Category: London Hotel Restaurants

Restaurant review: Caxton Grill, Westminster, London

21/12/2018

Stylish restaurants in Westminster, London: The Caxton Grill

Located next to St James underground station, you’ll find this restaurant within the St. Ermin’s Hotel. Conveniently located in the heart of Westminster, it’s ideal for tourists, hotel guests or simply those who are seeking a chic and relaxing restaurant in central London.

The vibe
The modern décor with its tasteful, neutral colour scheme – a palette of taupe, grey and cream - creates a relaxing atmosphere. Pops of colour, such as burnt orange dining chairs and oversized art prints, inject a bit of colour, while beautiful touches abound throughout the décor, such as intricately carved wooden screens, which also provide a bit of privacy for diners, and charcoal grey wood panelling, both which lend an air of sophistication. Candles flickering away in glass votives at each table further add to the ambiance and made our first evening out in ages feel all the more romantic.

The food
Caxton Grill is passionate about sustainability and sourcing local ingredients whenever possible, which is why they created their rooftop kitchen garden, which boasts a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs that the head chef uses in a wealth of dishes. They also have their own ‘bee hotel’, which provides their honey. Not too shabby for a restaurant smack bang in the middle of Central London!

Our waiter, who was exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, talked us through the specials and his recommendations and offered to pair wines with each of our courses, and we were more than happy to oblige. As I perused the menu, I enjoyed a Mo, a fruity 'mocktail' from their non-alcoholic cocktail list, which was lovely and sweet and made me feel as though I was on a beach holiday instead of in cold, grey London.

Mains consisted of the ravioli of mushroom and mascarpone with leek, truffle and hazelnuts, a delicate dish that was bursting with flavour, paired with a baby gem, shallot and hazelnut salad, which was lovely, light and crispy.

My husband opted for the mixed grill, which had melt-in-your mouth sirloin, a steak fillet, a pork loin, and a chicken and a lamb cutlet served with garden veg (brussel sprouts, green peppers, carrots, cauliflower). All of the meats were perfectly cooked and were lip-smackingly delicious. Our waiter recommended a Bordeaux to compliment the meats, which was a fabulous pairing.

We nearly didn’t go for dessert, but after pouring over the dessert menu, we were swayed to try the spiced cookie semifreddo with poached pear and pear sorbet, which was pure comfort in dessert form, and the chocolate and hazelnut crémeux with bitter chocolate, an exceptionally decadent dessert that was artfully plated with pizazz on quite possibly the biggest dessert plate I’ve ever seen!

While we waited for our starters, we nibbled on freshly baked olive and rosemary bread with a fabulous fresh herbed butter, which was so tasty we asked the waiter for tips on how to prepare our own at home.

For starters, my husband had the rolled fillets and spiced tartare of mackerel, paired with a crisp Sancerre to cut through the oiliness of the fish (which he loved), and I had the parsnip soup with parsnip crisps and curry oil, which was warming and delicious – exactly the thing one needs on a cold winter’s evening.

London restaurant reviews - Caxton Grill at St Ermin Hotel

One of the things we loved most was that for each course, you could tell that great care had been taken with every dish, all of which were elegant and beautifully presented.

The verdict
This is a great place to go if you’re looking for stylish and intimate surroundings with friendly service in the heart of Westminster.

The details
2 Caxton Street
Westminster
London SW1H 0QW

Ashley Miln
*During my visit I was hosted by the team at Caxton Grill. All opinions and photography are my own.

Our experience overall
Food and drink ★★★★★
Ambiance ★★★★★
Staff attentiveness/friendliness ★★★★

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Review: Park Terrace Restaurant, Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

30/8/2016

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Park Terrace Restaurant, Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

Located in the 5-star Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, only a stone's throw away from Kensington Palace, you'll find the award-winning Park Terrace Restaurant, a stylish place to grab a relaxing meal.

Led by Executive Head Chef Steve Munkley, the talented team here prepares a variety of seasonal dishes using fine ingredients and produce sourced from local farms and orchards to ensure the utmost quality.

The vibe
The service is 'no frills without the fuss', meaning the waiter was always at hand when needed, but was by no means obtrusive. Given that the restaurant is located within a hotel, it can lack a bit of atmosphere depending on the night you visit, but is a good place to go if you want to enjoy a conversation with your dining companion.

The crisp, white linen tablecloths and the smartly dressed waiters lent a bit of formality to dinner, making it feel more like a special occasion - even though we'd arrived straight from work, early on a Tuesday evening!

The menu
During our visit, I ordered from the Bobby Moore menu, which has been created to mark the hotel's 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the England team winning the World Cup. This seasonal menu is based on the former England captain's favourite foods and was created by Bobby's widow Stephanie and Steve Munkley. The menu will be available until the end of the year, with a £1 donation from each dish going to the Bobby Moore Fund, a charitable fund, which is dedicated to raising money for Cancer Research UK to fund pioneering, life-saving bowel cancer research.

The Bobby Moore menu included a charcuterie platter with olives and soda bread; Gazpacho Andaluz with a toasted baguette; en-croute Scottish salmon with Jersey Royals, wilted spinach and tomato salad; and for dessert an English Strawberry Jelly Trifle with a gin and tonic sorbet.

Throughout the meal, we couldn't fault the service or the food. I really enjoyed the 'build your own' gazpacho, which came with a chilled bowl of tomato gazpacho and sides of freshly diced veggies (celery, cucumber, peppers and shallots), so you could add as much or as little as you like of each of the ingredients!

Meat lovers would go nuts for the charcuterie platter, which had a variety of meats piled high atop a wooden serving platter. The salmon en croute was also fab and had a light, flaky pastry, making it a new favourite dish. The star of the show for me, however, was the trifle, which was so fresh, so British and the perfect summer dessert.

Overall, this is a great place to go if you want a relaxed meal in a refined setting.

Park Terrace Restaurant
Royal Garden Hotel
2- 24 Kensington High Street
London
W8 4PT

http://www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk/Restaurants-Bars/Park-Terrace

A.A. Miln

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Restaurant review: Caxton Grill, Westminster, London

Review: Park Terrace Restaurant, Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

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Restaurant review: Caxton Grill, Westminster, London

Review: Park Terrace Restaurant, Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

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