One-Stop Shopping for Foodies in Mayfair
by Zoe Strimpel
Mon, 5 Nov 2007 at 4:51 PM
updated Mon, 5 Nov 2007 at 4:58 PM
Bland as they sound, the two words "John Lewis" represent all that is reassuring and good to the well-heeled British shopper. The John Lewis Partnership owns a string of department stores around the U.K., selling the very best of everything from granite kitchen top wipes to maple dining-room tables. The company also owns the supermarket Waitrose, a chain that makes Whole Foods look positively crude. As a wealthy friend from Belsize Park always says, once you've shopped at Waitrose, nowhere else (Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's) will do. She is referring to the co-existence of luxury with practicality — the finest European chocolates, English cheeses, and a deli counter to die for, alongside your generic milk and veg.
So imagine the delight of London's foodiest last month to hear that John Lewis was opening a 17,000-square-foot "foodhall" in its Oxford Circus store. The foodhall ticks every box: It was to be as treat-filled as Fortnum's or Selfridges but also somewhere you can do your shopping. Still, only a handful of customers appeared to be doing any real shopping. One was an actress from the soap opera "East Enders." Otherwise, the shoppers were mostly sleek young men, likely popping out from a nearby hedge-fund office (this is Mayfair, after all).
Much of the foodhall's pizzazz was in meticulous presentation. There were golden beetroot and turnips scrubbed to a shine, sitting pretty in wicker baskets, and big shiny apples formed in pyramids. More impressive was the cheese chamber — a self-contained room stuffed with wheels and slices of the best British and French (100 varieties), a counter, and, of course, experts. The patisserie delighted with a new take on the muffin — cream stuffed between the top and base — and the deli contained splendid preparations, such as stuffed whole baby quail and dressed lobster.
There was a sandwich counter for those on the go, but the foodhall errs with this; unlike Whole Foods, its identity is not being able to grab a show-stopping sandwich or salad. This is a place to ogle the work of a master chocolatier or wonder at the variety of British pork cuts. But shopping here doesn't have to be a glamorous affair — we bought a humble soup and some plums. We didn't need much — after all, we'd filled up on free samples. Certainly not a glamorous approach, but the most fun by far.
John Lewis
Oxford Street
London W1A 1EX
http://www.johnlewis.com/Shops/DSTemplate.aspx?Id=531
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