Ekstedt at the Yard serves a cinematic autumn feast inspired by The Roses

There are restaurants that feed you and there are restaurants that tell you a story. At Ekstedt at the Yard in Westminster, narrative has always been woven into the flames, but this autumn the tale has a distinctly cinematic twist.

Fresh from the release of box office hit The Roses, starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, the Michelin-starred Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt and his head chef Luca Mastrantoni are serving a dish that bridges screen and plate. In the film, Colman’s character Ivy Rose is a chef whose relationship, career and cuisine are deeply entangled with crab. At Ekstedt’s London outpost, that symbolism has been reimagined into The Roses Cast Iron Crab (£18), a dish of Cornish crab meat layered with juniper butter, smoked hispi cabbage, fermented salsify, lingonberries and a crab sauce that clings like a final scene you cannot forget.

It is not a gimmick, but rather an homage. Ekstedt has long been known for pushing his fire-cooking philosophy into places where storytelling, memory and craft intersect. To weave in a moment from a cultural phenomenon like The Roses feels less like marketing and more like a natural extension of his culinary lens. Food here is theatre, and this autumn it comes with its own cinematic score.

The crab course joins an already daring tasting menu that leans into the primal pull of flame. The world-famous Flambadou oyster, smoked in molten iron, appears as one of the opening “fire snacks,” while overnight-baked sourdough emerges from its ember bed still carrying the perfume of smoke. Birch-touched scallop with preserved plum and pork arrives with a quiet intensity, while hay-smoked duck paired with ember-baked beetroot, elderflower and cherry edges the menu into autumn’s darker moods. A mushroom cep soufflé and playful Swedish candy round off the experience.

Two routes are on offer. The Immersive Journey to Scandinavia (£120pp) leads you through the full length of Ekstedt’s fire-driven imagination, while the shorter Journey to Scandinavia (£95pp) offers four courses without losing the drama. Both can be paired with volcanic wines chosen by head sommelier Klearchos Kanellakis, recently ranked 14th among the UK’s top 100 sommeliers. His selection amplifies the smokiness, minerality and depth that define Ekstedt’s food.

Ekstedt at the Yard, tucked within the five-star Great Scotland Yard Hotel, continues to be one of London’s most intriguing dining stages. This season it is not only the flames but also the silver screen that fuel the imagination. The result is a dining experience that feels alive, where cinema meets cuisine and the story lingers long after the plates are cleared.

Bookings: ekstedtattheyard.com