This new London restaurant is a Greek island idyll on a plate

Greek cooking is London’s most fashionable cuisine right now but few chefs in the capital have the same culinary chops as Asimakis Chaniotis, who maintained Pied à Terre’s Michelin star for the seven years he was executive chef there. Myrtos is Chaniotis’ first UK solo project, combining the refinement of his native Athens with the rustic charm of his adopted Greek home of Kefalonia (the restaurant is named after the island’s most famous and photogenic beach).

Wallpaper* dines at Myrtos by Asimakis, London

The mood: Greek island idyll

South African architect and interior designer Vernon Viljoen has worked alongside Block1:Design to create the perfect Greek island fantasy amid the elegance of South Kensington. Circular tables gather around an olive tree under moon-like lamps, while walls are hung with contemporary Greek landscape art by Christos Raptis and Yorgos Papadopoulos. A pavement table on Brompton Road might not quite be the same as sitting harbourside by the Ionian Sea, but there is alfresco for when the sun shines.

The food: Kefalonia and cocktails

Chaniotis’ Michelin pedigree has given him access to the best British and Greek ingredients. There’s a cheese trolley bearing the likes of Metsovone, a smoked cheese from the namesake mountain village in northern Greece, but there are also Dorset snails on flatbread as a nod to Cretan comfort snail stew, plus smart sophistication in the likes of Lobster Giouvetsi with orzo, tomatoes, mussels, lemon and basil. The drinks list, curated by Athens bar Line, is just as worthy of attention. Line is currently number six on the World’s 50 Best Bars list and here brings innovative mixes such as a spiced pomegranate mule to London.

Myrtos by Asimakis is located at 260-262 Brompton Rd, London SW3 2AS; myrtoslondon.com