Independently owned The Beaumont, I decided to pop in for some quiet time over lunch, and this was a great opportunity to see the hotel in the flesh after so much praise and to try the food here as well. I was planning to spend the day in The Gatsby Room, but it was a squeeze and felt too small, so I sat in a quiet booth in The Colony Grill, where I ordered lunch. The service was excellent here and the décor itself transported you instantly to New York with an old-world glamorous feeling, and this was nice. (I love New York.) This is the kind of room you would be happy to spend a few hours in. But as always, the food reigns supreme and unfortunately it did not completely deliver.
Seeing prawn cocktail on the menu gave me flash backs to my childhood, I just had to order it. On arrival it looked well presented and I could not wait to dig in. Overall, I was accepting of this starter, the chef was generous with the sauce. The prawns (All 3 of them) sat on a pile of salad incorporating avocado, Marie Rose, more prawn pieces and a lettuce leaf and crouton on the side of the bowl. It says grapefruit on the menu too but to my eyes I could not see nor taste any here.
It was a healthy day, so I ordered a salad (Caesar salad, 36-month parmesan, white anchovies) I added chicken on the side, but to my horror not realising, this was an extra £12.00! Welcome back to London… As the salad arrived at the table, The waiter asked kindly “Would you like some anchovies with your salad madam?” Noticing that they were already supposed to be on the salad, I said yes anyway… Thinking to myself, I will get my £15.00 worth! As we zone into the details I could see that the chef was lazy with the lettuce, the root still attached, and it was small sitting in the bottom of the bowl covered by the extremely expensive chicken pieces. I did not particularly enjoy the dish; the dressing was grainy and too thick for my liking, and they tried to squeeze this salad in a bowl that was far too small for it. It is not that difficult to make a good salad, if you are going to charge the earth for it, make it nice… I felt ripped off despite how good the service was. I mean what was I expecting though, this is a 5-star hotel in London. I left most of it in the bowl as it was not enjoyable to eat. What a waste I would say.
I enjoyed my day discovering The Beaumont, but the food did not hit the mark, and the expense for the quality delivered not matching either. I will not be back.
