Silva Mayfair is having a very good year. The Bruton Place restaurant was listed in the Michelin Guide 2026 and earned Two AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence, and has done so just as it launches an entirely new menu under 29-year-old Head Chef Charlie Dilworth. Charlie arrived most recently from Lita in Marylebone, taking over the kitchen in April alongside new Pastry Chef Phoebe Elsam, previously of 45 Park Lane, Scott’s of Mayfair and Harrods’ Georgian Restaurant. The result is a restaurant that, at just over one year old, is now one of the most interesting places to eat in Mayfair.
The Room
Silva takes its name from the Latin word for forest, and the room makes that clear without labouring the point. Designed by Atelier Wren, the space across two floors uses mixed woods, marble surfaces and trailing foliage to create something that feels warm and considered rather than themed. At 45 covers on the ground floor, it stays intimate even when full. There is an outside terrace for warmer evenings and, upstairs, two private spaces: the Garden Room and the Amber Room, each with its own atmosphere, available for private dining and celebrations. It is the kind of room that you arrive in and immediately feel glad you booked.
The Small Plates
We started with the bread, as you should, because Silva’s sourdough and focaccia with extra virgin olive oil is good enough to make ordering it feel like a good decision immediately.
The Seabream Crudo with Blood Orange, Calabrian Chilli and Cold-Pressed Rapeseed Oil arrived and set the tone for the entire meal. The fish is sliced thin and clean, dressed with care. The Calabrian chilli sits behind the brightness of the blood orange rather than dominating it, and the cold-pressed rapeseed oil carries a grassiness through the whole plate. It is a dish that knows exactly what it wants to do and does it.
Then the Orkney Scallop with Caramelised Tropea Onion and Nduja Butter arrived, and I stopped mid-conversation. One scallop, seared with a proper crust and a yielding centre, sitting in an nduja butter that is fatty, spiced and deeply savoury. The Tropea onion brings a sweetness underneath that stops the heat of the nduja from taking over. It is the kind of small plate that makes you want to order a second round immediately.
We also had the 36-Month Aged Culatello Di Zibello with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sweet and silky. Nothing more needed.
The Starters
Two of Silva’s original signatures remain on the menu and both have earned their place.
The Crispy Egg with Parmesan Foam and Girolles is one of those dishes that sounds like a trick and then completely delivers. You tap through the fried shell and the warm yolk runs into the Parmesan foam below. The girolles bring a deep earthiness that balances everything. It is indulgent and light at the same time, which is genuinely difficult to pull off.
The Cornish Crab Raviolo with Langoustine Sauce and Spinach is the other holdover worth ordering every single time. One generous raviolo, filled with crab, sitting in a langoustine sauce built properly from the shells. It tastes of the sea in the best way.
Charlie’s own additions are where the menu takes a step up. The Native Lobster with Carrot, Smoked Garlic, Cucumber and Bisque was the standout starter of the evening. The bisque is dark, rich and carries a smokiness from the garlic all the way through it. Against that depth, the cucumber lands as something bracingly fresh. The lobster itself is treated simply and correctly, which is the right call when the bisque is this good. It is a beautifully constructed plate.
The White Asparagus with Cacio e Pepe Sauce, Olive and Preserved Lemon is the most unexpected thing on the menu and also one of the most enjoyable. The cacio e pepe sauce, bold and peppery, should not work alongside white asparagus and it does exactly that. The preserved lemon cuts through the richness at the end of every bite and resets you immediately.
The Diced Beef Fillet with Quail’s Egg, Tarragon, Pickled Mustard Seeds and Potato Crisps is precise and considered. Well-seasoned beef, a soft rich quail’s egg, the quiet acidic work of the pickled mustard seeds running through it, and the crunch of the potato crisps in every forkful. 
The Mains
I ordered the Braised Ox Cheek Ragu with Mafaldine, 24-Month Aged Parmesan and Salsa Verde and I am still thinking about it. The ox cheek has been braised until it has fully given itself over to the pasta, coating every ridge of the mafaldine. The 24-month Parmesan grated over the top amplifies the depth of the ragu sharply and savourily. Then the salsa verde cuts through all of that richness and you start the whole thing again from the beginning. It is one of the better pasta dishes being served in London right now.
The Halibut with Orkney Scallop, Whipped Potatoes, Grapes, Chicken Butter Sauce and Sea Herbs was also well executed. The halibut is pale and flaking; the scallop is treated with the same care as the one in the small plates. The chicken butter sauce is silky and deeply savoury without overshadowing the fish. The grapes arrive as small hits of sweetness and acid that keep the richness of the sauce honest throughout.
The Lamb Cannon and Lamb Belly with Cauliflower, Charred Gem, Mustard Fruit, Wild Garlic and Jus Gras went past our table and immediately made us question our choices. Two cuts, two textures, a deeply reduced jus gras and mustard fruit doing the acidic work throughout. This is on the list for next time.
The Cocktails
Silva’s seasonal cocktail list is short and well-judged. The Limone is bright and citrus-forward, the kind of thing you order before you have even looked at the food menu. The Wild Berry is richer and deeper. The Sereni-tea brings an elegance to the list that suits the room. And the Espresso Martini, a drink that has no business still being this good at this many London restaurants, is very well made here. All are worth ordering before, during or after the meal, depending on your level of commitment to the evening.
The bar upstairs is stunning and very much worth a visit. The bar showcases Atelier Wren’s craft and originality with intricately decorated windows combined with bold tones and vibrant patterns. In fact, the walls were hand-painted by a scenic artist to reflect an abstract interpretation of blooming vegetation.
The Desserts
Phoebe Elsam’s debut dessert menu sits alongside Charlie’s food as a genuine equal rather than an afterthought, which is not always the case.
The Rhubarb and Custard Tart with Stem Ginger Ice Cream is technically clean and seasonally grounded. The pastry shell is properly short and baked all the way through. The custard inside has the right amount of give. The rhubarb brings sharpness, and the stem ginger ice cream carries a warmth that ties everything together without overshadowing the custard beneath it.
The 55% Chocolate Delice with Aerated Chocolate, Malt Ice Cream, Kumquat and Namelaka is the most layered dessert on the list. The delice is dense and seriously chocolatey. The namelaka softens the intensity and adds a creaminess that keeps the plate from becoming too heavy. The kumquat arrives in small bursts of bitter citrus throughout, resetting your palate and pulling you back into the chocolate each time. The malt ice cream underneath adds something almost nostalgic. It is a very accomplished plate.
The Basque Cheesecake with Hung Yoghurt and Rhubarb Compote has survived the menu transition and it has done so in excellent shape. Deeply caramelised exterior, barely set interior, the hung yoghurt adding tang and the rhubarb compote keeping it in season. It is one of the best versions of this dessert in London.
Brunch, Lunch and the Set Menu
Beyond dinner, Silva runs a full programme of menus across the week that are each worth knowing about.
The weekend brunch menu, available Saturdays and Sundays from 11am, covers a lot of ground. The Butter Poached Lobster Roll with Herb Aioli, Shallot, Sea Herbs and Caviar is the headline dish and it earns that status. The Turkish Eggs Flatbread with Sucuk, Spiced Brown Butter, Labneh, Pickled Shallot and Guindilla is the most interesting plate on the list. The House Cured Salmon with Whipped Ricotta, Poached Eggs and Pickled Shallot on Sourdough and the Smoked Haddock Arnold Bennett with Focaccia and Worcestershire Sauce are both strong orders from the On Toast section. On the sweeter side, the Tiramisu French Toast with Chocolate Namelaka is worth ordering.
The weekday lunch menu carries a number of the dinner highlights alongside its own additions, making it a genuinely full offer rather than a pared-back daytime version. The Braised Ox Cheek Ragu with Mafaldine is just as good at lunch as it is in the evening.
For a more streamlined option, the set lunch is two courses for £29 or three for £35 and it is excellent value for this part of Mayfair. A starter of Crispy Lamb Belly with Wild Garlic, Pickled Turnip and Labneh, a main of Wild Garlic Risotto with Asparagus, Girolles and Burrata, and a dessert of the Basque Cheesecake with Hung Yoghurt and Rhubarb Compote. Three well-executed seasonal dishes at a price point that makes it one of the smarter lunch options in Mayfair right now.
Across all sittings, Phoebe Elsam’s dessert menu rounds everything off with real confidence. The Rhubarb and Custard Tart with Stem Ginger Ice Cream, the 55% Chocolate Delice with Aerated Chocolate, Malt Ice Cream, Kumquat and Namelaka, and the Basque Cheesecake with Hung Yoghurt and Rhubarb Compote are all worth finishing on.
The Verdict
Charlie said when he was appointed that his focus is simple: amazing ingredients, consistency and an experience people want to come back for. Eating through this menu, course by course, it is clear he means it. The new dishes are confident and his own. The signatures he has kept are treated with real respect. And Elsam’s desserts sit alongside all of it as a serious, considered addition.
A Michelin Guide listing and Two AA Rosettes in its first year. A new head chef with a debut menu, this assured. A room that makes you want to linger. Silva at one year old is one of the most interesting places to eat in Mayfair. I am already planning a return.
For more information, visit Silva
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All Images Courtesy of Silva Mayfair.