Last updated: January 15, 2024
Ruya London occupies the opulent ground floor space of the JW Marriot Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s swanky Park Lane area.
It’s an impressively long and spacious dining area. Anatolian tiles catch the eye with their intricate detail and Arabic influence, while the beautiful Mekan Bar twinkles with bottles of spirits, rakis and delightful Turkish wines down one side. A cosy lounge style area occupies the other side – perfect for a late-night cocktail if you’re visiting when the DJ is spinning the tunes.
Head down the small set of steps into the restaurant and the first thing that hits you is the delicious smell of fresh bread coming from the wood fired oven. Flashes of bright turquoise are soothed by earthy red and orange tones, while the central light installation is hard to avert your eyes from – although the arrival of our drinks soon had our attention captured elsewhere!
Our cocktails from the Mekan Bar were ice cold and blended well, making for a super smooth sip – chosen from a list which encapsulates the seven regions of Anatolia from the Black Sea to the South East. They’re classics, with a twist. The Nazar Sour is a signature – a coupe filled cardamom infused blend of velvety Belvedere Vodka, rose, pear and Blue Curacao which gives the drink its unmistakable colour, topped with a layer of champagne foam and an edible ‘nazar’ – the eye shaped charm said to ward away curses. It’s the perfect start to a feast of real Turkish cuisine, peppered with influences from Greece through to Iran.
Eating with a gluten intolerant friend sometimes makes ordering, tricky. But not at Ruya – there’s even a separate menu with a plentiful offering and I can see my mate has already made her mind up about this place – she likes it, and we haven’t even started yet!
If there’s one dish you have to try while you’re at Ruya, it’s got to be one of the pides (pronounced pee-day!). These oval shape flat breads are a Turkish tradition, stuffed and topped with all manner of things. The truffle cheese pide with that delightful earthy scent arrives bubbling, as the waiter spreads a slow cooked organic egg yolk over the top of the cheese as it continues to cook. It reminded me of a very fancy dippy egg and soldiers and I did feel (only) slightly guilty eating the entire pide myself, knowing my friend couldn’t have any!
I devoured crispy filo cigars stuffed with carrot, courgette and walnut – a savoury version of the popular Turkish dessert known as Sigara Borek, while the gluten free alternatives graced our Conran & Partners-designed statement table. These dishes included a confit of aubergine in a rich slow cooked sauce of tomato, onions and feta and a wowing plate of slow roasted beetroot, beautifully presented with goat cheese and corn bread croutons.
Next out of the oven, the slow cooked short rib – an excellent example of just how soft beef can be if indeed it is cooked long enough! Accompanied by a textbook chef style smear of spicy chickpea puree (from the Konya region) and a dollop of thick, Turkish chili BBQ glaze, this sweet and spicy sauce really felt like a true taste of Turkish cuisine when eaten with the seasoned melt-in-your-mouth meat.
My friend enjoyed the gluten free sea bass, sporting a protective layer of pistachio and a flash of lemon. Cocktails long gone, we thoroughly enjoyed washing down our food with a Turkish 2019 bottle of Sevelin Majestik Syrah. Having not tried Turkish wine before, we loved the aromatic, ripe intensity and the gorgeous deep red colour.
Too full to try dessert, we vowed that next time we came, we’d leave plenty of room – the menu is a gorgeous selection of classic sweets including baklava, Turkish style baked rice pudding (Fırın Sütlac) and Turkish coffee ice cream.
Ruya London is a glamorous spot, with super friendly staff, delicious cocktails and a menu that really offers something different. We’re looking forward to going back again on a weekend night when the DJ is on and the drinks will be flowing, offering up a really cool alternative vibe in the centre of London.
