IN THE HEART OF THE CAPITAL
JUSTIN CONNOLLY visits a fabulous hotel with two exceptional restaurants in a perfect location
IF, WHEN you peer out of your hotel window, the site that greets you is a rather imposing building with the address Number One, London, you pretty much know already you’re in the right place. That address might be a nickname, but still, Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner, the former home of the Duke of Wellington, could not be in a better spot. And neither could the neighbouring InterContinental London Park Lane hotel.
Looking down from my hotel window on Wellington’s gaff, I rather got the feeling I could have sat there watching the world go by for the entirety of my stay.
But that would be a waste of a sensational spot from which to explore the surrounding area.
The InterContinental is a wonderful hotel – all calm and understated cool, a blank canvas, if you will, on which to paint your own London adventure.
It’s a destination in itself, of course, especially due to its fabulous dining options. We tried out Ella Canta and Theo Randall and we were impressed to say the least.
But then again, sitting at the point where Piccadilly, Park Lane, Constitution Hill, and Knightsbridge meet, the InterContinental is so close to a lot of what people visit London to see, it would almost be foolish to stay anywhere else.
You’re a half-hour stroll down Knightsbridge and Brompton Road away from the Natural History Museum, the V&A and the Science Museum. That’s a weekend’s work in itself.
Head the other way up Piccadilly and you’ll quickly find yourself passing by the Ritz and on your way into the West End.
Down Constitution Hill you find Buckingham Palace, of course, and beyond St James’s Park there’s Whitehall and all those government buildings to marvel at.
Up Park Lane you’ll eventually hit Marble Arch and the end of Oxford Street, and then, of course, there’s Hyde Park itself laid out on your doorstep.
Add into that the beautifully appointed rooms and impeccably discrete and helpful service and you are, as they say, on to a winner. But if it really is all about location, location, location, then the InterContinental wins hands down. So good is its position that it is actually the neighbourhood in which the Queen spent her early childhood. Her father, then Duke of York, made his home at 145 Piccadilly in the 1930s, leaving when he became King in 1936 on the abdication of his brother Edward VII and moving just across the road into Buckingham Palace. 145 Piccadilly is sadly no longer standing, having been destroyed in the Blitz. Built in its place some years later was the InterContinental hotel.
THEO RANDALL AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL
COMING to the hotel with a reputation about as good as it gets, chef Theo Randall has not disappointed with his current London restaurant.
They call it the best Italian restaurant in town and, to be honest, it’s hard not to agree with them.
Randall, of course, has an impeccable pedigree and a career that has already taken him from California to the River Cafe in London, where he was awarded a Michelin star. The InterContinental was next, and 12 years after opening, the place is still winning rave reviews.
Its USP is authentic Italian inspiration – Randall visits Italy regularly for new ideas – teamed with exceptional local ingredients.
It’s not overly fussy, and the dinner we had there was wonderful in every course.
From the burrata starter, through the pappardelle con funghi, and finishing with the piatto di verdure (a remarkable collection of carrots, aubergine and Jerusalem artichokes, fennel, beetroot, borlotti beans, spinach, and peppers which really showed how fulfilling plant-based eating can be), everything was perfect.
There’s a tasting menu available for £70, which is mighty useful considering how good literally everything on the menu sounds – it’s hard to make a choice.
The wine selection, also predominantly Italian, is sensational, too – and, of course, there is a sommelier with excellent taste who will provide you with a glass matching each course on request.
ELLA CANTA
ON ITS website Ella Canta makes a bold claim: “We eat colour,” it says.
Now, that might sound a bit pretentious, but it’s exactly the way I would describe the afternoon I spent in this beautiful Mexican restaurant’s embrace.
We tried out the weekend brunch menu, which isn’t cheap at £59 a head, but the price only tells you half the story – it’s good value for money.
I hate it when people describe a restaurant’s offering as an “experience”, it makes it sound like the food is incidental to the whole thing.
But I’m struggling to find another way to describe the three or so languid hours we spent in Ella Canta.
Perhaps I should leave it to the restaurant to describe itself: “Mexico’s natural bounty is Chef Martha Ortiz’s inspiration. Her art is a response to the colours, textures, stories and spirit of her beloved country. Modernist expressions of customary cuisine. Her loving curation brings Mexican verve to Park Lane.”
Mexican verve is about right, small plates from starters like ‘nationalistic guacamole, ricotta cheese, pomegranate, gold grasshopper’, and ‘razor clam ceviche, passion fruit, mango’, to mains like “lobster tail, black bean chorizo, flour tortillas”, and “red snapper Veracruz Marimba style with potato puré and saffron” would brighten anyone’s day.
We’re talking very bold flavours and unexpected combinations, here – every mouthful is a little welcome surprise. Team all that with bottomless classic margaritas and I reckon you’ve got an afternoon to remember.
And yes, you did read that right – ‘gold grasshopper’ is on the menu. And yes it’s a real grasshopper. Tasty, too.