London Restaurants | London Guide

Christmas Festivities at The Crowne Plaza London – The City

 
Whether it’s the end-of-year office party, or an intimate celebratory meal for two, The Crowne Plaza London – The City, has created a selection of enticing Christmas themes, designed to capture the traditional Christmas spirit in stylish yet relaxed surroundings.

Christmas Masterclass - Make more of the office Christmas outing, with a unique Chinese masterclass. A popular event, the masterclass will inject a little originality into the office party! The initiative provides an enjoyable yet informative masterclass on how to prepare authentic Sichuan cuisine. Brendan Speed, executive chef of The Chinese Cricket Club gives a 90-minute presentation. The concept is available for groups of up to 12 and is priced at £57 per person, including a five-course Sichuan banquet, with wine. Classes run in November and December from 3.00pm to 5.00pm.

The Chinese Cricket Club provides a calming backdrop for this chaotic time of year and promises a different Christmas experience. A play on seasonal ingredients will be on the menu, from sliced turkey with Sichuan chilli sauce to tea smoked duck salad. A three-course banquet menu costs £35 per person and is available between 22 November- 23 December. A Gala Banquet Menu, with a glass of Champagne, festive novelties and crackers will be available on New Year’s Eve and costs £89 per person.

Refettorio - Showcasing what it does best, the menu will highlight seasonal and regional foods this festive season. Available from 22 November to 23 December, a special four-course lunch and dinner menu, including a glass of Prosecco, coffee, petit fours, and Christmas novelties, is priced at £49 and £59 per person respectively. Located only seconds away from the river and the firework display, Refettorio promises a sparkling start to the New Year. The New Year’s Eve menu includes a four-course meal, a pre-dinner drink, half a bottle of wine, live entertainment, festive novelties and costs £119 per person .

Private Parties - The Crowne Plaza Hotel – The City offers a tailored service for friends or colleagues for a celebratory party. Whatever the size of the group, celebrations including sumptuous menus, excellent wines in festive surroundings can be organized by the hotel’s staff. Ideal for large corporate groups wanting a lively Christmas atmosphere, a number of optional extras are available including beverage packages, DJ or an after party at the Nineteenbelow Bar. The full Christmas package costs from £78 per person. All prices quoted include VAT.

For further details on The Crowne Plaza Hotel and the restaurants, please visit www.crowneplaza.com or call 0871 423 4876.

Cadogan Hotel Offers Festive Afternoon Tea

The Cadogan Hotel in Knightsbridge has just introduced a festive "Sugar & Spice and All Things Nice" afternoon tea.   

Available from 8 November–31 December 2010, Monday to Friday, from Noon until 6pm, it is priced at £22.50 per person, or £28.80 including a glass of Champagne.  On Saturday and Sunday, from 3pm until 6pm, the afternoon tea is offered at the special price of £22.50 inclusive of glass of Champagne.

At the heart of London's Knightsbridge district, The Cadogan has been serving a traditional Afternoon Tea since 1887, in an atmosphere still characteristic of the Victorian Age.

The poet and playwright Oscar Wilde was a frequent visitor and was staying at The Cadogan when he was arrested in 1895.  The actress Lillie Langtry, friend and confidant of King Edward VII, was also a regular visitor, and her own house in Pont Street now forms part of the hotel itself.

The Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane Street, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 9SG
Reservations on 020 7235 7141 or visit www.cadogan.com

 

Heston Blumenthal to Open New Restaurant in London

Heston Blumenthal, famous for his Fat Duck Restaurant, in Bray, Berkshire and the amazing dishes available on the fore-mentioned restaurant, is to open a new restaurant in the heart of London in January 2011.

The restaurant will be called 'Dinner', at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, opposite Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge and will feature some interesting new dishes such as a Toast Sandwich (that's right, a slice of toast between two pieces of bread - go figure).

“I just want people to walk in there and feel it’s busy and noisy and fun. There are so many great restaurants within half a mile. From my point of view the last thing I wanted was to be seen as some hoity-toity chef swanning into Knightsbridge; it’s not meant to be that. It’s meant to be celebrating historic recipes with a modern twist. Celebrating them, being inspired by them, rather than replicating them.”

Other unusual dishes will include taffety Tart, a Stuart combination of apples, rose petals and fennel and “meat fruit”, coloured gelatine in the shape of fruits, stuffed with pate. The pigs ears will be slow-cooked and served on toast for lunch.

Traditional dishes will include rib of beef with onion puree, bone marrow, capers and herbs capers and roast lamb with cucumber.

Blumenthal said: “A lot of people go to eat not because of the food, they just want to be out in a restaurant... So we wanted to make sure we’ve got a few dishes on the menu which will tick the boxes for those kind of people as well. We might do a form of roast... roast lamb and cucumber, or the river beef steak and chips, and the only difference is you will get a little side dish of mushroom ketchup.”

Restaurant TwentyTen Launches New Tasting Table

A signature 'Tasting Table' together with a full à la carte menu means guests at Restaurant TwentyTen will enjoy flexible, modern dining – choosing the kind of dining experience they desire. 

At breakfast the tasting table will feature a delicious selection of pastries, hot and cold cereals, in-house made granola and a 'fruit chef' who will cut fruits and create fruit juices on request to provide a healthy start to the day.  

The lunch tasting table will feature specialty salads and a menu of international and local favourite main courses including daily seafood selections and farm fresh produce.  This will run alongside the à la carte menu, a key feature of which is the Aberdeen beef, aged for 28-days.

Dinner will offer another interpretation of the tasting table with complimentary hors d'oeuvres, followed by varied main dishes.  The à la carte menu will feature global influences, but use classic technique and feature seasonal specialities.  Highlights of the autumn menu include 'Caramelized Golden Cross Goat Cheese with Chestnut Purée, Quince and Wild Rocket' to start and as a main dish 'Lemon Herb Rotisserie Chicken with Sweet Potato Purée and Brussels Sprout Leaves' or 'Pan Braised Halibut with Autumn Greens, Pearl Barley and Red Wine Sauce'.

"We're really excited about the launch of Restaurant TwentyTen at the Wyndham Grand," commented Michael Schaefer, General Manager. "From the Tasting Table to our new menu offerings, we look forward to guests joining us."

Restaurant TwentyTen, which highlights local cuisine and the freshest produce available, will continue to evolve and next year become Restaurant TwentyEleven featuring guest chefs from around the world to further embrace the concept.For more information or to book visit: www.wyndhamgrandlondon.co.uk

A look inside the new Savoy Hotel

The Savoy Hotel opens its doors this weekend after months of closure due to a major refurbishment.

Take a look inside one of the most famous hotels in the world (thanks to London Video for the recommendation!)

Service Charges at London Restaurants

This interesting press release came my way - just another marketing ploy from desperate restaurateurs do you think?  Will it work?  Would love to hear your views!

Sanctum Sin-Bins Service Charges

Tipping is the new taboo. Diners, desperate to do the right thing, are confronted with news of changing laws and administration charge overhauls. Gone are the days when you could simply slip a well-deserved crisp note into the grateful hand of your waiter. It’s difficult to know who gets what. That is until now…
 
Entrepreneur Mark Fuller is sin-binning the service charge at his Sanctum Soho Hotel and its restaurant No.20. Conscious that customers pay a prescribed percentage every time they order, great value dinner and drinks can become crippling credit card eaters that only benefit the big boys and girls.
 
With many of London’s top establishments forcing customers to pay 12.5% service charge, whether the service warrants it or not, Fuller wants his guests to know what the bill will be from the outset. Shying away from false discounts laden with terms and conditions, Sanctum and No.20’s prices are refreshingly transparent, offering people the chance to order what they desire without the worry of a sly sting at the end of the night. For those who want to reward staff, customers are encouraged to show their gratitude in the time-honoured tradition of handing over some cool hard cash.
 
Fuller comments: “Service charges cleverly manipulate prices. You head out with a budget in mind, and its blown out of control with an unwanted tax. I want guests of my hotel and restaurant to know what they’ll be paying when they leave. There is nothing worse than the bitter taste of a surprise bill. What you see is what you pay at Sanctum. It’s just not Rock and Roll otherwise, and I encourage others to do the same.”
 
Service charges have been removed from the restaurant No.20, Sanctum bar and hotel room service. However, tips are very welcome and should go directly to those who deserve it.
 
Sanctum Soho Hotel and No.20
20 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NF
020 7292 6100
www.sanctumsoho.com