Looking into Henri
What can you tell us about Henri?
This is the main restaurant at the Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden (now called Henrietta Experimental), which itself is run by the Experimental Group (also behind Compagnie de Vins Surnaturels wine bar). This hotel restaurant has been through a few iterations (Ollie Dabbous being among the chefs who've had ventures here) and this latest incarnation sees Jackson Boxer (Orasay/Brunswick House) take over. Boxer has worked with the Experimental Group before as he's also in charge of the restaurant at the group's country hotel Cowley Manor Experimental. That venture worked so well that he proved to be the natural choice for a reinvention of their Covent Garden restaurant.
Here, Boxer has focused on the Experimental Group's French origins and created a Parisian-style bistro in Henri, albeit one that has his own clear take on French cuisine.
Where is it?
Henrietta Experimental is just off the main Covent Garden piazza on, no surprise here, Henrietta Street with the nearest station being Covent Garden itself. The restaurant takes up the entire ground floor of the hotel, with a small section given over to the bar. This is also part of London where they've hung onto the covered alfresco spaces outside that were first created during Covid, so on a decent day you'll see a lot of people eating out there.
This is what you're looking for, with the covered terrace just off to the right.
Inside, the restaurant has been given a light Parisian brasserie overhaul, with marble-topped tables dominating the room. Our only bugbear of the night was that some of these tables are very close to each other, and they could do with taking one or two out entirely to make it a little less cramped. Hopefully this is something they'll take into consideration, but it's a small issue overall.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
In this immediate part of town, the bar at Rules is always worth a look, particularly if you've never been, but it's a very different vibe to Henri. We're also new fans of the downstairs bar at Thirty7, around the corner on Bedford Street and from the Oystermen team. Although it's a clearly something of a tourist haunt, we still like The Crusting Pipe on the piazza and speaking of wine bars, The Lady of the Grapes is also worth a look.
All that aside, if you're a bit early for your table, the small bar at Henri is also well worth a look. The Experimental Group have always delivered with their cocktail selection and this bar is no exception. All in the £14-£15 region, the French influence comes through again with the cocktails with names like "Annette" and "Gaston". All are unique to the hotel, although you can see influences from classic drinks here.
Eugénie (£13) - Tapatio tequila, olive leaf infused Carpano Bianco vermouth, Muyu vetiver
It should also be noted that there's a decent non-alcoholic list here too, with drinks including the "Beauvilliers" featuring Everleaf Marine, elderflower, lime, cucumber and egg white (£11).
Onto the food - what can we expect here?
It's a menu of snacks, "entrees" and "plats" and a charcoal grill section, with a few dishes that are much easier to share. The French influence is clear throughout and you'll note that we went for some of the most Frenchiest dishes below. Portions are decent and the whole thing comes across as notably good value both in size and quality of the food in such a central and touristy part of town.
We roamed through the menu and here's what we settled on:
Seaweed Canelé filled with sour cream and topped with trout roe (£5 each) - the bite-size snacks are the must-have dish and oh-so-Instagrammable.
Fried pieds de cochon, Agen prune, bier mustard (£4) - another snack which turns the classic French dish into a mini version.
Grilled snails, green garlic, veal rice (£13) - As you might have noticed, snails are a thing on London menus of late. Take the snails off the skewers, mix in with the incredibly rich veal rice and you have another showstopper.
Raw tuna, green tomato & melon (£18)
Roast duck, blood orange & green olive (£34) - a decidedly large portion of duck in a pool of another rich (and very French) sauce. A pimped-up Duck a l'orange essentially.
1/2 herb-fed chicken, turnips and morels (£35 or £60 if you want a whole chicken) - a great sharing dish with some added and unbilled croutons soaked in the gravy for good measure.
Duck fat fries (£6) - another must-have and it's possible that the photo doesn't quite convey just how huge this bowl of fries is - it's about twice (or more) the standard portion in any restaurant we've been to recently. And so, so good - we managed to polish all these off.
And dessert?
The desserts are pretty strong here although both of the choices below could easily have been shared between two people, so bear that in mind. We also liked the sound of the chocolate sabayon cake and if you're after something more savoury to end the meal, the 24-month-old Comte with homey (£12) would be the perfect choice.
Riz au lait, poached apricots, dulce de leche for 2 (£14) - this is essentially a create-your-own rice pudding dessert.
Royal opera torte, Pedro Ximénez (£11) - a classic opera cake almost drowned in PX-infused whipped cream.
Anything else to mention?
There's a lot left on the menu that we didn't try, from a classic Jambon De Paris with Celeriac Remoulade (£12) and they even have a French-style smash burger with the Raclette Burger ‘Au Poivre’ (£15). We also very much liked the look of the fried eggs & morels (£16).
There's a good set menu here which is also available pre-theatre which comes in at two courses for £23 and three courses for £28. That features options like "Saucisse De Toulouse" and "carrot râpée, black olive & sesame" and is well worth it if you want to give this restaurant a test run first.
How about drink?
As well regarded as the Experimental Group are for their cocktails, their wine lists are also well worth perusing. It is, naturally, a predominantly French list (with a few wines from elsewhere) and a particular focus on the Bourgogne. The entry-level price is £39, but there are many wines running into the £100s, particularly in the aforementioned Bourgogne section. They do have a strong by-the-glass/carafe section, with glasses/carafes starting at £7/£20.
Overall thoughts
Jackson Boxer's winning run continues. In the past year we've been impressed with both his Selfridges restaurant and a visit to Brunswick House and this is another great restaurant from the chef. Every dish delivered, and then some, with the prices being very competitive in many cases, and we find ourselves wanting to go back and try more. Classic French food has been making something of a comeback in London of late and this is an excellent example of that, with a few of Boxer's own flourishes. It's all well worth checking out.
More about Henri
Where is it? 14-15 Henrietta St, London WC2E 8QH
How to book: Book online.
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @henriettahotel and @jackson_boxer.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Henri. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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