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There was already something slightly unusual about arriving at Brasserie of Light on this particular Wednesday evening.
England were due to play Argentina in the World Cup and London had that unmistakable pre-match buzz. Even Brasserie of Light, one of the more glamorous dining rooms on Oxford Street, had got involved. A television had been set up so diners could watch the game, not something you would normally expect to find beneath a giant Damien Hirst sculpture.
I’d come for a different kind of escapism, however.
For summer, Brasserie of Light has introduced Dreams of Olympus, a Greek-inspired seasonal experience drawing on the gods, legends and mythology of Ancient Greece. The timing also happens to be rather good. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has brought Greek mythology firmly into the cultural conversation this summer, and with a cinema inside Selfridges, there is an obvious opportunity to turn a trip to see the film into a full Greek-inspired evening.
But can a restaurant in the middle of one of London’s busiest department stores really transport you to Ancient Greece?
Halfway to Olympus before dinner
Brasserie of Light certainly has an unfair advantage.
The restaurant is already home to Damien Hirst’s enormous 24-foot crystal-encrusted Pegasus, suspended dramatically above the dining room. For Dreams of Olympus, the mythology has been extended throughout the restaurant, from Greek-inspired imagery at the entrance to Pegasus details on the napkins and pins worn by the waiting staff.
It meant we were already halfway to a Greek experience before a single cocktail had been sipped.
And Brasserie of Light remains one of London’s more beautiful dining settings. Spacious and airy, with huge windows allowing natural light to flood the room, it is particularly lovely on a summer evening. Arriving at around 7pm, the restaurant was bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.
Add the anticipation surrounding the England match and the room had considerably more energy than you might expect from an ordinary Wednesday evening.
Cocktails inspired by mythology
The drinks are where Dreams of Olympus really commits to its theme.
Alongside a selection of Greek red, white and rosé wines, there is a dedicated cocktail menu inspired by characters and stories from Greek mythology.
We started with The Enchantress, a combination of Don Julio Reposado Tequila, Italicus, basil syrup, lime juice and Creole bitters, and A Thousand Ships, made with Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Gin, rose and fig liqueurs, citrus and prosecco.
Both were beautifully presented and delicious, but The Enchantress was easily my favourite. Fresh, citrusy and herbaceous, with the tequila giving it enough depth to stop the sweeter elements dominating, it was the drink I would order again.
Priced between £16 and £17, the Dreams of Olympus cocktails aren’t inexpensive, but they don’t feel out of place for a premium cocktail in central London.
So, what does Olympus taste like?
The food offering is more restrained than the cocktail menu might initially suggest.
Rather than introducing a completely separate Greek menu, Brasserie of Light has added five Dreams of Olympus dishes throughout its existing menu: three starters, one main and one dessert.
For starters, my dining companion chose the Loukaniko, a traditional Greek sausage served with tahini yoghurt, roasted aubergine and peppers, barley and orange zest.
I went for the Burrata me Suka kai Rodi, pairing creamy burrata with rocket pesto, caramelised figs, pine nuts and pomegranate molasses.
The burrata worked particularly well because of those contrasting flavours. The richness of the cheese was balanced by peppery rocket and the sweetness of the figs and pomegranate molasses.
But there was a problem. I kept eating my companion’s Loukaniko.
What started as trying a little from the other side of the table gradually became me returning to the plate because it was simply too good to leave alone. The combination of savoury sausage, smoky roasted vegetables and creamy tahini yoghurt was delicious, while the orange zest brought a brightness that lifted the whole dish.
Of everything we tried from the Dreams of Olympus menu, it was one of the dishes I found myself thinking about afterwards.
Where I wanted a little more
For the main course, Dreams of Olympus offers just one dedicated option: Arnaki me Melitzana.
The lamb rump comes with smoked aubergine, feta, roasted fennel, tomato, garlic and cinnamon, bringing together several flavours immediately associated with Greek and Mediterranean cooking.
I should probably mention that lamb isn’t usually my first choice. I tend to stay away from it because I’ve often found either the flavour isn’t quite for me or it simply isn’t cooked the way I like it.
This time, I asked for the lamb well done and it arrived exactly as requested. More importantly, it was beautifully seasoned. I ate every morsel, which, given my usual relationship with lamb, probably says more than anything else I could write about it.
My companion, meanwhile, returned to the regular Brasserie of Light menu and ordered the Miso Black Cod with pickled fennel and miso sauce.
The only disappointment was that there wasn’t more choice. With three Greek-inspired starters but only one main, anyone wanting to build their entire meal around Dreams of Olympus doesn’t have much room to explore once the first course is cleared.
That isn’t a criticism of the lamb, which ended up being one of the surprises of the evening. Rather, it reinforces what Dreams of Olympus actually is; a seasonal theme running through the existing Brasserie of Light experience, rather than a complete Greek takeover.
A dessert worth waiting for
There is one Dreams of Olympus dessert, Pagoto Greek Yoghurt, and this one required a little patience.
The frozen yoghurt parfait arrives with strawberry compote, crispy kataifi, pistachio and wild Greek honey.
My first challenge was figuring out exactly how to navigate a very firmly frozen Greek yoghurt base. Initially, I wasn’t entirely convinced.
Then I waited.
As the yoghurt began to soften, everything changed. The tanginess of the yoghurt, sweetness of the strawberry and honey, and crunch of the kataifi and pistachio started to come together. The further I got into it, the more I appreciated what the dessert was trying to do.
By the end, it had completely won me over.
My companion went in an altogether less Greek direction with Orbit, Brasserie of Light’s combination of dark chocolate mousse, salted caramel ice cream, milk foam, honeycomb and popping candy.
Did we make it to Olympus?
Not quite. But perhaps that isn’t really the point.
Dreams of Olympus ultimately feels like a theme within Brasserie of Light rather than an attempt to transform the restaurant completely. If you’re expecting an extensive new Greek menu, five dishes, and particularly only one main course, may leave you wanting more.
Taken as an experience, however, it works considerably better.
There is a surprising amount of attention to detail. The mythology begins at the entrance, continues through the cocktails, Greek wines and food, appears on the napkins and staff uniforms and, of course, culminates in that enormous Pegasus soaring above the dining room.
Brasserie of Light’s theatrical setting means it can pull off a concept like this without it feeling entirely contrived. Pegasus was here long before Dreams of Olympus, after all.
On our visit, there was another layer of theatre happening too. As dinner continued, attention increasingly turned towards the television and the England v Argentina match. Watching football over Greek-inspired cocktails beneath a Damien Hirst Pegasus wasn’t quite the evening I’d anticipated, but it somehow added to the fun.
And that’s probably where Dreams of Olympus succeeds most.
It doesn’t need to convince you that you’ve actually left London for Mount Olympus. It simply gives you permission to indulge in a little escapism for an evening.
An ideal companion to The Odyssey?
There is also an obvious way to make more of it.
With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in cinemas this summer and a cinema conveniently located within Selfridges itself, you could watch the film and follow it with dinner and mythology-inspired cocktails at Brasserie of Light.
For anyone who enjoys turning a cinema trip into an occasion, it’s a rather neat pairing.
Dreams of Olympus isn’t an exhaustive exploration of Greek cuisine, nor does it pretend to be. It’s a playful summer addition to an already spectacular restaurant, with some genuinely good food and cocktails behind the mythology.
Order the Loukaniko. Try The Enchantress. Give the frozen yoghurt a few minutes before judging it.
And every so often, remember to look up. Pegasus is watching.
Dreams of Olympus is available at Brasserie of Light, Selfridges London, until 1 September 2026.
