Chef Patron Ramael Scully behind the pass
Scully's been open for a while hasn't it? Why are you going in now?
You're right, Scully first opened its doors back in 2018. As one of the first places to launch in St James's Market it saw chef patron Ramael Scully (who used to be NOPI's head chef) thrilling diners with dishes that were inspired by his Malaysian childhood. And we were duly impressed.
Not only that, but Ramael had some seriously ambitious goals regarding the building of a library of ingredients by way of pickling and preserving. The lockdown gave him more time to fill his larder and this autumn, all that work has come to fruition. He's switched the restaurant's evening offering to a tasting menu only. There are two on offer - both eight courses. The standard tasting menu is £110, the vegan tasting menu is £90.
Remind us where it is again?
If you haven't been to St James's Market before, then head down lower Regent Street and turn into Carlton Street. Scully is around the corner to the right. The nearest tube is Piccadilly Circus.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
The Beau Bar further into the market is a useful bet, but if you're thinking of having a cocktail pre-dinner, then we'd suggest coming straight here.
Still thinking about the Earl Grey martini (left)...
Best table in the house?
If you're a group, the long communal table in front of the kitchen is a great spot. We loved our tables up at the pass too.
These tables for two up at the pass give diners the benefit of being able to talk to, or spy on, the chefs at work whilst also allowing you your own space to chat.
What's on the menu?
We gave both the normal and vegan tasting menus a whirl on our visit. Here are just a few of the meal's many, many highlights:
Two of the three vegan canapes - on the left a cornflower and pumpkin seed miso snack while to the right is a pea miso takoyaki topped with a wasabi curry leaf oil emulsion. A VERY strong start.
Both menus feature a signature dish - the arepa made with eight-day fermented cornbread and served with Scully’s mother's eggplant sambal. The vegan version comes with cedric lemon and coconut labneh, the standard version features a bergamot labneh. Tear open the arepa, spoon that labneh filling inside and enjoy.
BBQ dry-aged stone bass, served with a shio koji butter, brown shrimps, gooseberries and a puree of super fragrant Zerbinati melon. It might sound like an outlandish combo, but the addition of the melon was a gamechanger.
Back to the vegan menu, this was the betel leaf filled with a tomato sofrito, pickled green peaches and smoked almonds along with lime shio kohi.
Urfa chilli short rib pastrami with turnip and salted radish shrub - the non-vegan menu, of course, and just a beautifully cooked chunk of meat.
One of the two desserts that preceded the petit fours, this was a wonderful dish of caramelised coconut sticky rice served with a Malaysian jackfruit sorbet (fermented in a rice cooker for 10 days!) along with slow-toasted jasmine rice powder (this appears on both menus).
What about drinks?
It felt right to opt for the drinks pairing to get the full experience here. As sommelier Carolina Seibel explains: "When it comes to the wine pairing, I want to match the food's diversity and elements from fun to sophisticated, by giving the guests different styles of beverages." That inventiveness extends to a no-alcohol pairing (£40) using ferments and syrups made in-house.
Our wine flight pairing was £70 kicking off with a grower Champagne from Famille Delouvin and ending with a 15-year-old Madeira.
Overall thoughts:
In the four years, it's been open Scully has gained a new Head Chef, Dom Auger, and really grown into itself. Staff, including the ebullient GM Olivia McGowan, maintain the energy that you can see in the kitchen making the whole experience genuinely interesting and fun. They even invite guests back to spend time in the kitchen getting their hands dirty. This is a restaurant that loves what it does and wants to share that love. They do it very well.
More about Scully
Where is it? 4 St James's Market, St. James’s, London SW1Y 4QU
How to book: Book online at www.scullyrestaurant.com/
Find out more: Keep up with their news on Twitter @Scully_ldn and on Instagram @Scullyrestaurant/
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Scully. Prices are correct at the time of publication.
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