Restaurant reviews | The Colony Grill Room at the Beaumont: pure old-fashioned glamour

Restaurant reviews

The Colony Grill Room at the Beaumont: pure old-fashioned glamour

It has to be said that no-one knows how to do glamour like Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, the founders of the Ivy and the Caprice and, more recently, the Wolseley, the Delaunay and my current favourite, Fischer’s

And now a hotel. Not just any hotel but an incredibly grand ‘boutique’ hotel bang in the middle of Mayfair, in a discreet little side street opposite Selfridges. And, of course, a restaurant, The Colony, in which I could happily spend most of my waking hours.

That is of course rare for a hotel restaurant. Good though the cooking may be they often don’t work, housed in vast cavernous spaces which make you feel you should be somewhere much more fun. Corbin & King’s small gem of a restaurant (I expected it to be bigger) is attached to an equally elegant bar from which you can eat your heart out with envy at the lucky diners who’ve managed to score a table.

The menu is pure Corbin & King. Very retro with lots of American and mittel-European touches. I can’t remember when I last had oysters Rockefeller but they were never as good as this, nestled (gah! I never thought I’d use that word) in a velvety dark green spinach purée topped with just the right amount of crisp breadcrumbs, heated enough to warm the oysters without cooking them.

My friend Thane who was clearly born to inhabit restaurants like this had the day’s special, collar of bacon with parsley sauce, a dish that contained such a generous portion of ham she summoned extra sauce which was borne to the table in a silver jug.

My Veal Pojarski was a riff on C & K’s much loved schnitzel - more of a plump, pillowy escalope with a paprika sauce - pure comfort food. We ordered whipped potatoes which tasted as if they incorporated their body weight in butter and rosemary roasted pumpkin, possibly the only healthy thing that passed our lips the entire meal.

Puddings are wildly over the top. A wicked Bananas Foster (bananas in a caramel sauce with vanilla ice cream) and a Pistachio and Cherry Baked Alaska, flambéed at the table, with extra cherry sauce on the side before Thane even had to ask for it. There are little pads on which you can order bespoke sundaes, choosing from ice-creams, sauces and toppings which include chocolate flake and kid’s candy. C & K understand how to appeal to even their most sophisticated diners’ inner child.

The only criticism we had was of the other seafood dishes we tried. Slightly dull potted shrimps with not enough seasoning and a shrimp cocktail with what tasted like a rather gloopy sweet chilli sauce. Both overchilled. Not like C & K. They’ll probably have attended to it by the time you read this.

The wine list is intelligent too - slightly more adventurous than the duo’s other establishments with plenty available by the glass. We kicked off with Ostertag's Sylvaner and Albarino - both good with our seafood starters then chose Eben Sadie’s Sequillo Red with my veal (good with the paprika sauce) and a Moobuzz pinot noir for Thane’s bacon. We shared a glass of 2008 Valenti Bianchi Late Harvest Semillon with our puds which went better with the Bananas Foster than the baked Alaska. Neither of us cared a jot.

The whole thing quite frankly is a joy. Purringly smooth service. Lovely plates and cutlery, pretty glasses which I gather they had designed especially for the restaurant. (Of course they did.) And the loos …. ! Can’t forget the loos which are given the same minute degree of attention as the rest of the establishment. Note the handwash and the branded paper towels with The Colony printed on them. Pure class.

Book now while you can.

The Colony Grill is at 8 Balderton Street, W1K 6TF (just off Oxford Street) and is open all day from 7am. Tel: 020 7499 9499 or email info@colonygrillroom.com

We ate at the Colony as guests of the restaurant but I reckon you could get by for £40-45 a head for lunch or dinner without wine if you don’t go for the flashier seafood dishes, steaks or caviar. For what you get it’s not expensive. Rooms are another matter, alas.

If you found this post helpful and would like to support the website which is free to use it would be great if you'd make a donation towards its running costs or sign up to my regular Substack newsletter Eat This, Drink That for extra benefits.

CONTRIBUTE HERE

Comments: 0 (Add)

Recent posts …

About FionaAbout FionaEvents and appearancesEvents and appearancesWork with meWork with me
Loading