Unapologetically British. Yes, an oxymoron, but the only way to describe the menu at 20 Berkeley Street. Unless you find yourself in a basement Comedy Club, our conversations are now ruled by ‘wokeism’ and with that a residual shaming of being British, despite the recent coronation of King Charles. British pride has become something to be expressed tentatively; rather than beating chests, a proverbial crash helmet is worn in the event that it offends someone, which it inevitably will. By complete contrast, British cuisine is at the pinnacle of popularity as the connection between chefs and British-sourced ingredients continues to grow. This understanding of the journey from source to plate is the promise of a new venture by esteemed British chef Ben Orpwood, 20 Berkeley.

From Zuma to Sexy Fish, to his appearance on The Great British Menu, Ben Orpwood is famed mostly for delivering food highlighting Asian culinary techniques. However, he has returned to his British roots with 20 Berkeley and a menu with a tagline: where the wild is tamed. It’s not exactly clear if this is an intentional double entendre whimsically referencing that it was learning to cook, that tamed a naughty, young Orpwood.

With a comparatively small side entrance on a road adjacent to London’s Berkeley Street on Hay Hill, 20 Berkeley arouses a feeling like you have been there before with a strong sense of the familiar old, despite being new. It is, after all, in a location where many local haunts have had a reincarnation. Langan’s just 100m away was a stomping ground for the international glitterati in the 1970s & 80s and the institution that is Annabel’s, is just a stone’s throw away.

Inside 20 Berkeley is a labyrinth of perfectly integrated natural hues using exceptional materials. Warm tones of classic wooden furniture sit within cream walls, muted green fabrics and attractive stained-glass panels. 20 Berkeley has a malleable quality that lends itself to any occasion. The different nooks to entertain, including a speakeasy-style bar on the lower-ground, The Nipperkin, and a handful of dining areas, mean it can encumber all genres of rendez-vous, from a romantic soireé to a client dinner, Mad Men style.

Here the head barman, reeling off the back of a UK bartender of the year award, is as informative and knowledgeable of the origins of his ingredients, as the sommelier is. A classic champagne cocktail is finished with the mist of lemon rind oil, sprayed à table. Any cocktails requested are tailored to the individual’s taste.

The house cocktail menu is based on British ingredients and features the first nod to sustainability. To reduce waste, the by-products of ingredients are used to create bespoke alcohols, eg. Norfolk apples are collected and the skins are used in a distillation process which will become a vital ingredient in a house cocktail. Elderflower, which is a tequila-based drink contains homemade elderflower kombucha made from the stems and flowers. It is a deceptively long but playful process of making an original cocktail list, but a worthy prize combination of ingredient, the texture and concept. A mindfulness is encouraged when choosing from the extensive wine list that heavily promotes British wine, but also includes the countries which supply the wine from further afield.

As for the food, the meal opens with a breadbasket on steroids. Marmite is to some like the Japanese knotweed of a British store cupboard. Whether you love it or hate it, the strong umami addition to the Marmite butter was the perfect antidote to the shamelessly sweet honey-glazed brioche. The dressed crab came in three layers. Upon a foundation of perfectly tender jersey royal cubes was a mix of brown and white crab meat dressed in panna cotta, lending a richer texture. The top layer was a decorative pattern of green apple balls and grapefruit segments adding pops of citrus. It also included the peppery crunch of thinly sliced radishes, pea tops and a potato ‘waffle’ – a thin honeycomb of the crispiest deep-fried potato.

A firm favourite starter is the black pudding agnolotti, cauliflower and wild garlic velouté. The raw Orkney scallop was a white carpaccio of scallop flesh and fennel yoghurt, decorated in 50 shades of… green. Clusters of blanched and shelled peas and broad beans complimented the scallop with a nutty sweetness that did not overpower its delicate flavour. Generous amounts of a dark emerald herb oil drizzle matched the tartness of the yoghurt.

Continuing with seafood, the seared cod main was adapted for sustainability. Rather than accompanying mussels as the menu described, it was served with clams(with due warning when orders were taken) because this is what the boat had brought in the day before from the Bethnal Green fish market, supplied directly from the coast of Cornwall. A pea puree topped with salty samphire strands was an ideal base for the fish and the lemon and thyme velouté bounded the dish with a creamy richness.

From the land, Herdwick lamb achieved a perfect pink colour from the centre to the outside of each tranche. Flavours were balanced as the sweetness of the pea puree offset by the tangy notes of goat curd and char-grilled globe artichokes added a nutty, rustic panache to the plate. For the final act of this seasonal menu; an impressive rhubarb sundae in a circus of summer colours. Ruby cubes of sweet poached rhubarb were piled on top of lemon curd on a shortbread base. A large quenelle of rhubarb ice cream and meringue finished off the mouth-watering creation which although full of different components, was not overbearingly sweet.

Like with therapy, most problems can be solved when we go back to the source. Here, Ben Orpwood has honoured our land, the farmers, and the produce with the respect they deserve. This full understanding of the what, where and how, infused with his creative pizazz, has successfully achieved a Great British Menu of his own at 20 Berkeley. What better backdrop than an epochal location on Berkeley Street, where one already feels informally acquainted, to experience this sense of British identity with food and surroundings to be proud of.