Food, Lifestyle, TravelCarl ThompsonApril 19, 2021Hotels, London Hotels, Luxury Hotels, Eating Outdoors in London, The Garden Room, the Lanesborough HotelComment

THE LANESBOROUGH GARDEN ROOM – A MINI UTOPIA - LONDON IS OPEN

Food, Lifestyle, TravelCarl ThompsonApril 19, 2021Hotels, London Hotels, Luxury Hotels, Eating Outdoors in London, The Garden Room, the Lanesborough HotelComment

Once more unto the outdoor covered terraces my friends. That's right, myself and Tuula were kindly invited to the reopening of the Garden Room at The Lanesborough last week for cocktails and light bites.

Described as Knightsbridge's best kept secret, surrounded by a cornucopia of resplendent green plants whose names I shamefully cannot regale. Seeing the email invite land the other week was an auspicious moment for me and undoubtedly for many other content creators. An actual event! In person, meeting folk, socialising, drinking and having good clean family fun albeit still cautiously aware of not breaching any restrictions or rules. And still being respectful of our environment.

I was particularly pleased to have an invite from such a prodigious landmark hotel - The Lanesborough. Hotels have been demonstrably blighted by this pandemic and being a Londoner I appreciate just how import the hospitality is not only to our economy, but our local communities that thrive on these hotels being open. Certain hotels have lost an incredible revenue stream by not being open on New Year, Christmas etc. Certain hotels enjoy hosting patrons that are willing to pay increased sums for views of the fireworks over the Thames on New Years. Believe me, it's been harder than you think to keep these great British institutions afloat.

So it was my great pleasure and privilege to enjoy being in The Lanesborough once more. With the beautiful foliage that someone has taken the time to perfectly manicure, you feel like being in a nature retreat. For any of you that have been to Singapore and enjoyed watching how people in a reclaimed land-city-island can live in perfect symbiosis with nature, you'll have echoes of that here.

For any of you thinking it's a bit chilly still, that you don't fancy dressing like eskimos huddling over the steam of a hot chocolate, then fear not. The indoor/outdoor covered terrace is open year-round with a fireplace, heaters and blankets to keep you warm on colder evenings, serving cocktails, spirits, fine wines and Champagnes and light dishes until late.

Tuula and I enjoyed some terrifically crafted cocktails. Just opening the menu gave me a grounded familiar feeling of warmth and security. Some semblance of normality scorched through the many ungrateful times I'd opened a menu before, began coursing through my veins. This time with an impactful slap, reminding me not to take anything like this for granted again.

It's been a year. It's been a whole damn year. Tuula and I merely dipped our toes, ordering lobster tacos and calamari as light bites, but diners can embrace the full al fresco dining experience with a selection of larger plates. The main standouts include, Grilled Fillet of Stone Bass with lemon butter, Grass-fed USDA Prime Beef Rib-Eye Steak with garlic parsley butter and the Earl Stonham Farm Wagyu Burger with crispy golden french fries.