Next time you're in South Kensington looking for somewhere special to eat, or even stay, may I suggest The Pelham Hotel. It's a 5 star boutique hotel where traditional meets contemporary, yet with no airs and graces, just a very comfortable, classy hotel. Away from the hustle and bustle of the West End, it is ideally situated for a wander around some of London's best museums including the V&A and the Natural History Museum.
The hotel restaurant is called Bistro 15, where I recently spent a lovely afternoon with a friend enjoying a leisurely lunch. Despite being located in the hotel basement, the restaurant has been decorated with bold, bright colours and clever lighting so as not to appear dark and dingy. We had a great table in the corner where we were well looked after.
As a starter I had the rabbit croquette with a duo of pureed and pickled beetroot and home smoked salmon fillet. This was delicious but the portion was so tiny, it was more like a couple of canapes than a starter. My friend had the crab tortellini in bouillabaisse to start, which she polished off, so I assume it was pretty good.
My main course was duck breast with confit gnocchi, sweet carrots and spinach which I must say was one of the tastiest dishes I've eaten in a long time. Such an amalgamation of delectable flavours, I savoured every mouthful. My friend's pan-seared lemon sole with sauteed chanterelle mushrooms was equally sublime.
To finish off, we enjoyed a chocolate assiette of white chocolate fondant, chocolate and coffee opera and chocolate sorbet, plus a fig frangipane tart with vanilla ice cream, both of which were delicious. As if that wasn't enough, our meal was accompanied with an amazing bottle of South African Steenberg Constantia Semillon 2009 which was a real treat. The entire meal was wonderful, with beautifully presented food and attentive service. Good food, good wine and good friends - what more do you need! As well as an a la carte menu, there is a set menu of 2 courses for £15 or 3 courses for £18 which I think is very reasonable given the excellent standard of the food.
After lunch, we were given a quick tour of the hotel by the Manager and got a chance to peek at one of the bedrooms which was spacious and furnished with interesting antiques. I particularly liked the library and drawing room with their cosy, country house feel and log fires. In complete contrast, the event meeting room with its strong shades of uplifting pink and green was possibly my favourite room. A perfect place for private tea parties! Small, intimate and friendly, I would say The Pelham Hotel is worth a visit, whether staying over, having lunch or just afternoon tea.
Miss Immy was invited as a lunch guest at The Pelham Hotel
15 Cromwell Place
London SW7 2LA
020 7589 8288
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