Hotel restaurants so often over promise and underdeliver; far from the case with the Hyatt Churchill’s The Montagu Kitchen & Lounge.
The cavernous dining room with the Portman Square hotel welcomes its guests with a menu focusing on British ingredients, with a theatrical open kitchen serving up brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. It’s a big space yet still manages to feel like an intimate setting thanks to the attentive staff and soft lighting.
The all day dining menu features nearly 50 dishes across its courses, erring on the side of overwhelming if we’re totally honest, hence our reliance on our waiter to make his recommendations. We began with a couple of bubble and squeak bites, deep fried with Colman’s mustard and crisp kale; a tasty mouthful, though more at home on a pub snack menu. Half a dozen refreshing rock oysters with a tangy shallot vinegar and Kentish tabasco kicked off the feast, swiftly followed by pan fried Orkney scallops, with a delicate Jerusalem artichoke purée, hazelnuts and sea purslane dressing, a flavourful autumnal trio.
The whole Dover sole, with brown butter, capers and cucumber, fell off the bone, its silky, buttery flakes accompanied by a dreamy whipped mashed potato. I’ve always questioned warm cucumber, but thankfully its was just enough to still be appetising. The Dedham Vale beef rib-eye on the other side of the table, with watercress and herb butter was tender and loaded with flavour, cooked perfectly rare apparently, or so I could gauge from the very satisfied noises coming from my its devourer.
While there are a few delicious sounding desserts on the menu, there’s really only one we were going to try; the Signature Sticky Toffee Pudding. This crisp bundt-shaped bake with its gorgeously glossy toffee sauce all but finished us off, the dream dessert on a chilly autumnal evening.
With its Portman Square hotel location this isn’t necessarily your standard stop for a weekday supper, but for a fancy feast we’re flying the flag. It’s worth going for that sticky toffee alone.
