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Wine List Confidential: Amélie

09 December 2024 By Douglas Blyde

Douglas Blyde indulges in Champagne, caviar, Cognac and a cigar at Amélie, and assesses whether this Belgravia restaurant has anything going on beneath the “temple-like façade”.

Amélie is, as The Standard observed, a “members’ club without members” – a hideaway where the Riviera’s glamour collides with London’s tireless appetite for indulgence. Conceived in the locked-down doldrums of late 2020 as a Nordic-Japanese curio, Pantechnicon, it has since shed its early guise, emerging anew as a polished day-to-night haven for the capital’s most discerning bon vivants. Hot Dinners warned us to “brace for a transformation,” and Amélie delivered with a menu laden in caviar and a wine list which bows deeply to France. One starry-eyed Google reviewer, seemingly in a post-prandial daze, proclaimed the caviar waffles and beef ragù “to die for” – and at Amélie, death by decadence doesn’t seem such a bad way to go.

Design

The temple-like façade of 19 Motcomb Street – with its ten, regimented clotted-cream pillars accented in cyan at night – once guarded a Victorian warehouse, a kind of aristocratic attic where the upper crust stashed treasures from the Grand Tour. That was before an overambitious fire fancied its own tour, leaving behind only a bemused façade. Today, Sunset Hospitality Group (the minds behind The Aubrey) has resurrected the ruins into something altogether more enchanting. Enter Amélie, a Provençal retreat where the centrepiece oval table 51 mirrors the swooping cornice above, perfectly placed to command the room’s best vantage. Chef Steve Raveneau presides in the kitchen with finesse, occasionally appearing in the dining room in a chef’s jacket tailored with double cuffs, while GM, Rudolph Galand is front of house.

Ascend the spiral stairs to SACHI, a Japanese sanctuary of whisper-light precision. Here, culinary director, Kyung-Soo Moon and head chef, Joonsu Park orchestrate an omakase experience best taken in the semi-private booth for eight, while a Sgroppino is reimagined with Japanese flair. Mihaly Herczeg’s handmade ceramics lend an earthy elegance, grounding the high-wire artistry of the cuisine.

As night descends, so can you to LUUM, where glamour meets grooves in a lounge bar by Stefano Chilà, whose CV reads like a socialite’s address book, featuring Chiltern Firehouse and Annabel’s Club. Here, rare spirits – dedicated bottlings of agave, mezcal, whisky, and extinct rums – flow freely, their alchemy heightened by an in-house lab dabbling in curiosities like distilled lobster essence. DJs spin a carousel, while Mexican chef, Coko Becker, who also consults to Tayēr + Elementary, ensures revellers don’t dance on empty stomachs.

Drinks

With a squadron of five sommeliers and two sake specialists under his command, Erik Simonics orchestrates Amélie’s “constantly evolving” Carte des Vins while steering the wine and beverage direction for Sunset Hospitality on a global stage. A Slovakian polymath – Master of Havana cigars, triathlete, and consummate oenophile – Simonics began his ascent in the vinous world as one of 17 sommeliers under Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. From there, he honed his craft at The Orrery before making waves at The Savoy, and later, at the Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square, where he played a pivotal role in launching La Dame de Pic, serendipitously pouring for every Michelin inspector who graced its tables. Simonics’ journey then led him to the rarefied world of The Birley Clubs, where he not only opened Matteo’s at Annabel’s, known for its complete selection of Sassicaia, but rose to the coveted position of group head sommelier.

The by-the-glass selection at Amélie begins with a celebratory pop: Rare 2013 Champagne, yours for £49 per 125ml, plucked from a dedicated Champagne vault which feels more sanctuary than storage. The still wines rest in a bespoke mezzanine cellar, precision-crafted in Türkiye to cradle a 1,300-bottle trove. Starting at an approachable £10 for the Perrin family’s dependable Côtes du Rhône Blanc, the list climbs to £52 for the millennium-vintage Mas La Plana, Colección Privada from Penedès. In between is the 2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Prestige by Henri de Villamont (£18) and Graham’s 20-Year-Old Tawny from a show-stopping Rehoboam, poured by the glass at £19 for a decadent 100ml sip.

By the bottle, sparkling enthusiasts can journey from Oxfordshire’s Doe Eyed Queen 2018 rosé (£95), an ode to sustainable English viticulture, to Cristal 1988 at a princely £1,900. Showstoppers like magnums of Henriot Cuvée 38 Réserve Perpétuelle (£1,100) and jeroboams of Dom Pérignon 2012 (£3,900) cater to those whose money knows taste.

Still wines open at £45 with the modest Grange des Rocs Picpoul de Pinet, though the intrigue sharpens in the £60s, where 2021 Riesling Trocken from Weingut Selbach-Oster (£65) and 2018 Château Lestage-Simon Haut-Médoc (£69) begin to charm. Serious collectors can revel in treasures like a six-vintage vertical of Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Cuvée Vieilles Vignes from Domaine Ponsot (averaging £1,000 per bottle) or nine vintages of Château Pontet-Canet, including the double magnum of 1982 signed by Alfred Tesseron himself.

Francophiles can continue to find solace in 2012 Mas de Daumas Gassac (£250) or a competitively priced 1990 Lafite (£1,550). Beyond France, Italy contributes Quintarelli’s cultish Alzero Cabernet 2005 (£990), while Spain’s Vega Sicilia offers their multi-vintage Unico Reserva Especial, a tapestry of ‘08, ‘10, and ‘11, at an equally iconic £990.

Dishes

Under the watchful eye of the ever-present head chef, Steve Raveneau (formerly of Annabel’s and The Arts Club), the evening unfolded like silk – a gastronomic playlist to charm any Riviera socialite. The curtain rose with a substantial amuse-bouche of crab, brioche, and caviar, accompanied by a show-stopping Champagne Rare 2006, poured from one of only six jeroboams in the country. Bubbling with brioche, orchard fruits, and hazelnut, and finishing with a subtle ocean-kissed minerality, it seemed to whisper “you’ve arrived”.

The second act introduced a grilled scallop with a citrus emulsion, unusually arranged like stepping stones, and so delicate it nearly floated off the oval plate. Its duet partner? Like a Burgundy with botox, 2013 Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay flaunted creamy oak, tamed by bright acidity, then citrus blossom.

Then, the main event: A5 Japanese wagyu sirloin with truffle jus, marbled so indulgently it deserved a “handle with care” sticker. Enter Château Pontet-Canet 2000 (ex-château) – dark berries, tobacco, and just a hint of old leather within its resolutely classical form.

The sweet finale arrived in the form of a Paris-Brest – unapologetically rich with praline cream and a nutty depth. Stepping in as the evening’s vinous maverick, Tokajská Výberová Esencia, Ostrožovič 1999, not from Hungary, but, as per Simonics, Slovakia, brought almost Pedro Ximenez tones to the table. Its lively acidity keeping the praline in line, avoiding the dreaded sugar overload which makes diners wonder if they should call it a night – or a dentist.

But just when the credits seemed to roll, contents of a magnum of Louis XIII were extracted with a sort of reverse inseminator, each glass reaching back a century. Then came an invitation to the SACHI cigar lounge, where the amber draught could meet its match in Davidoff’s Year of the Snake 2024 Limited Edition cigar. An ode to the Chinese zodiac. The evening ended in a swirl of Cognac, smoke, and the murmured resolve of “we must do this again”.

Last word

Rather than a Dubai-stamped mall of hospitality concepts printed on UK soil, 19 Motcomb Street has been thoughtfully crafted with the gravitas of serious, local talent. “Prices are not expensive for the sake of it,” assures Erik Simonics, and he’s right. Flanked by five-star hotels, and rubbing shoulders with a royal palace, you might expect the usual deterrent tariffs aimed at the timid wallet. Instead, the pricing here feels, at times, almost conspiratorial – an invitation to indulge rather than deter it, a rare generosity in a city where opulence is increasingly weaponised.