I have to start with the spoons. Not your bag? Bear with me, please. I’ve been in this review game for 15 years so I know first-hand that Michelin stars are bestowed for more than just the food. Yes, of course, every morsel must be exciting, exquisite, exceptional etcetera, but the staff must also be charming, the wine the best one has had in living memory and – vital to my point here – everything from décor to tableware should enhance the star-chasing meal.

So, at Pavyllon London, my guest and I spend more time that she had anticipated discussing its beautiful bespoke plates and bowls with the charismatic Davide – who raises his eyebrows and gesticulates with enthusiastic Sicilian flamboyance during our chats, as if there is absolutely nowhere he’d rather be.

The humble spoon takes over the conversation when the soufflé arrives. At Pavyllon, the spoons are a surprise. Not run-of-the-mill silver cutlery drawer fare but with an unusual metallic hue and a clever, interesting design which combines the curve of a normal spoon with a flatter half, meaning you can clear every last delectable smear of food from your (Limoges) plate. “Ha!” exclaims Davide. “We may have a French chef but these spoons you love are Italian, because they are the best!”

This chef is Yannick Alléno, holder of 16 Michelin stars across his 17 restaurants around the world. There’s the renowned 1947 at Alleno’s Cheval Blanc in Courchevel, and Pavillon Ledoyen on the Champs-Elysées, which became the most star-rated independent establishment in the world in 2020. A second Pavyllon opened in Monaco and Pavyllon trois arrived in 2023 on the “thankful London” scene (their words not mine, although I do actually feel quite thankful for my Alléno dining experience), winning a star within a year of opening.

The stairs leading to the Pavyllon Privée dining space

Pavyllon Privée event space

In recognition of this accolade, the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane has launched a Gastronomic Getaway package, which includes an overnight stay for two, cocktails, six-course meal at Pavyllon and breakfast (more on this later). The Immersive Mayfair tasting menu, for those just coming for the meal, is priced at £110, which is pretty reasonable for this part of London and this calibre of food. For comparison, the same number of courses at the Michelin-starred Feathered Nest, which we adored, in a tiny dining room off a pub a two-hour drive from London, is £85.

First to Bar Antoine for cocktails, which is Alléno’s first bar concept (and named after his late son who was tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident in 2022). There’s a terrace outside, with clever heaters for typically English days, greenery completely shielding the street from view, and good music at the right volume to render any passing traffic inaudible, plus a cosy-luxe, velvet-heavy seating area inside. All the signature cocktails, featuring extractions, foams and fermentations, reflect the fact that Alléno had a hand in them. Take, for exmaple, the rosé champagne Mayfair Royale, which includes blueberry cordial and the highly intriguing ‘salted watermelon air’.

There’s plenty more culinary fun to come at the long, gleaming Pavyllon counter, which seats 30 people. On the other side, busy troops bustle around the kitchen, chefs in whites and toques, and front-of-house staff smart in suits with ready smiles. I won’t spoil all their surprises but I’m quite sure you’ll enjoy the rare obsiblue prawns, with even more flavour coaxed out of them via white bean purée, chorizo oil, tiny purple flowers and crispy puffed rice.

You’d be wise to trust the sommelier in all matters, wine related or not. And you’ll likely marvel at the lightness of the cheese soufflé, the perfect pinkness of the duck and the genuinely cloud-like elements of the dessert courses, as well as palate-pleasing flavour combinations. Alléno is a master at creating delightful menus which also leave diners the right level of satisfied.

So, from sweets to suites (sorry….). High standards of cuisine are matched by truly lovely rooms. Our junior suite’s gleaming catwalk-style entrance corridor is well-lit and lined with mirrors and geometric artworks. Alongside, there’s a suite of five interconnected chambers: loo, dressing table space, gorgeous bath, double sinks and shower room. Light floods into the bedroom area through floor-to-ceiling windows, opening out onto a pretty private terrace which looks out over Mayfair (the other side of the hotel faces Hyde Park). It’s a grey June day when I visit – I nonetheless enjoy a cup of tea out there but it would definitely come into its own in glorious sunshine.

I appreciate the suite’s stylish artwork, well-appointed hot drinks station, generous provision of full-length mirrors (sometimes, even in hotels like this, I’ve found such mirrors sorely lacking) and velvet swivel armchairs we actually sit in. Most of all we luxuriate in the cosseting bed, night-time silence (despite being so central) and leisurely start to the morning following our Pavyllon feast. Amazing how a stay of 21 hours – check-in is from 3pm and check-out at midday – can stretch to feel much longer.

Suites at the Four Seasons Park Lane

Leave plenty of time for a breakfast that is (almost) as much of a culinary treat as supper. Tableware is once again outstanding; Alléno commissioned artist Andrea Collesano to create drawings and many of his works feature the sea, nature and animal kingdom. My teapot is painted with a delicate owl and the teacup has whimsical details, but I’m not distracted by them for long. My full English breakfast notes don’t need much further explanation: crispy, crunchy bacon, cylindrical, salty soft-centre pomme Anna (basically rosti, upgraded), perfectly cooked eggs, chorizo-infused beans on the side. The dream.

Park Lane, you’ve never historically been a favourite London district of mine; more often a conduit to and from gigs in Hyde Park, and sometimes overshadowed by nearby Knightsbridge and Berkeley Square. However, Chef Alléno has given me some very good reasons to bump Park Lane up the list.

Rates for the Gastronomic Getaway package start from £1,150 for two people, visit fourseasons.com.

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