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One of the main restaurants at The Rubens - The English Grill
What can you tell us about The Rubens at The Palace
It's a building with an awful lot of history before it. Its roots go back as far as the 1700s with parts of the building used by businesses as varied as a pharmacy, a dressmaker and even a bread company. The hotel came to prominence in the early 20th century (apparently it was very popular with debutantes attending functions in the Palace) and was bought by its current owners, Red Carnation, back in 1997.
More recently, in 2017, it underwent a big refurbishment, adding more to its roster of restaurants and bars.
Where can we find it?
The clue is in the name, it's right next door to Buckingham Palace. So close, in fact, that it directly overlooks the entrance to the Royal Mews, which is apparently what the royals themselves use as an entrance (when they're being low-key). It's closest to Victoria station - less than a five-minute walk from there.
Looking out from the Palace Lounge at Rubens at The Palace. This is where afternoon tea is held and yes, you are directly looking into the side entrance to the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace here. Maybe book this table for the Coronation now...
So what's on offer food and drink-wise?
Quite a lot. There are two restaurants, the English Grill and The Curry Room along with the Palace Lounge (so-called because it looks out directly onto the Palace) where they serve afternoon tea. On top of that, there are three bars - Bbar, The New York Bar and The Leopard Bar.
We went down to check out both the New York Bar and The English Grill.
So, starting with the New York Bar - what can you tell us about that?
This is the main bar that leads into both The English Grill (upstairs) and The Curry Room (downstairs). Run by Salvatore Maggio you can expect inventive cocktails and a pretty great bar menu too. Here's a taste:
A lot of the cocktail list is smoke and mirrors (quite literally).
We'll be honest - we often judge how good a bar is by their martinis, and The New York Bar produces stellar vodka martinis. There are several on the menu so you should find one that's perfect for you.
The bar menu is also delivered with a bit of pizzazz. From the snacks menu these were wagyu sandos and truffled macarons.
And what about The English Grill?
The English Grill was originally launched in 2017, earned two AA rosettes along the way, and is now led by Executive chef Ben Kelliher who has previously worked at some of London's top hotels, including The Chesterfield Mayfair. He's joined by pastry chef Sarah Houghting who you may recognise from her recent appearance on Bake Off - The Professionals.
The English Grill itself is billed as serving British dishes with a modern twist and that's done with a fair wallop of theatricality and flourish. Here's a taste of what we had on the night:
A trip to the pass first, where Ben Kelliher and Sarah Houghting are in the kitchen.
This is Orkney King Scallop, with English Chorizo and Apple Wood Smoked Hollandaise - a pretty glorious (and huge) scallop dish.
Into the English Grill itself, we get our first taste of the tableside theatrics. Choose the smoked salmon starter and you can have your choice of London-cured or Irish salmon (£25.95) sliced in front of you. Add on some caviar if you fancy too (£10)
This is possibly the biggest croquette we've ever seen. It's the pulled beef blade croquette with red onion dressing, whipped horseradish & bone marrow and shavings of truffle on top (£18.75)
Onto the mains and we'd say the Steak Diane is a must. Mainly because you get this happening in front of you. Just look at that - it's quite possibly the most impressive flambeeing we've ever witnessed.
And here's the finished article. Steak Diane is a classic dish that you don't see that much these days (a shame). It's all cooked at the table, in a sauce made of mustard, Worcestershire, cream, mushrooms and, of course, cognac for all that flambeeing (£66.75).
The Billingsgate fish of the day was John Dory - served here with cepes and caviar.
Seared Saddle of Venison with Roasted Garlic Potato Purée, Braised Leeks, Blackberries, Dark Chocolate Jus (£51.75)
Steamed date & banana pudding with homemade brandy & walnut ice cream, walnut brittle (£9.50) - an excellent pudding and that walnut brittle works wonders in this dish.
The English Grill does make its own ice cream, so we opted for a scoop of honeycomb along with fig, maple and bourbon.
And to finish things off - the petit fours are delivered with a little help of some more dry ice.
What about the wine?
A glance at the wine list reveals a section devoted to South African Bouchard Finlayson wines and that's because it's actually a vineyard owned by Red Carnation hotels, the owners of the Rubens. So the entry level wine on the list happens to be a Blanc de Mer (Riesling Blend), 2017 at £36 a bottle - not bad at all for a high-end London restaurant. There are also some of the more high-end Bouchard Finlayson wines available by the glass. So if you fancy trying the Tête de Cuvée, 2007 that'll cost you £35 for the glass as opposed to £195 for the bottle.
Otherwise, the rest of the predominantly European list is broken down into flavour profiles, with a good few bottles under £50, and rising up to the £340 mark (Châteauneuf du Pape, Beaucastel, Rhone Valley, France, 2009).
Overall thoughts
If you've ever been left wanting more action and drama from an evening out, then a trip to The Rubens at The Palace might be just the thing. From personalised drinks and tips on concocting the perfect martini in The New York Bar through to all the bells and whistles when it comes to dinner at The English Grill, this central London hotel wants to do everything it can to make your trip here memorable. Staff are warm, funny and very, very good at what they do. You're left feeling like a guest at the other Palace across the road - it's just a lot less formal and more fun on this side.
More about Rubens at the Palace
Where is it? 39 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 0PS
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @rubenshotel.
This content has been sponsored by Rubens at the Palace
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