Nestled within the fabulous 5 star Montcalm hotel is one of the finest dining experiences in London – The Grill at the Montcalm. As a beef lover, with a particular penchant for steaks, I approached The Grill with a level of trepidation and high expectations. I must say, they were met, and met with aplomb.
Firstly, the stunning coordination of the décor strikes you as soon as you walk through the door. The colour scheme goes from hot oranges to subtle creams and greys. This colour scheme is carried from the staff uniform, all the way through to the cutlery; the resulting feeling of continuity, lends The Grill a feeling of class and elegance. Also, the greeting and service are of an impeccable standard; we felt relaxed, cared for and at ease. A good start…
Glancing through the menu it is an emphatically British affair. Detailed information, as to where the produce came from and how it was bred, is given throughout the menu. For example: the sheep are reared on Romney Marsh in Kent, the beef in the South West and the pork is reared in in either Essex or York. The wine menu is also very well chosen and contains a collection of exquisite tipples which can be perfectly matched to anything on the menu.
The starter section of the menu contains a fine selection of light and heavy dishes, and spans a great array of food types.
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Black Tomato are the leading luxury travel website, with some of the finest destinations in the world on their books. Frequent winners of ‘Best Travel Website’ awards, it’s clear Black Tomato know what they are doing.
So much, in fact that it has led to the publication of new online luxury travel and lifestyle magazine, PINCH.
Seen more as an inspirational travel and lifestyle guide, PINCH immediately delivers.
The aesthetic of the PINCH site is heavily image led with a clean, design focused layout that celebrates the quality of imagery and editorial.
Importantly, It is easy to navigate, find associated articles with a common thread of inspiration and ultimately enjoy getting lost in and taking PINCH’s of inspiration for travel and wider lifestyle planning.
Black Tomato owner and co-founder Tom Marchant explains, “The crux of the magazine’s concept is summed up by the tag line, ‘this world, that pinch of inspiration’ and is a place for us to share our insider finds and enthusiasm about the world. Ultimately, we want it to be a place of inspiration.
“We have always been committed to writing a lot of editorial for Black Tomato’s website so launching PINCH magazine felt like a natural progression of what we do and a way for us to continue championing creative cutting edge experiences around the world through a different outlet.”
It’s like having a chat with a well connected and very cool travel agent. If you are asking where shall I go on holiday this year, you should invest some time in PINCH.
The only trouble is, you may get more inspiration than you anticipated…and you may decide to take more than one trip this year! Life’s tough choices….
Go check out PINCH, it’s a great read.
Set in the May Fair hotel, (part of the Radisson Edwardian chain of hotels), this is no ordinary hotel bar, this is London’s most special cocktail bar – and it rocks!
None of the stuffy hotel bar atmosphere here. We arrived at 7.30 on a Tuesday evening to a bar, full of happy people and a buzzing vibe. The bar is just across the road from the Funky Buddah night club, so this is where the ‘in’ crowd come to warm up and be seen. The Mayfair area, being one of the most affluent areas in London, is full of good bars, but this is the liveliest and most interesting hotel bar I have been to in a while. Will be going back!
Arriving at the Mayfair hotel is special. The foyer is welcoming and it has got that upmarket hotel feel when you walk in. We were met by Marios Elias the bar manager and head mixologist. Marios really knows his cocktails and is a very pleasant gentleman. We were seated at a table by the door, perfect for people watching and what a lot of lovely people to watch – a really interesting mixed crowd of post-work and party people.
Marios was very attentive and went through the cocktail menu with us.
My champagne taste was catered for with a Schiaparelli to start – pure delight! Freshly ‘squeezed’ watermelon and champagne – with a sliver of watermelon on the glass. I could smell and taste the fresh watermelon, the taste was exquisite. My guest had a taste – the best she had very had!
The Temptation champagne cocktail went down a treat with Sara – Subrowka (a Polish vodka with a herbal flavoured bison grass), Champbord raspberry liqueur, lemon juice and guava juice, topped with Duval Leroy Brut, topped with a blackberry!
There is a good cocktail selection – not too many but covers everything from the classics to many interesting extras, all explained in an upmarket mixology booklet on each table. There is the Classics, Champagne cocktails, Long cocktails, Martini cocktails, then the Flights – a unique fusion of cocktails and dishes. Prices range from £11 which is very affordable, particularly in this part of town to many more pounds for the May Fair Martini!
Moving on with our cocktail tasting – Marios, again explained in detail our choices and recommended according to our tastes. I enjoyed the Raspberry Ripple – a delicious combination of raspberries, lemon and Campari topped with Duval Leroy Brut, with the obligatory plump raspberry and mint hooked to the glass. It was slightly sweet for me, but then I am a real champagne girl.
Sara opted for the May Fair Mojito cocktail – the signature creation. Bacardi Gold rum, vanilla sugar, lime, fresh mint and lemon juice. The tall glass was filled with crushed ice and mint and looked divine – also tasted divine!
We were offered the bar food menu – a really good selection of well priced food. Marios recommended the Bento Box platter which was a wonderful tasty selection of Asian dim sum, Maki sushi rolls, sweet chilli king prawns, soft shell crab tempura and spring rolls. The food was very good – generous portions and great value when sharing. There were 5 other platters available, ranging from duck, seafood and vegetarian to Middle Eastern.
Further drinks consisted of champagne with our food selection. We were also offered the dessert menu, but declined. The staff were constantly looking after us and appeared calm and professional through the entire evening, even serving a birthday cake with candles to the table next to us, with a bar full of revellers!
The décor of the bar area is very modern and tasteful – bright and imaginative. Marios did mention about the Magnum bar, so Sunny (who looked after us towards the end of the evening) guided me through the throng of party people to a very posh area filled with soft couches and dim lights. This area is exclusive to the champagne drinkers with magnums in mind – very trendy and filled with footballers and their partners.
Marios also pointed out that the May Fair bar is presenting Sunday Girl - London’s hottest DJ, mixing the music on Sunday nights in the bar, launching on 19th February – even more reason to enjoy this fabulous venue.
This award winning bar is definitely the place to be – it’s cool, trendy, impressive, well priced, great attentive staff – get yourself there!
I need to make you aware of the launch of Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar which is due to open in March at the 5 star London Marriott County Hall Hotel.
The new restaurant aims to be “the most English of English dining destinations” and will feature the best of English beef and seasonal produce as well as over thirty gins and new cocktails created taking an influence from the satirical works of famed caricaturist of the late eighteenth century James Gillray.
Set in the County Hall, built 100 years ago to house London’s government, with views of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, few can claim a more inherently English location or vista.
The choice of namesake, James Gillray, reflects the political history of the County Hall’s past, and the intelligence, style and humour of the English personality. James Gillray’s work punctuates the menu and will be exhibited on the walls of the steakhouse restaurant and bar.
Location – check, History – check, Interior design – check. What about the menu? Well, for me this is where it gets really good.
The 1000g ‘Bulls Head’ steak sounds divine and when you throw in bar snacks like English Crumpet & Soft Boiled Egg washed down with 10 English beers, this high end London steakhouse looks to be debuting with gloves off. I am a fan already and I haven’t tasted a morsel.
(I am not suggesting all 10 beers need to be drunk, but merely pointing out the choice is rather good)
The menu features nine cuts of steak – bone-out and bone-in – 300g Fillet on the bone, 450g Porterhouse and 600g T-Bone steaks. Gillray’s Steakhouse signature dish, the 1000g ‘Bulls Head’ steak, will steal the show - a 1000g-butterfly cut, double rib steak served with the bone in.
The Englishness of Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar is evident throughout the bar menu, populated by 10 English beers (and two Scottish beers from Innis & Gunn), 29 English gins (including a few British favourites such as Hendrick’s) and five English vodkas.
The bar snacks menu brings Englishness to life in bite-sized morsels –Pigs in Blankets, English Crumpet & Soft Boiled Egg and Venison Sausage Rolls with HP Sauce – England on a plate.
Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar opens at London’s County Hall at the end of March 2012.
Join the queue….
Apsleys, A Heinz Beck Restaurant which can be found in the iconic Lanesborough Hotel in London always host the most beautiful Valentine’s Day dinners and this year will be no exception.
The restaurant will be offering a seven course tasting menu devised by three Michelin starred chef, Heinz Beck.
Apsleys’ stunning Venetian-style dining room, with its glass roof and plush upholstery, is one of London’s most beautiful dining spaces, an elegant setting for any occasion. On Valentine’s night, the restaurant will have live piano music playing and every woman will receive flowers on the night.
If you are looking to impress this Valentine’s, this is where you need to be! The Lanesborough has long enjoyed its status as one of the world’s most luxurious and lauded hotels and the involvement of Heinz Beck at Apsleys has only furthered this enviable reputation.
Opened in September 2009, Beck soon earned the restaurant its own Michelin Star, when in February 2010 it became the fastest London establishment to be bestowed with the award.
The Executive Chef, Massimiliano Blasone, is a prodigy who has worked with Beck for 11 years and is responsible for ensuring the quality and consistency of his menu.
The wonderful and very tempting Valentine’s menu is below -
VALENTINES MENU
Foie gras, artichoke and sweet wine jelly
I Capitelli 2008 – Anselmi
Sea scallops, green asparagus and black truffle
Greco di Tufo 2010 – Feudi di San Gregorio
Aubergine tortellini with tomato coulis
Vernaccia di san Giminiano 2010 – Teruzzi & Puthod
Langoustine, fennel and potato
Lugana “ Brolettino” 2009 – Ca’ dei Frati
Dover sole, bread crust and ratatouille
Chardonnay 2008 – Planeta
Challans Duck with Jerusalem artichoke and salsify
Tassinaia 2006 – Castello del Terriccio
St. Valentines Dessert
Moscato rosa 2009 – Franz Haas
7 courses Tasting Menu - £160 per person
7 courses Tasting Menu with matching wines- £230 per person
