The Five Fields restaurant, headed by Taylor Bonnyman, chef and owner, and located just off the Kings Road near Sloane Square, has been crowned BMW Square Meal Restaurant of the Year 2013.
Since its opening in May 2013, The Five Fields has garnered sustained and unanimous plaudits from Square Meal’s community of discerning diners, declaring it a “must visit”, “hidden gem”, and urging others to “go while they can still get a table”.
“Stand-out, adventurous food with personable, friendly service”
This year’s shortlist was dominated by recently opened restaurants, a reflection on how new projects are generating much of the current excitement of the London restaurant scene. Balthazar, Square Meal’s best new restaurant for spring, and Social Eating House, Square Meal’s best new restaurant for autumn, were joined by newcomers Aqua Shard, Gymkhana, Oblix and Sushisamba.
Alongside them on the shortlist was the gastronomic destination of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, the consistent excellence of Hakkasan Mayfair, and a reinvigorated Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
One of the strongest shortlists
Square Meal’s editor Ben McCormack said, “The Five Fields was chosen from one of the strongest shortlists we’ve had, and clearly it’s not easy to stand out from the crowd in this febrile market. But this is one restaurant that offered the complete package that any BMW Square Meal Restaurant of the Year winner must possess.”
The restaurant combines stand-out, adventurous food with personal, friendly service to delivery luxury without formality – all at a fair price. The elegant and playful modern British cooking has an emphasis on native British artisanal produce, served in comfortable but modern surroundings.
A young but experienced team with serious fine dining credentials
Despite the head chef being only in his late twenties, Bonnyman’s ambitious menu reflects his training at two-Michelin-starred Corton in New York. He has assembled an equally youthful team with serious fine dining credentials, including ex-chefs from the Berkley and Tom Aikens. There is a raw energy about the kitchen, which takes risks and embraces adventure without ideas becoming far-fetched.
When receiving the award Bonnyman said, ‘We’re absolutely thrilled. Winning this Square Meal award is easily our best achievement to date. We don’t want The Five Fields to be a flash in the pan. We want it to be a restaurant that is here years down the line, somewhere about which people will say: ‘I remember when I ate at The Five Fields when it was just a fledgling new opening.’”