Latest Opening: The Lanesborough Grill
What: A 70-cover modern British restaurant located in famous five-star hotel The Lanesborough, which sits on Hyde Park Corner. The Lanesborough Grill occupies the space once taken by Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck’s Italian Mediterranean restaurant Apsleys and which was most recently French/modern European restaurant Céleste.
Who: The man behind the stoves is Shay Cooper, who joined the hotel last summer from Julie’s in Holland Park. Cooper has form with running restaurants in swish London hotels, having previously worked at The Bingham and The Goring and winning Michelin stars at both, and looks to be a safe pair of hands for this new project.
The food: The modern British tag might seem like a little vague and uninspired, by Cooper’s menu is far from it. The restaurant’s comprehensive a la carte offer of around eight starters and the same number of mains reads beautifully with starter options including buttermilk fried quail; coronation crab salad with curry and lime sabayon; grilled octopus with sea kale, Jersey Royals and white almond gazpacho. Main are unashamedly classic and befitting of the postcode, such as beef wellington with Hen-of-the-woods; poached native lobster; dover sole grilled or cooked in brown butter; and English striploin with bone marrow and oxtail. Special shoutout goes to the side of hash brown potatoes with Rachel cheese, which is a nice and unexpected alternative to chips. Prices are as expected of a five-star hotel option, with starers around £20 and mains from £32 to £54 (the beef wellington for two is £80) but portion sizes err on the side of generosity.
The vibe: The bright, spacious domed glass ceiling room has retained its previous grandeur with low hanging chandeliers, baby blue seats and sofas, and deep pile carpet. While it is unmistakably a hotel restaurant in feel the hotel has managed to marry its opulence with a surprisingly relaxed feel for an experience that is sumptuous but not stuffy.
And another thing: Against the grill’s more ornate look there are hints of modernity with the hotel working with Art Acumen to display the work of some of contemporary UK artists. New artwork will be unveiled every six months.
The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, London, SW1X 7TA
lanesborough.com/the-lanesborough-grill
