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March 8, 2023

Rüya London features delicious authentic Anatolian Cuisine

Recently I’ve been looking for the new hotspots that everyone seems to be posting about on social media; Ruya London came up so many times that I knew it was a sign for me to book a table! I dined on a Thursday evening around 8 pm; the restaurant was super busy, which is always a great sign.

As soon as we arrived at Ruya, we sat in the cosy bar area whilst ordering some pre-dinner cocktails. The bar area was snug and intimate; they had comfy sofas and suede chairs with colour-changing ambient lighting flickering throughout the evening. We sat on the golden bar stools with a great view of the bar and watched the mixologists make our cocktails in front of us.

Being a Turkish Cypriot, I instantly recognised the hanging Nazar Boncuk charm in front of all the alcoholic bottles. For those who don’t know, this charm represents ‘the evil eye’ and whatever negative feelings people send your way, displaying the evil eye symbol is enough to repel negative energy and return it to the sender. You can display these around your home, in your car, and at your workplace; you can even wear jewellery to protect yourself from evil spirits.

Cocktails: I had a ‘Nazar Sour’ cocktail, a vodka-based cocktail with cardamom, lemon, pear and champagne foam. It had the evil eye placed on top of the foam; I took a photo for my memories. My date had an ‘Old fashioned’, a whisky-based cocktail; they said it was delicious. I’m not a whiskey fan, and after taking a sip, I can see why it’s a favourite!

Ruya has a menu full of Anatolian dishes with a modern twist, some things you can find on the menu include, rib-eye steak, seabass and slow-cooked short rib. They also have the traditional Baklava and Turkish Lokum for dessert.

Starters: We ordered ‘Isli Patlican’, aubergine & walnut puree, crispy coated aubergine chips, ‘Çıtır Kalamar’, simit coated baby squid, avocado haydari; both were enjoyable.

Mains: After following Ruya on Instagram for a few weeks, I saw that the wild mushroom risotto was getting loads of attention. So obviously, that was on my radar as soon as I looked through the menu, the power of social media! The ‘Mantarli Keşkek’ did not disappoint; anything with truffle on top is a winning dish for me. The consistency and the flavours of the risotto were perfect. I also posted the risotto to my social media as I spoke that dish into existence; it was worth the visit! Alongside the risotto, we had some garlic king prawns to share, lamb kofte, and a Turkish spoon salad; the dinner was lovely.

Dessert: I know Debbie, our editor, is going to be shell-shocked about this, but I didn’t have enough room for dessert; for the first time ever, so I ordered some Turkish Lokum to pick at on the way home!

Bathroom; I don’t know about you, but my favourite thing when entering a restaurant is to look at the bathroom decor. After taking a few selfies in the main restaurant, the staff ensured that I should see the bathroom as they thought I would love it; I’d already been and taken some selfies, and they were right; the bathroom is stunning!

The restaurant had chilled vibes, somewhere where you dine any time and still feel welcome. There were groups of friends catching up, a few couples on a date night and a few people dining solo. The overall atmosphere was warm and welcoming; I noticed that most of the diners, including ourselves, stayed for most of the evening as it maintained that relaxing feel. They also had a DJ which added an extra bit of atmosphere, we could still catch up and enjoy our evening with the vibes playing in the background.

Ruya Mayfair is a short 10-minute walk from Marble Arch station and is located in JW Marriott, Grosvenor House, London.

A: 30 Upper Grosvenor St, London W1K 7PH
T: 020 3848 6710
W: Rüya London

Written by Danielle Tobin for Luxuria Lifestyle London and International

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