Stepping inside The Cocochine feels less like entering a restaurant and more like being welcomed into an intimate, art-filled townhouse where every detail has been crafted with intent. The four-floor Mayfair address has quietly become one of London’s most intriguing new dining destinations, winning LaListe’s UK Opening of the Year award. The Cocochine is lovingly shaped by Larry Jayasekara whose journey spans Sri Lankan shores, Michelin-starred kitchens, as well a deep respect for the land and sea. Here, hospitality is personal and flavour is storytelling.
We caught up with Larry to talk about The Cocochine.
How did it all start?
I was raised in Sri Lanka, had no education, and was spending a lot of time surfing, when I met an English girl who encouraged me to move to the UK. I got a job in a Thai restaurant in Torquay chopping vegetables – my first foray into catering! – and that led to working across three leisure hotels, also in Torquay, while attending classes at the local South Devon College. (I won ‘Student of the Year’ two years in a row!)
I then moved to London to Pétrus as a commis chef (I made lots of pomme purée there!), followed by various roles in the UK and France, including at Marcus Wareing, Michel Bras, and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. I then returned to Pétrus as sous chef, rising to head chef over four years.
Tell us all about the culinary concept at The Cocochine?
It’s a home – we want to ensure people feel as welcome and pampered as if in someone’s home. Our team provides a warm but not intrusive interaction. We have tasting menus and a shorter set menu, both in the ground floor restaurant and at the 1st floor counter kitchen. The food is the epitomé of ‘farm to table’ with a bit of my own heritage added in – all super seasonal and led by the farm and the island.
What new flavour combinations or ingredients have recently caught your attention?
This autumn, the biggest learning curve for me has been blending various spices – and balancing them with French cooking discipline and technique. I have been making my own curry powder with about seven different spices, then using it on crab curry consommé, and also in a sauce on a scallop dish. I’ve also created a blend of wild green cardamom, nutmeg, and vanilla to add to a Sri Lankan-inspired dessert.
Tell us about the drinks and decor at the Cocochine?
The décor was inspired and self-designed by me and our directors/investors, all with impeccable taste and a love of food and art (Their own impressive private art collections are hung throughout the restaurant, including works by Hockney, Bacon, Beard, and Matisse). The restaurant spans four floors, from the wine cellar on the lower level to the main dining room, 1st first-floor counter/kitchen, and 2nd second-floor private dining room, which is like a small apartment on its own.
The drinks offering is broad (There is an excellent £33 entry-level Burgundy, but also top cuvées from the major wine regions). The cellar is open for guests to visit, and the sommelier team is keen to engage with everyone.
Art is a big part of the concept. What inspires you art art-wise?
Putting food on a plate is art in itself, and having art surrounding the rooms brings a certain harmony. The art collection ranges from contemporary to classic, much like the food. A lot of your produce comes from the regenerative Rowler Farm Estate in Northamptonshire. Tell us about this special relationship and what it means to all of you. The 1100-acre farm is owned by one of my business partners and is a private estate. It is exclusive to the restaurant and our Rex Deli (located opposite The Cocochine).
The farm comprises about eight and a half acres of vegetables, herbs, and fruit, plus our own wheat, oats, and barley, and we make our own cold-pressed rapeseed oil and honey. The farm also houses cattle, Sika deer, and lambs. Gloucester Old Spot pigs, chickens, partridge, wild duck, wild hare, and other seasonal game birds. Another of our directors owns Tanera Mòr island in Scotland, which provides most of our fish and seafood. The upside is that the restaurant is more than 90% sustainable, with an absolutely trusted, controlled, and direct supply source.
Any future dishes you are working on currently that you can tell us about?
One new dish is turbot with a lobster curry. There is also a rice dish (a work in progress) with Sri Lankan influences.
Top 3 favourite restaurants in the UK?
I’m afraid that I don’t get the opportunity to eat out much these days, especially since I try to spend a day each week at the farm, but I like Tosa in Hammersmith for yakitori, Pennyhill Park in Surrey, and Midsummer House in Cambridge.
What is next for you and The Cocochine?
I just want to keep my head down, improve day by day, 1% at a time, look after every single guest as if they are guests in my own home, and also to nurture my team, who are absolutely key to the entire operation.
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Images courtesy of The Cocochine / Larry Jayasekara.