Eneko at One Aldwych

Eneko at One Aldwych

One Aldwych, London

WC2B 4BZ

Eneko at One Aldwych is a modern Basque Country influenced restaurant owned by Michelin Starred chef Eneko Atxa. Situated in Covent Garden, the restaurant itself resides in the five star luxury boutique hotel One Aldwych. We visited Eneko to sample their new brunch menu which consisted of street food eats with a fine dining twist, classic Basque style dishes and grilled meat and fish.


We arrived and walked through classic metal gates into the restaurant located downstairs. The mezzanine floor is bright with white walls and accents of brass and copper and in the dining room there are splashes of red. Wooden tables and white chairs give the restaurant a traditional feel but that paired with exciting metal pillars and a textured full wall, it really marries modern elements of décor.

The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, they explained the menu well, gave excellent recommendations and had a clear passion and understanding of the food they were serving. We started our brunch with some fresh juices, both were very nice and clearly freshly made.


To start, we ordered oxtail on milk bread and mussels in spicy tomato sauce. The oxtail came out in the form of little slider like burger shaped bites. They had amazing texture, melting in your mouth and very moreish. The mussels came in a cast iron pot and were easy to share. Refreshing and with a very soft texture, the mussels were the perfect level of spice were very tasty.


We ordered more from the grill section and shared some fine meats. We chose the duck and the Txuleta, both cooked medium rare. The duck was perfectly cooked and tender, seasoned well. It definitely had that great salty taste but it wasn't overpowering. The Txuleta which is Basque-style prime rib of beef, came with a spring onion salad. The meat was very tender, areas of fat melted in your mouth, it was one of the best pieces of meat we have ever eaten. We were given some chips with this, which were perfectly fried, not greasy and well salted - a good accompaniment.


For dessert we ordered the salted caramel mousse with cookie crumble and sheep's milk ice cream and light peanut sponge cake with dark chocolate ice cream. The mousse was light and airy with a sweet caramel shell, white chocolate balls and interesting cookie crumbs. The ice cream was light and accompanied the rest well. The peanut cake was full of flavour and the dark chocolate ice cream was exceptional, great textured creamy/crunchy elements but it would have been a bit better with more sponge.

Eneko is a truly exciting and very well presented restaurant, in both food and decoration. We enjoyed every moment here and we will definitely be back to try items from their full menu. Best brunch ever and well worth the money if you really want to push the boat out and try some exceptional cooking.