What can you tell us about the The Northall?
It's one of two restaurants in the new Corinthia hotel (the other being Massimo), the huge new hotel near Whitehall. It focuses on sustainable British food (the menu shows the provenance of all the ingredients) and is under the direction of Michelin-starred Executive Chef Garry Hollihead (who has previously done time under Marco Pierre White at MPW and L'Escargot as well as working at The Savoy and Grosvenor House).
Where is it?
Located in the Corinthia hotel, it’s just off Trafalgar Square and the nearest tube is Charing Cross.
Who’s it suitable for?
The Corinthia hotel's a bit swish, so it's somewhere to head to if you're in the mood for something a bit more upmarket. It's easily suited for couples or for a place to impress the parents with. It's fairly quiet too, so we would imagine a few politicians stopping by for a working lunch too.
Where should I meet my fellow diners for pre-dinner drinks?
The hotel itself has two great bars - Bassoon and the bar of Massimo, which we've previously enjoyed. This time, we availed ourselves of the hospitality of the musically-themed piano bar Bassoon, situated just opposite the Northall itself. Both Massimo and Bassoon are designed by David Collins, and you can immediately see his influence as you enter - lots of gold fittings, polished wood and general opulence.
The bar menu itself features a pleasing (although not cheap) array of cocktails - including a selection mules, martinis, seasonal cocktails and drinks matched with their own homemade sodas ("carbonated in the tumbler”). It's a huge selection and we went for the Pacific Mule and the Bassoon Margarita which both worked worked well - strong cocktails served inventively (the mule in a pewter tankard) and set us up well for the meal.
We'd also recommend stopping by the Massimo bar afterwards - and if you want to meet up before getting to the hotel, nearby Gordon's Wine Bar is a perennial favourite.
Where should we sit?
The Northall is split into two huge sections. We sat in the rear section with its panoramic windows and mirrors, but there's room for loads more in the front section as well as a larger bar space for counter dining. If you're coming in a group there's a more private area on an upper level. We would note that the lounge seats by the windows had a tendency to sink down, so we'd perhaps recommend those only for the taller diners or to pick a table in the centre of the room.
What would you recommend ordering?
As mentioned before, the Northall menu is heavily focused around seasonal British produce. The starter course favours fish dishes the most and we opted firstly for the dressed crab with mayonnaise and melba toast. This has leapt to the top of Hot Dinners' list as one of the best starters we've had all year.
A hugely generous portion of white crabmeat combined well with the mayo and toast to start things off very well indeed. The lobster cocktail also went down well - but the £24 price point is pretty steep.
For mains - we headed straight for the beef - the 300g rib eye and the Cumbrian beef burger. The steak with bearnaise (with other sauces also available) was cooked perfectly to order. The burger also continued London's trend of finally getting simple burgers right with only bacon or egg being the optional extras and the now mandatory triple-cooked chips.
It was the dessert menu where things took another interesting turn. Here you can choose from the more traditional menu (we chose the caramelia chocolate with apricot sorbet) or delve into the chocolate menu with chocolates provided by Damian Allsop. Diners can have a selection of six for £6 or 12 for £12 or some chocolate by weight (50 for £6, £100 for £12). We opted for the selection which included tonka beans and passion fruit and also ordered a popping raspberry candy lollipop to round it all off. It's a great alternative to dessert.
Is bread included?
Yes, and more importantly you get the choice between salted and unsalted butter.
How much is this going to set me back?
The a la carte menu is punchy, with starters at the £12-15 mark and the cheapest steak at £29, although you can opt for the burger and chips for £17. Sides are a more affordable £3.50 and desserts are £8.
The best value is the Market Menu. Served at lunch or at dinner up till 7pm, it's £28 for three courses. Featuring starters from the main menu like the chicken liver parfait and special dishes for the remaining courses (rump of beef, fried egg and Scottish girolle mushrooms was one of the mains on offer) it's great value for such a high class hotel.
Overall thoughts?
The Northall hasn't received quite as much attention as its stablemate Massimo, but it deserves just as much kudos. Located in an amazing looking room, blessed with an interesting menu that makes you want to return and try more, and with the added interest of those chocolates for dessert it's definitely a winner. All that before you add in the value of the Market Menu and it's an easy recommendation.
The Northall - Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD - Find out more
Prices are correct at the time of writing. Hot Dinners were invited to eat at the Northall.
