There is a particular pleasure in going back to a restaurant you enjoyed first time round – and, I’ll admit, a slight sense of trepidation when you hear the chef has changed. Will it still feel like the same place? Will the cooking still hit the same heights? Thankfully, I didn’t have to wonder for long.
I first visited Silva in spring 2025, a few months after it opened on Bruton Place. Even then, it had quickly built a reputation for well-cooked food, an inventive menu and a relaxed setting, and I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. In spring 2026, Silva appointed a new Head Chef, Charlie Dilworth, and a few months into his tenure, the restaurant has subtly changed direction: a menu focused on lunch and dinner, with an ingredient-led approach still rooted in the Mediterranean. So when Silva invited me back to meet Charlie and try his new autumn menu, I didn’t need asking twice – and with Charlie sending out four dishes for us to try alongside our own choices, it was the perfect chance to see how Silva is evolving.
About Silva
Silva opened in November 2024, the first restaurant from founder Daria Grebenyuk. It occupies a pretty two-storey mews house, and the name – Latin for ‘forest’ – carries through into the interior by Atelier Wren, where mixed woods, marble and decorative foliage give the dining room a calm, woodland feel. The restaurant is on the ground floor, with a handful of tables outside on Bruton Place when the weather allows, and there’s a snug bar upstairs.
In its relatively short life, Silva has already picked up two AA Rosettes and a listing in the Michelin Guide – not bad for a restaurant this young. You can read about my first visit in my original Silva review – link at the end of this article.
Bruton Place
Silva is tucked away on Bruton Place, a tiny mews off Berkeley Square, right next door to The Guinea Grill. Bruton Place is one of Mayfair’s hidden gems, home to great restaurants, bars, cafés and one historic pub. It has a real community atmosphere; it’s one of my favourite foodie streets in London, and it’s the perfect setting for a restaurant to thrive. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth a wander – and for more on its neighbours, take a look at my guide to Bruton Place – link at the end of this article.
Meet Head Chef Charlie Dilworth
Kent-born Charlie Dilworth took over Silva’s kitchen in spring 2026, arriving from the Michelin-starred Lita in Marylebone, where he was Senior Sous Chef. Before moving to London, he had already run his own kitchen as Head Chef at Boys Hall in Ashford, and his CV also takes in The Good Shed in Canterbury, plus The Radnor Arms and Rocksalt in Folkestone, both with Mark Sargeant. His focus, he says, is simple: amazing ingredients, consistency and an experience people want to come back for. Joining him is Pastry Chef Phoebe Elsam, whose background includes One Club Row, The Georgian at Harrods, 45 Park Lane and Scott’s of Mayfair – which goes some way to explaining my dessert regret later on.
The New Autumn Menu
The autumn menu had only recently launched when we visited, and chatting with Charlie, it was clear this is very much his menu – his style and his direction. It’s divided into Snacks & Raw, Starters and Mains, finishing with three sharing dishes, plus sides and salads.
Snacks & Raw
First up, Charlie brought out three snacks, starting with Silva’s take on San Sebastián’s famous Gilda pintxo. As a big fan of all things San Sebastián – especially its food culture – this could not have been a better start to the meal. The Gilda is the perfect palate tickler: salty, a little spicy and gone in a couple of bites. Silva’s version comes with bluefin tuna, piquillo pepper, olive and a sliver of anchovy. Delicious.
Also on the table was another stunning-looking dish (there’s a theme developing here): Orkney Scallop, Serrano Ham Sauce, Smoked Paprika Oil, Lardo di Colonnata – the latter being Tuscan cured pork fat, traditionally aged in marble. My wife was in heaven, though I did, surprisingly, manage to claim my half, the cured pork ft melted on top of the scallop was a stroke of genius. The final snack was a generous plate of melt-in-the-mouth 100% Acorn-Fed Ibérico Ham with sourdough bread.
A word of advice: don’t make the mistake of skipping the snacks and heading straight for the starters. ‘Snacks’ doesn’t do justice to how good an introduction to the meal these dishes are. They’d also work brilliantly as a sharing appetiser – though once you’ve read about the starters, you may be faced with a difficult decision.
What Is a Gilda?
The Gilda is often said to be San Sebastián’s very first pintxo – the Basque take on tapas, usually served on a skewer or a slice of bread. The story goes that it was created in the 1940s at Casa Vallés, a bar in the city, and named after Rita Hayworth’s character in the 1946 film Gilda because, like her, it was green, salty and a little bit spicy. The classic version is simply a skewer of guindilla pepper, anchovy and green olive.
Starters
We each chose a starter. My wife went for the Crispy Egg, Parmesan Foam, Girolles. I overheard our waiter describe it to another table as a Scotch egg without the meat, which was spot on however I’ve never seen a scotch egg so well presented. As you can see from the picture, it was another good-looking plate; the crispy girolles were a stroke of genius and, together with the Parmesan foam, made this the perfect starter.
My choice was the Wild Rabbit Raviolo, Porcini Mushroom Broth, Pickled Walnut, Egg Yolk. My first taste was a spoonful of the broth, and I could happily have eaten a bowl of it on its own – how you get that much flavour into a broth is beyond me. Not to be outdone, the raviolo had, I suspect, been finished in the pan, giving the pasta parcel lovely crispy edges. Cut it open, and you find perfectly cooked rabbit. Again, faultless cooking.
Then Charlie sent out a third dish: Smoked Mackerel Pâté, Mussels, Gherkin, Apple Cider Jelly, Silverskin Onions, Green Chilli, served with the perfect to die for mini milk bread loaf with a honey topping. I’m a big fan of all things mackerel, and I think it makes the best fish pâté of all. It’s a strong-tasting fish that brings a real punch, while blending it with cream turns it into something rich and smooth – and here the sharpness of the gherkin, cider jelly and silverskin onions cut through that richness beautifully.
Mains
Six incredible plates in, we moved on to the mains – again, plenty of interesting choices. We settled on the Confit Cod, Girolles, Cod & Leek Brandade, King Cabbage, Chicken Butter Sauce, and the Confit Duck Bucatini, Chilli, Ragù Blanco, 24-Month-Aged Parmesan, Sage. They may both have ‘confit’ in the title, but they were totally different dishes.
The cod was delicately cooked – soft, light and flaking perfectly. The brandade (a southern French purée of salt cod, here made with leek) added a salty depth, the cabbage was a revelation, and the whole thing was finished with a chicken butter sauce. Some of you may raise an eyebrow at chicken sauce with fish, but don’t worry: it works beautifully with white fish, and particularly well here. Another example of Charlie’s eye for presentation without sacrificing flavour.
Our final savoury dish was the confit duck pasta, a hearty plate that packed a punch. The ragù bianco – a ‘white’ ragù made without tomatoes – worked so well with the rich duck, with a little background heat from the chilli, all wrapped around bucatini (think a thicker spaghetti with a hole running through the middle). A perfect dish for an autumn day.
A Confession About Dessert
So that’s it – apart from a confession. After such a feast, dessert was out of the question, a decision I regretted a couple of hours later. When we visited, Phoebe’s dessert menu featured Silva’s signature Basque cheesecake, which I raved about first time round, alongside four newer additions including a Blueberry & Lemon Mille-Feuille and a White Chocolate & Strawberry Parfait. So, dessert lovers, you haven’t been left out – and I clearly have unfinished business.
Final Thoughts
It was a real pleasure to see how Silva is evolving, and I have to say we were blown away by the new menu. Yes, the dishes look stunning, but as I said earlier, it’s the way each one balances flavour and texture that really impresses. Chatting with Charlie, it’s clear he is putting his own ideas and vision into every plate, while respecting what made Silva special in the first place.
If you visited Silva in its early days, Charlie’s arrival is the perfect excuse to go back; if you haven’t been yet, now’s the time. Promising times lie ahead for Silva and the team, and I’m already looking forward to my next visit – if only to finally get my hands on that dessert.
Where to Find Silva
Silva
26–28 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1J 6NG
Tel: 020 3892 9000
Opening hours (at the time of writing): lunch Tuesday–Saturday 12pm–3pm; dinner Tuesday–Saturday 6pm–11pm; bar Tuesday–Saturday 5pm–midnight. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Nearest Tube stations: Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines) and Bond Street (Central, Jubilee and Elizabeth lines).
My guide to Bruton Place
See my original Silva review here
#Invite
