I'm not sure how I've missed the Lobby Bar at One Aldwych, but it's quite the glam place for a drink. Who knew? It certainly beats the pants off most hotel lobby bars. Soaring ceilings, huge windows, dark oak furnishings and a cocktail list to knock your socks off. Tables are probably spaced slightly too far apart to build up a huge buzz, but perhaps this contributes to the airy feel.
After a black lavender vodka martini (with fresh blackberries and blackberry liqueur - £10.50), The Peanut Gallery and I ambled up to Indigo, the mezzanine restaurant overlooking the Lobby Bar. This is the hotel's baseline restaurant. The setting is more subdued than the bar's, and quite stylish and comfortable if a little bland and hotellish. But it's busy, even on a Monday night.
The food here - all modern European - is excellent, but can be pricey (at least if you go for the a la carte menu).
We started with a chilled tomato consumme with fresh tomato, basil, Scottish langoustines, peas, broad beans and chives - summery, tangy, sweet and fresh - absolutely gorgeous (£6.50). This was one of the most memorable dishes of the evening and was recommended to us since it was part of a seasonal tomato based menu being promoted by Indigo's big brother restaurant, Axis, at the time (there's a Mushroom Menu coming up at Axis from 23rd September and a Game Menu from 11th November). The tomato consumme still seems to be on the regular menu.
After a bit of a mix up when my scallops arrived looking rather like squid, the dish was quickly replaced, and my scallops showed up looking much more to plan. With broad beans, pea puree, pea shoots and shavings of truffle (£13.50) everything was fresh and executed well. The summer truffles were mild enough not to overpower the rest of the dish. It's difficult lately to find a scallop without a pea puree lurking nearby (and the pairing was a constant theme of Master Chef), but this was a fine version of the tried and tested combination.
My lamb with sweetbreads and kohlrabi was rich and decadent - the sort of dish that (sweetbreads aside) I really lap up (£22.50).
TPG enjoyed his roasted breast and confit leg of quail, with a quail scotch egg, cherry compote, cherries and young almonds (£12.50). Ok, so there's a glass plate and it looks a little fru fru, but there were some great flavours here and all was perfectly well executed. His steak with cherry tomatoes and flat mushrooms was less exciting but I seem to recall there was not much left on his plate in the end.
To dessert... My raspberry and lemon curd cheesecake had a thin biscuit on top of a big daub of gooey cheesecake mix with raspberries and circles of jelly on top. Loved it - even more so than TPG's fancy looking Eton mess. The meringue was slightly too chewy, but came backed up with good jelly, cream, strawberry sorbet, basil and strawberry sauce.
We left full and happy.
Pricing may be the main stalling point for some. Although there are a couple of starters for under a tenner, they're mostly around the £12 mark. To be fair, our main dishes were at the pricier end of the spectrum and there are plenty of options within the £15-£20 bracket. Nonetheless, if these prices make you baulk, then the fixed price menus for pre and post-theatre (it's handily located for the theatre district) would be a clever way to sample the fare (2 courses £16.75 and 3 courses £19.75). They also do breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
Just don't forget to have a cocktail downstairs first (yes, yes, even if you go for breakfast).
Indigo at One Aldwych, 1 Aldwych, Covent Garden, London WC2B4 (tel: 020 7300 0400)
I dined at Indigo as a guest of the restaurant. The views expressed here are, as always, an honest account of my thoughts.
I dined at Indigo as a guest of the restaurant. The views expressed here are, as always, an honest account of my thoughts.
