It is the dining secret of Britain's aristocracy and high society that has the rare distinction of being the only restaurant the queen has ever eaten at.
So what makes discreet Mayfair eatery Bellamy's - which offers caviar for £105 and serves Minstrels with its coffee - so good that it is quite literally fit for the Queen?
Deborah Arthurs reserved a table for two and quizzed the owner Gavin Rankin about his the dining success story you have never heard of... just don't ask him about Her Majesty.
Here's her verdict...
Deborah and her dining partner Simon are ready for a meal fit for a queen at Bellamy's in Bruton Place
Deborah, pictured here enjoying oysters, said of the restaurant that it was a surprisingly relaxed and understated restaurant
Deborah sampled the eel mousse served with toast (left), known to have been eaten by the Queen; Bellamy's serves Minstrels with its coffee (right), as Gavin says, 'never underestimate the power of cheap chocolate'
Deborah said that the salt beef pot au feu main (pictured here) from the 'Franglish' menu was delicious
The first thing you need to know about dining in the Queen’s favourite London restaurant on Mayfair's Bruton Place is that you do not talk about the Queen.
Gavin Rankin, the affable, charming owner of Bellamy’s brasserie in Mayfair, will absolutely not be drawn.
Without letting his ever-present smile drop for even a moment, he puts the matter to bed with a firm ‘we won’t be talking about that,’ before moving seamlessly on to rhapsodise about his, frankly astonishing, wine list, his friendly staff – ‘from 12 different nations’ – or loyal customer base, 80 per cent of whom are regulars who’ve been dining with him weekly at Bellamy’s for the past 10 years.
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ShareAnd it’s no wonder really. You don’t get to become the Queen’s most favoured restaurateur by being indiscreet.
The only nod to Bellamy’s royal patronage is a small, unobtrusive photograph of the Queen hanging on a back wall in the bar, taken on the occasion of her first visit, in 2006.
But actually, Bellamy’s, tucked away on a quiet mews off Berkeley Square, has twice played host to the Queen since it opened in 2004.
Deborah Arthurs prepares for a dining experience fit for a queen at this modest Mayfair brasserie that was dubbed 'the most civilised' restaurant by Tatler two years ago
Deborah quizzes Gavin Rankin the owner of this success story that is open to customers of all ages, doesn't have a dress code - and is the Queen's only choice when it comes to eating at a public restaurant
An unobtrusive photograph of the Queen on her 80th birthday hangs on the back bar
The Queen may have only visited the restaurant twice in ten years with her last visit being on Tuesday (left and right) but it is the only place she ever goes to eat out
Two visits spanning more than a decade may not seem particularly noteworthy – until you realise that Bellamy’s is the only public restaurant she has ever visited in London.
Because, unlike the rest of us, the Queen doesn’t have those moments where she doesn’t feel like cooking or the Bucky P cupboards are bare. But, on the rare occasions she does dine out, it is at Bellamy’s.
Her first visit, in 2006, was for her own 80th birthday, when her dear friend and former Lady-In-Waiting to the Queen Mother Lady Penn hired the 70-cover restaurant for the evening for a private party.
On Tuesday this week, it was to have dinner with her daughter, Princess Anne, and her cousin, Princess Alexandra.
Deborah was impressed by the service as well as the lengthy wine list at Bellamy's where - on a slow night - Gavin will remove a table, whip out a baby grand and turn the restaurant into an impromptu cabaret night
Service is one of the most important factors at the restaurant, where Gavin Rankin is the only person allowed to approach diners' tables and ask if everything is 'ok'
A waiter in immaculate white shirt, waistcoat and bow tie decants a bottle of red wine to be served at the table
So what gives this apparently quite unassuming Mayfair brasserie its royal appeal?
As Rankin says, there’s no ‘magic’ to it. In other words, it’s not just something they do – it’s everything they do.
In a culinary climate of ‘quirky’ pop-ups and monstrously over-the-top freakshake-type menus, Bellamy’s offers simple food proficiently cooked, flawless, discreet service and a warm, buzzy, intimate atmosphere.
The seating is comfortable, the lighting is low (and highly flattering, I was pleased to note), the napery immaculate.
The décor, which Rankin says was conjured up by his architect and designer Tim Flynn after he whisked him around 15 Parisian brasseries for inspiration, has that familiar, welcoming French feel: leather banquettes, brass railings, tiled bar, vintage illustrations ski posters on the wall (and a Picasso in the loo, which we’re assured it isn’t real but certainly looks the part).
Deborah was impressed with the perfectly cooked food, the simplicity of the menu - and the wine list
Deborah and her dining companion Simon survey their oysters at the restaurant that prides itself on having 'silent service' leaving diners free to eat without being interrupted by waiters every five minutes
The grilled Swordfish with beurre maître d’hôtel is just £16.50 and joins fish options including plaice, turbot and red mullet on the 'franglish' menu
Gavin Rankin’s (the restaurant's patron) mother Marina makes two of the puddings on the menu – Marina’s chocolate cake (left) and the Tunisian Orange and Almond cake (right) which are both spectacular
The acoustics are friendly too. So many contemporary restaurants have dispensed with tablecloths and upholstery, resulting in a cacophonous dining experience that rules out intimate conversation and means you have to shout at your neighbours in a most unqueenly way. Here though, the restaurant buzzes with a comfortable, quiet chatter.
The menu, which Rankin describes as ‘Franglish’, is packed with brasserie classics like duck rillettes (a must order), terrine of foie gras and steak tartare, but they sit alongside yellowfin sashimi, salt beef and Bellamy’s fish fingers.
Perhaps shockingly for a restaurant on the Queen’s wish list, Bellamy’s is affordable too. Yes, they have a caviar menu that runs to £105 for 50g of Osietra (the Queen had 25g along with the excellent smoked eel mousse and quail on her first visit), but otherwise, the menu is very reasonable.
Most starters are under £10, half the main courses are under £20, and a set menu is £21.50 for two courses and £26.50 for three.
Gavin, the former managing director of the Annabels group, told Deborah that his establishment isn't elitist and he doesn't have too many rules
Deborah quizzed the restaurant's owner Gavin Rankin who said the secret to Bellamy's success lies in its old fashioned values, discretion and lack of fussiness. The formula clearly works as they are full every night
Gavin told Deborah how the restaurant has no dress code and would never have a 'bossy girl with a clip board' on their door
There are lots of friendly flourishes too. Rankin’s mother Marina (an incredibly elegant 84-year-old who goes to the gym twice a week) makes two of the puddings on the menu – Marina’s chocolate cake (please do not leave without trying this), and the Tunisian Orange and Almond cake, which are both spectacular.
Minstrels are served with coffee. ‘Never underestimate the power of cheap chocolate,’ he says.
BELLAMY'S MENU FIT FOR A QUEEN
STARTERS
Cheese croquettes
Duck rillettes of
Tuna sashimi
Terrine of hare
Smoked Salmon
Prawn cocktail
Chicken broth
Terrine of foie gras
Rock oysters
Prawn bisque
sausage salad
Dorset crab salad
MAIN COURSES
Grilled swordfish
Salt beef stew
Fillet of Plaice
Fillet of Dover sole
Entrecôte of beef
Red mullet casserole
Medallions of venison
Roast turbot & leeks
Steak tartare
Piccata of veal
PUDDINGS
Dessert of the day
Tarte Tatin
crème Brûlée
Cup Islands
Cheese plate
sorbets
Floating island
Ice Cream
Orange almond cake
Chocolate Cake
Any concerns we had about the wine list were waved away in a moment, too. The all-French list very deliberately has prices to fit the budget of both prince and pauper. At the top end, there’s a Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1989 premier cru at £995, but there’s a very good house white (a Viognier) or red grenache at £20 a bottle or £5 a glass – and anyone is welcome to come just to have a cocktail at the bar, which will set you back a tenner.
It is, says Rankin, because he is religious about keeping Bellamy’s accessible and ‘pro-young’.
‘I’d rather have a full house every night,’ he says. ‘There’s no point having only grown-ups who can afford to spend a fortune. We are very friendly and very pro-young. We place a lot of emphasis on making the menu very affordable.
'We want anyone to be able to come for dinner, have the house wine and be happy. They would be treated the same as if it were their father.
‘If we give them excellent service and a good time, they will keep coming back. The young are the customers of tomorrow - and anyway,’ he adds, ‘the best parties always have a mix of ages.’
Everyone is welcome at Bellamy’s, Rankin says. There’s no dress code – though he says most people impose one on themselves. And he can’t stand these restaurants, he says, where you’re accosted at the door by a ‘bossy girl with a clipboard’ who makes you feel like the enemy prisoner just for coming to dinner. ‘”Who are you having dinner with? Why?” you feel like you’re being processed,’ he says.
‘We are not elitists, and I don’t like to have too many rules.’
For the same reason, Rankin does not support the now-ubiquitous fashion for two-hour tables. ‘If guests want to stay for another drink, we want them to feel comfortable,’ he says.
It’s clear that Rankin’s philosophy is integral to the success of Bellamy’s, and a large part of its appeal for people from all walks of life.
FEMAIL'S Deborah Arthurs gives her verdict on her dinner at Bellamy's in London's Mayfair
This experienced patron (formerly managing director of the Annabel’s group), who eats at the restaurant most nights, is the driving factor behind both the welcoming atmosphere and the meticulous service, which he says should be ‘friendly but unobtrusive’.
‘We operate a silent service,’ he says. ‘I am the only one allowed to ask a table how their meal is. No one wants their meal interrupted every few minutes by someone asking if everything is okay, or if they want their wine topped up. If it’s not okay, you’ll know soon enough.’
And, he says, if a customer has to wave their hand to get attention, he has failed. ‘We anticipate what you’ll need. You shouldn’t have to ask,’ he says.
It is this smooth service that not only won the hearts of the royals, but also of Tatler magazine, who gave Bellamy’s the award for Most Civilised Restaurant.
Civilised it may be - but while there’s not exactly dancing on the table at Bellamy’s, you get the distinct impression it has seen a lively night or two.
During quieter periods, Rankin says he takes out a table, replaces it with a baby Grand and hosts cabaret nights with set menus.
You can’t quite imagine the Queen jigging along at the table – but if it were to happen anywhere, it would be here.
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