BYO takes off, but it’s food not booze this restaurant wants you to bring with you

The restaurant at the Hotel Café Royal on London’s Regent Street has launched a novel menu idea – bring your own ingredients with you, and the chefs will turn them into a four-course feast.

But it’s not a freezer emptying exercise – if you don’t know what the mystery brown lump is, you can hardly expect the chefs to turn it into something special. The idea is to bring along up to four things that you particularly like to eat, maybe you caught the fish or shot the game yourself, grew the fine asparagus, or transported a mega truffle home from a trip to Italy.

A recent party brought venison, John Dory, plantain and blood oranges. From this the kitchen team, led by executive chef Andrew Turner and chef de cuisine Armand Sablon, made carpaccio of venison and barbecued fillet, Parmesan marshmallows and red onion ketchup, followed by John Dory Parisienne, then Café Royal Cotswold chicken, plantain, spinach and rice, with nougat parfait, blood orange salsa and sorbet for dessert.

The table, for lunch or dinner, has to be booked at least 48 hours in advance (stating what you’ll be bringing with you), and it’s for parties of four or more. Guests are greeted with Champagne and canapes on arrival, while their ingredients are delivered to the kitchen. Not surprisingly there’s still a bill at the end – and even if you’ve pushed the boat out with BYO lobster, chateaubriand and truffles, you’ll still have to hand over £70 per person. Now what Irish restaurant will be first to spot the potential there?

See hotelcaferoyal.com.