1. Luxury
August 18, 2025

La Maison Ani: Dubai’s beloved brasserie in the heart of Knightsbridge

Dubai favourite La Maison Ani opens in London under the guidance of restaurateur and chef, Izu Ani who brings his French-Mediterranean cuisine influenced with accents of the Gulf

By Aisha Alli

Housed in the iconic Jumeirah Carlton Tower, La Maison Ani has swiftly become one of London’s most coveted dining addresses for the city’s wealthiest. In the height of summer, when Middle Eastern visitors flock to the capital, securing a table can require weeks of planning. The draw is not only its terrace, with leafy views over Cadogan Gardens, but also its fusion menu, shaped by the vision of Chef Izu Ani.

La Maison Ani’s London outpost follows the success of its debut in Dubai, where the original restaurant – located in the Dubai Mall – made international headlines earlier in 2025 when the Middle Eastern Crown Prince visited and generously settled the bill for every diner present.

Securing a table at La Maison Ani is a difficult feat but one worth the wait / Image: La Maison Ani
Securing a table at La Maison Ani is a difficult feat but one worth the wait / Image: La Maison Ani

Since moving to the UAE in 2010, Chef Ani has built a portfolio of restaurants that span Dubai, Monaco, Doha, Marbella and beyond – among them Gaia, Shanghai Me, Alaya and Scalini.

His French-Mediterranean cuisine is designed to reflect the influences of his years in the Gulf, and successfully offers a dining experience that is simultaneously refined and approachable.

Interiors

The interiors are bathed in burgundy and soft pink hues, and strike a careful balance between femininity and classic elegance. The overall design takes inspiration from traditional French brasseries – in particular, the Jardin du Palais – reimagined here with a more contemporary gloss. Polished wood accents lend warmth throughout, while a private dining room (seating up to 14 guests) offers an intimate setting for discreet dinners.

The interiors of La Maison Ani are inspired by Garden du Palais / Image: La Maison Ani
The interiors of La Maison Ani are inspired by Jardin du Palais / Image: La Maison Ani

As suited to aperitifs as to drawn-out summer evenings, the bar offers everything from classic cocktails to an imaginative array of non-alcoholic creations, which, our waiter explains, often eclipse their spirited counterparts in popularity during the warmer months. Much like its Dubai sibling, La Maison Ani in London attracts a royal crowd – Princess Eugenie most recently among them.

Dining

Starter highlights include salade de chou-fleur, shredded cauliflower with vibrant ruby pomegranate seeds and salted pistachios; Carpaccio de Sériole du Japon, a yellowtail carpaccio with a citrusy sauce; and burrata et tomates cerises, a mozzarella and cherry tomato salad. The pizzas are not to be missed: impossibly light, their flaky crust gives way to a sweet tomato sauce and locally sourced burrata.

La Maison Ani Caesar salad
The Caesar salad at La Maison Ani is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes / Image: La Maison Ani

Pasta here is indulgent, from a comforting pappardelle Bolognese and rich wagyu meatball spaghetti to a lobster linguine or classic spaghetti vongole. Vegetarians can choose from an array of dishes such as mushroom risotto, spicy arrabiata or a 0 per cent vodka rigatoni. All meals are halal, cooked without pork and alcohol-free, tailored for the more international summer crowd that fills the terrace.

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The pièce de résistance is the sea bream, filleted at the table and served with tenderstem broccoli in a chilli-garlic sauce, crispy potatoes, a tomato relish and fragrant chimichurri sauce.

Desserts offer a final flourish: tarte tatin, chocolate mousse, vanilla cheesecake with berry compote and the house-favourite strawberry tart.

Service

The service is perhaps the sole let-down in an otherwise perfect dining experience at La Maison Ani. While our waiter was charming and knowledgeable about the restaurant’s standout dishes, service generally lagged, and it was hard to ignore a neighbouring table having a dispute with their server.

Verdict

The food at La Maison Ani is impeccable. Ingredients are fresh and locally sourced, with every dish reflecting careful attention to flavour and presentation. A summer visit is highly recommended – if a table can be secured – when the terrace offers a front-row seat to Knightsbridge’s buzzy atmosphere.

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