And yet, from what can be gleaned from its write-ups, there are no bells and whistles here, no discernible ‘concept’ other than good Italian bistro food in a comfortable setting. Intrigued, I take a trip to a frostbitten Covent Garden to experience the restaurant for myself and meet its owners, Paulo de Tarso and Nicolas Jaouën.
The pair have created a gorgeous space. Fitted out with royal blue banquette seating, a marble bar and copper flourishes, Margot’s interiors find the right balance between glamour and accessibility; this is Covent Garden not Mayfair, after all. Both of its dining rooms are warm and inviting, exactly where I want to be on a frozen January afternoon.
Upon entering, I am shown over to a secluded spot by the window where Paulo and Nicolas are poised with smiles and handshakes. The natty pair, both well-known in hospitality circles prior to opening Margot, met while working the floor at legendary Mayfair restaurant Scott’s.
From the outset of our conversation, the mechanics of their working relationship are obvious. Paulo, from Brazil via New York, is the million-mile-an-hour man; enthusiastic, big-thinking and opinionated. Frenchman Nicolas is more softly-spoken; measured and thoughtful in his responses. Their characters seem to tesselate perfectly.
I start by asking the pair what they think makes Margot different, what is driving that ineffable buzz?
“We’re different because we adapt to the guest,” Nicolas says. “We really care; our staff really care. It reflects in the reviews. It reflects in our customers on the way out. When I was a waiter all I cared was that my customers left happy. That’s all we want. That’s what we do. And I think because Paulo and I are very intense with this we never stop.”
Paulo adds: “People who come to a restaurant, it’s two and a half hours of their time. If you can take their mind away for two hours, with a good welcome, good food, good wine, good service, and a kiss on the way out; shake hands – you’ve done something positive.”
Their intense focus on good service may not seem particularly revolutionary if you are reading from the States or, say, France, but in the UK it sets them apart. Here, ‘waiting on’ is seen as something you might do for a summer to raise a bit of extra cash; rarely is it encouraged as a career. And this is reflected in our restaurants, which tend to budget for great food and adequate service. Paulo and Nicolas hope to readdress that balance.
“Our service handbook in our starter pack is a hundred and fifty page thing! Anyone who comes to work with us, they are being trained for two weeks solid. After a while they get used to it – it’s almost like breathing,” says Nicolas.
Paulo leans across the table to top up my glass of water and underline the point. “We teach them what we’ve learnt over the years. For us, it’s important that you drop off the coffee in front of the customer with the spoon at three o’clock – because most likely they have a right hand. And if you notice that they’re left-handed we’re going to switch that very quickly all the way around. We love detail.”
Detail, detail, detail: it’s the word that crops up time and time again during my chat with the pair, as it has done in my previous interviews with restaurateurs. I wonder how this detail-orientated approach extends to their tabletop choices.
“In France, we call it the Art of the Table. There are two things: there is cooking and the chef, and there is what is happening here. The Art of the Table is us spending eight hours choosing our glassware.”
Eight hours?
“Yes, because there is lots to think about. You have to start with what the colour palette is in the restaurant,” explains Nicolas. “The glass needs to work with the wood tables because for lunch we don’t cloth the tables. But it also needs to work with the linen at night. And it also needs to fit in the room without having to necessarily match.
“For the water glass, we didn’t want it with a stem because people get confused when you have that and the wine glass on the table – people don’t know what to do. This one is pretty obvious: it’s blue; it’s water.
“For the wine glasses, we wanted something made in one piece. We didn’t want it too heavy or too light, we wanted something that felt right, that was well balanced. We wanted a glass that would be polyvalent and work for most whites and reds, something that has a nice base so you can really get the scent and aromas. We went through pretty much every collection in London. This is a brand that has just arrived in the UK, it’s called Nude, and it’s been designed by a sommelier.”
True to this Art of the Table idea, the rest of their tabletop elements are similarly well thought-out. The cutlery, beautifully tactile, ergonomic, and weighted, comes from Studio William; the Margot-branded plates, which Nicolas explains had to be remade five times to get the right shade of blue, are Wedgwood; teas and coffee are served on a bespoke tray for ease of use. Almost all of the collateral bears Margot’s Dachshund logo and shade of blue: the restaurant may be based on old-fashioned values, but the identity they have created is needle-sharp and unerring in its consistency.
“We are creating a brand,” Paulo says. “We look at every little thing, from the way we promote, the way our social media is designed, the photography, the artwork. There is nothing you can miss.”
Far from being the be-all and end-all, at Margot the food is just another element, albeit a key one. Heading up the kitchen is Italian chef Maurizio Morelli, who is known in London for his masterly pasta dishes. I try a couple of menu items while we chat. The flavours are terrific; the work of a chef with a mature palate.
But it is also true to say that there is nothing flashy about these dishes. No grand ego at work. This is not destination-dining; the food is almost incidental, part of the ambience. I put this to Paulo and Nicolas.
“We don’t cater for people who go out once every six months. We cater for people who want something genuine, something authentic. You just want something that tastes good.”
Nicolas picks up on Paulo’s lead. “What we sell, really, is good quality food, but we make you feel like you’re home. Look around, all the tables in here have been here since one o’clock. Our sommelier is sitting down with these chaps that we know, these ladies have been here since one o’clock. Look at them, they’re all smiling.”
Indeed they are. Because what Paulo and Nicolas have created here is a home-away-from-home in the heart of the West End. A place that you can relax knowing quality is assured, from the ergonomic Studio William cutlery, through to the charcuterie and the care of its staff.
That’s the genius of Margot, and also, I suspect, what gives it that elusive quality – buzz.
By Isaac Parham
