THE FRIEZE TABLE
During Frieze, the art world may officially descend on Regent’s Park, but much of the conversation continues around the tables of Mayfair. From an early breakfast before the fair to the inevitable late-night debrief, these are five addresses worth knowing.
MORNING
MOUNT ST. RESTAURANT | 41–43 MOUNT STREET
There are few more fitting places to start Frieze day. Art is embedded quite literally into Mount St. Restaurant, where more than 200 works sit throughout the building and the dining room brings together food, design and site-specific commissions. Breakfast begins at 7.30am on weekdays, with suitably old-school choices including Stepney kippers, devilled kidneys on toast and an Ossetra caviar omelette. The room is polished but not hushed, making it a particularly good place to compare notes before the day begins.
AFTERNOON
NO.9 CORK STREET | 9 CORK STREET
Not technically a table, but an essential interruption to one. Frieze’s permanent Mayfair gallery space celebrates its fifth anniversary this October, with a particularly strong Frieze Week programme. P.P.O.W arrives from New York for its first international pop-up, including the UK solo debut of Robin F. Williams, while The Third Line presents new textile and mosaic works by Palestinian-American artist Jordan Nassar. A well-timed visit between lunch and drinks provides a useful reminder that some of the week’s best discoveries happen away from the fair itself.
AFTERNOON
BAR DES PRÉS | 41A SOUTH AUDLEY STREET
When there are galleries to see, lunch should not take up the afternoon. Take a seat at the counter at Cyril Lignac’s Bar des Prés, which recently moved to a new home on South Audley Street. The menu combines French technique with Japanese influences, from sashimi and maki to the signature crunchy crab and avocado galette. Order a few plates, keep lunch short, and head back out. During Frieze week, an hour at the counter may be exactly the right amount of time.
ON THE WAY
‘SWARM’ BY ALISON WILDING | NO.1 GROSVENOR SQUARE
Frieze need not be confined to galleries and fair tents. On the walk across Mayfair, stop at No.1 Grosvenor Square to see Swarm by Alison Wilding RA OBE, permanently integrated into the building’s Grosvenor Street façade. The relief sculpture takes its cues from the neighbourhood itself. Its gilded steel screen is inspired by birds swarming in flight, while the curving forms behind reference the elliptical shape of Grosvenor Square. It is worth viewing from the street and from different angles. Wilding conceived ‘Swarm’ to reveal different readings over time, making it an apt Frieze-week pause and a reminder that in Mayfair, some of the best art can be encountered simply by walking between appointments.
EVENING
SCOTT’S | 20 MOUNT STREET
Some addresses endure because they know precisely what they are. Scott’s has been serving seafood since 1851 and remains one of Mayfair’s great people-watching dining rooms. During Frieze, that makes a table here particularly coveted. Order oysters, Dover sole or something from the crustacea counter and settle in. The art of the evening is as likely to be seated at the next table as hanging on a wall.
EVENING
THE CONNAUGHT BAR | CARLOS PLACE
Finish with a martini. The Connaught Bar turns the ritual of making one into theatre, with its famous trolley brought tableside and each drink tailored to its recipient. It is precisely the sort of detail that feels appropriate during Frieze week: craftsmanship, knowledge and personal taste condensed into a glass. After a day spent deciding what deserves a closer look, there are worse places to compare favourites and, perhaps, acquisitions.
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