Labombe by Trivet is a masterpiece in local, elegant, fresh clean dining in the heart of London’s Mayfair.
Labombe by Trivet may sit within the glossy confines of the COMO Metropolitan London, but this new Mayfair arrival is far more interesting than its understated room initially suggests.
At first glance, the space feels unusual for London’s Mayfair. It would sit well in Australia, as it is clean, sparse, modern, white and filled with light by day. It is a nod to its colourful and famous Met Bar past without trying to recreate the theatre and drama of the nineties.
Look a little closer, though, and that restraint starts to make sense. The real performance here is on the plate and in the glass, and the pared-back design simply steps aside and lets food, wine and service take centre stage.
Labombe is the latest chapter from chef Jonny Lake and master sommelier Isa Bal, the duo behind two-Michelin-star Trivet and, before that, key players in the creative engine room of Heston Blumenthal’s multi award winning three Michelin starred The Fat Duck.
Their history shows in the precision and quiet ambition of everything that arrives at the table.
This is not a “greatest hits” spin-off, but it clearly shares Trivet’s DNA: fire-led cooking, deep flavour, and a refusal to treat wine as an afterthought. Lake’s long-standing relationship with Bal – forged over years of experimental tasting menus and boundary-pushing pairings – underpins the whole experience.
There’s an easy confidence in the way dishes and wines speak to each other, the kind of harmony that only comes from people who have been obsessing over those details together for decades.
Story goes that La Bombe was born from Isa’s passion for fabulously interesting off grid wines which he served to an insider group of Trivet fans on a Monday night, who Jonny would create accompanying snacks for. The blend was so enticing it has blossomed into a fully fledged restaurant in the heart of Mayfair.
Christina Ong’s involvement – known for her skill of connecting the best restaurants with her properties – ties Labombe firmly into the COMO world. As the visionary behind COMO Hotels and Club 21, she has long specialised in polishing global lifestyle into something sleek yet personal.
Here, her influence shows not in loud branding but instead in curation: the collaboration between Trivet and COMO feels intentional, turning a once-famous celebrity filled bar into a contemporary neighbourhood-style restaurant for Park Lane, one that privileges substance over scene.
It is exactly the kind of project Ong is known for championing – serious talent, intelligent hospitality, and a willingness to give a space room to evolve into something fresh and new.
The wine list is packed with interest, ranging from classic regions to more offbeat bottles, but what really stands out is the way Isa and his team use it: guiding guests rather than lecturing them, matching wines to moods as much as to dishes.
I must confess I love a creative wine list as so many venues – both bars and restaurants all over the world have lost this art and sold out to commercialisation So for me this aspect of Labombe by Trivet was an absolute joy. Wine prices are surprisingly reasonable with impressive wines available from 8 pounds a glass.
The menu is creative not only for the food and wine offerings but also for the fabulously creative imagery which includes high heels holding up a cocktail glass.
The menu leans into freshness and clarity, with a remarkable sense of lightness, something thew COMO hotels are renowned for, even when dealing with richly flavoured ingredients.
There is a quiet thrill to the way vegetables, grains and dressings are handled; flavours are bright and finely tuned, and not weighed down by unnecessary richness.
It is clear from the menu snacks are a must at Labombe By Trivet, in fact the guests sitting next to us had everything on the snacks menu with some cocktails as their Saturday night feast and after tasting them, we understood why.
The hot tongue bun is already iconic for its burst of favours and textures, as is the grilled duck heart and cherry skewer, king oyster gills, and bottargo toast.
The hot tongue bun delicately blends the pillowy softness of the bun with the tender meat, and zing of the pickles and mini juicy dob of mayonnaise – a must try. The bites are small but literally bursting with a plethora of flavours that fill the mouth in an instant. They are super photogenic too.
Cocktails that caught my eye include Raki Club with milk washed raki, strawberry cordial, lemon and textured foam, The Labombe Spritz made with forgotten apertivo, chartreuse gentian and sparkling wine, as well as rose oolong, Damascus rose bud, QX 2024 oolong, cherry juice and versus.
Fish and seafood is clean and precise, and there is a sense that every element on the plate has earned its place. We idea the fact La Bombe by Trivet is a restaurant where you can indulge – with limits as so much of the menu items are healthy and clean.
The roast beetroot with smoked ricotta was deliciously warm and earthy on a cool November London night. Seabass Crudo with orange ponzu, anchovy garam and olive oil was the perfect blend of tangy citrus and clean, white fish.
The meats, however, are the clear stars. Labombe’s grill-led heart beats strongest in its treatment of offal and prime cuts including sweetbreads in a sharp, buttery Grenobloise; deeply savoury skewers; carefully sourced beef cooked just enough to unlock its character without fuss or gimmickry.
The iberico pork chop was just too delicious and too much of an indulgence to resist, iberico being such a prized and succulent delicacy, and the Txulton beef served with pickled mustard seed, green sauce and charred tomato relish was delicious. Both meats were generous in size, but we easily ate through both servings of meat with sides of bitter leaf salad and wild mushrooms and it was utterly delicious.
These are dishes that feel both deeply comforting yet clean and technically exact. They both capture the best of Trivet’s fire cooking in a more relaxed, à la carte setting, and they make a compelling argument for Labombe as a “regular” every day restaurant rather than a special-occasion trophy. A rarity in Mayfair.
Desserts continue that theme of elevated simplicity. The crème caramel in particular is a standout – silky, perfectly set and balanced by a sophisticated yet surprisingly bitter note of Campari in the caramel that keeps it from sliding into nostalgia alone. Every review I could find raves about it. It is unique for London.
The mulled pear and frangipani tart served with creme fraiche and cinnamon cream was somehow familiar and comforting again possibly due to the icy weather outside. The dense texture of the slice combined with the tart of the creme fraiche made it irresistible. And neither dessert was laced with sugar -what a relief.
These are the kind of low key puddings that look almost modest when they land on the table, then quietly blow everything else out of the water: benchmark dishes in a restaurant already full of them.
Service knits it all together. The team strike a balance between polished and personable, with a warmth that echoes Trivet’s neighbourhood feel, just translated into Mayfair.
Guests wander in and out during the night and linger at the counter for a glass of wine and a couple of snacks, or settle into longer dinners that unfold at an unhurried pace.
In short, Labombe by Trivet is not about chandeliers or spectacle. It is about fresh, clean flavours, superbly handled meats, a quietly brilliant wine list as well as one of the best crème caramels you are likely to eat in London right now.
If the décor fades into the background, that feels entirely deliberate. Here, the memory you take home is not the room – it is the food, the wine and the feeling that you have just discovered a new local favourite – and for the ultimate night cap, check into COMO Metropolitan upstairs for the night.
