfully curated rosé wine list from Château d’Esclans, the vineyard behind Whispering Angel. There’s nowhere better in town to enjoy a chilled glass than a relaxed garden in the afternoon sun at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. You’ll find spritz cocktails and non-alcoholic options to complete the list.
The Hyde Park Garden menu is inscribed with a message from Heston himself:
“Welcome to Hyde Park Garden, a restaurant nestled within royal parkland – a place that holds a special meaning for me, having grown up in a small basement flat nearby. For years, those childhood memories lay quietly dormant, until a photoshoot in the park opposite reignited them. During that shoot, I took a moment to pause and absorb the sights, sounds, and sensations around me – and suddenly, it all came flooding back.”
“As a child, Hyde Park was my playground. I got into all sorts of mischief, from sneaking into the boathouse to being fished out of a fountain. So, when you look around, know that this isn’t just a peaceful and picturesque setting, for me, it’s a place brimming with nostalgia and a deep sense of home.”
Hyde Park Garden is open daily for lunch from 12pm-2:30pm and for drinks and light bites from 3pm-8pm, until September. It is also available for private hire. Book ahead here.
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