Covered and heated and very cosy - The Garden at Corinthia London restaurant
What can you tell us about The Garden at Corinthia London?
This courtyard space in the heart of the Corinthia London hotel in Whitehall has been one of those slightly secret spaces that was mostly used by the hotel's celebrity and international clientele. But now, as lockdown lifts, it's going to be one of those places to have on your hit-up list.
How alfresco is it?
As much as you need it to be. Over the past few months, the hotel commissioned two huge retractable canopies which allow the restaurant tables to be completely protected from the rain (and keep the warmth from the various heaters in). But, if the weather picks up, they can be easily retracted so you'd hardly know it was there, opening the whole place up to the blue skies above.
And what's on the menu?
It's a shorter menu than you'd find at the hotel's other restaurant The Northall, where the food is overseen by André Garrett (who's in charge of food across the hotel, with the exception of Kerridge's). Here's what we had:
You start with a warmed version of one of their cocktails - the Be My Zest (also available to take away in bottles).
We've never been so happy to see the bread course! This is za'atar foccacia served with a lovely dip (£7).
Red Prawn Crudo Lemon, Rosemary, Sea Salt (£25) - huge and glorious. Would you serve this up at home? Nope, us neither so it was great to have it here.
Heirloom Tomato Burrata, Olive, Caper (£14) - exceptional burrata, of the quality we haven't often seen at our local shops.
Pizzette - Lobster, Tomato, Fresh Crab, Caviar (£24) - lovely chewy puffy crust with a selection of luxe toppings.
Lamb Cutlets with Courgette, Pomegranate, Rosemary (£29) - once again, this had that perfect combo of pink lamb with caramelised fat that we strubgle to get perfectly right at home.
Crêpe Orange Blossom, Mascarpone, Mara des Bois Compote (£18) - we finished off with a sharing plate for two of crepes and the freshest strawberries.
But that's not all the alfresco action going on at Corinthia London?
Indeed not - on the first floor, they've carved out a brand new space in a garden area. That's been taken over by Kerridge's Bar and Grill who will be running the restaurant from there until inside dining starts. Note that this area isn't weather-proofed (although there are heaters) - so it won't be functioning in the rain. There is a small section for the bar here that's available for walk-ins, so that's worth bearing in mind.
Overall thoughts
When our waiter brought over our first glass of champagne before taking our order, we could have quietly wept with the joy of being back out in civilised society again. The hotel's GM Thomas Kochs said, as he stopped by at our table, that he'd felt truly emotional at a weekend's test service at the restaurant, dining amongst his colleagues. We were equally thrilled to be eating out at a restaurant again. You just cannot beat it - and our lunch here was a nice high bar to set for our re-entry into society.
More about The Garden at Corinthia London
Where is it? Whitehall Pl, Westminster, London SW1A 2BD
How to book: Book online (expect it to be busy until 17 May)
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @corinthialondon
Hot Dinners were invited to The Garden at Corinthia London. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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