The Savoy Grill
Category: Venues | London Venue |
It’s 10:45am on a sunny Sunday morning in early April and my parents decide that a ‘special’ family lunch in London is in order.
Having read all about the “most ambitious hotel restoration project in British history”, I decide The Savoy Grill at the infamous Savoy Hotel should be the destination for such an event!
Though I thought it could be a tad ambitious to book a table so last minute, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were able to offer me a table for four at 3pm.
As you enter the hotel, The Savoy Grill, which was taken over by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in 2010, is subtly tucked away to the left of the entrance. The décor is rich and polished Art Deco, with photographs of past icons, such as Marilyn Monroe, who have visited the restaurant.
Though we were on time for our table, and only 2/3rds of the tables were occupied, we had to wait a few minutes whilst they put ‘some glasses on our table’. Our coats were checked and we waited, somewhat in the way, in the small passage that resembled a cramped hallway of a cruise ship.
Luckily, once we were seated we did not feel so cramped, and whilst my Mother’s chair did get knocked into by the meat trolley once or twice- the charming waiter assured us he was only doing it because she was beautiful.
Once my mum stopped blushing, we studied the menus. As a vegetarian I was flabbergasted to be given my very own separate menu in a restaurant run by a chef who famously hates non meat-eaters! Giddy with choice, I decided to go for the Eggs Florentine. My meat eating Father also liked the look of the vegetarian menu so much that he too ordered from it, opting for the Braised Lentils.
My Mother and Brother both chose the Lamb. To compliment our meals we ordered a bottle Sauvignon Blanc from Australia which was light and refreshing.
When our meals arrived, the lamb was very pink, and the waiters were very understanding when we asked them to be cooked through a little more… and re plated, without gravy! The vegetarian meals did not need to be sent back and we tucked in. My eggs were poached perfectly, as was the spinach. I must admit the size of the brioche underneath it however was a little disappointing, reminding me that perhaps Eggs Florentine should be kept as a breakfast meal! The hollandaise sauce was also, oddly, very cheesy and rich and I couldn’t finish it all.
The braised lentils were superb, and once the Lamb came back, that too was devoured.
We decided not to have puddings, but were treated to some mini pastries and chocolates with our tea- a nice touch in a surprisingly reasonably priced restaurant.
After lunch I made a quick trip to the nicest smelling and cleanest toilets I think I have ever been to (!) and popped to the mini museum which boasts pictures of Icons who have graced the Savoy with their presence. Next door I Peeked into the recently re opened American bar …. With its lovely Grand Piano and a cocktail list to impress, had it not been a Sunday afternoon I think that would have been my next port of call!