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Sinclair Beecham is the man who, along with Julian Metcalfe, founded the prêt a manger chain of sandwich shops. He’s now diversified into the hotel business with this, a new four star luxury hotel at “inexpensive” prices (£119 weeknights, £79 weekends).
Presumably he is too busy making butties, as he’s franchised out the restaurant and bar to a company called Room Restaurants, a northern company for whom this is a first foray into the capital.
Northerners aren’t known for innovative food. I can say this as I am a northerner.
Dishes tend to be simple – beans on toast are a favourite – and you’ll find fish and chips and burgers on the menu of even the most lauded restaurants. Nothing wrong with this – The Ivy has been doing this for years.
The bar and restaurant occupy the majority of the ground floor of the hotel. There’s a long, narrow, uber-cool bar area by the entrance to the restaurant. When I visited, the restaurant was buzzing at 8pm – not half bad during this often fallow period of trading.
Starters include roast pumpkin soup (£5), Parma ham and melon (£6.50, not sure whether this is an ironic dish or if it is the real northern way), and potted shrimps (£7.50).
I had a gruyere and leek tart (£6.50), which was nice and simple. My friend Katie had asked which Scotch had been used in the (Scotch smoked) salmon. It was good, by the way.
Main courses offered included burger, steak sandwich, roast chicken, fish and chips, steak and chips and croque monsieur. Katie chose a club sandwich (£9.00), which came topped with bacon rather than the traditional third slice of toast. The bacon was fabulously lean, the tomatoes thickly cut and the cheese plentiful.
I had salmon fishcakes with sides of tomato and onion salad and a portion of chips (£14.90 in total). The fishcakes were massive, chips aplenty, the salad disappointing (it tasted desiccated).
From as dessert list offering lemon cheesecake, chocolate tart and sticky toffee pudding, Katie ordered the mixed berries and complained that, like here, they are always served from frozen. The fact that berries perish quickly had escaped her.
The wine list is long and includes a ‘reserve’ section, although I am not sure how many people will turn up and order a £50 bottle of Burgundy with their burger. Entry level prices on the regular start slightly high at £13.95. I ordered by the glass and thoroughly enjoyed the 2003 Firefinch Ripe Red Merlot-cabernet from the Springfield Estate in South Africa.
The location of the restaurant is more City fringes than Hoxton, but if I lived in hereabouts I would be more than happy to visit time and again for what is no-nonsense fare.
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