Michael
Hepworth & Wally Robertson checked
out the Red Carnation group of hotels
in
London
 The
Florida based Red Carnation hotel group,
owns four London hotels in prime spots.
A concerted effort is now underway
to achieve top recognition for them
and to give the respective chefs a
bit of the limelight.
All of the staff are highly attentive
with an attitude of, "What do you,
the customer, actually want?", rather
than "What do I have to offer that
you might want".
Mike Hepworth and I first visited
the group at the invitation of the
owners in December 1998. At the time
we never managed to arrange a review,
but were impressed by the decor of
the rooms and the group's focus on
quality. Here, at least is a summary
of their London properties:
The Milestone Hotel, Kensington
The recently acquired Milestone Hotel
in Kensington is now their flagship property,
but the Rubens in Victoria, Chesterfield
in Mayfair and the Montague in Bloomsbury
are all classy operations.
The Milestone is a five star hotel
which is going all out to become one
of the most fashionable venues in London.
Situated directly across from Kensington
Palace and Kensington Gardens which
runs into Hyde Park, every room is
decorated in a different style and
has recently undergone total restoration
in order to restore and preserve its
original architectural features and
period details.
 Chenistons
restaurant at the Milestone has had
a chequered past, but Dine Online's
Editor Clifford Mould assures me that
he once had a spectacular wine dinner
there three years ago. With the commitment
of its new owners, Chenistons stands
an excellent chance of achieving something
very special.
When we recently stayed at the hotel,
my wife and I did not get the chance
to do a full restaurant review. However,
we were truly impressed with the "midnight
feast"! This specially caters for guests
coming in from a night at the theatre
(or Albert Hall, which is only five
minutes walk down the road).
We arrived back at the hotel at about
10:45 p.m. and were informed that the
Midnight Feast would be delivered to
our room at our leisure. After freshening
up, the feast duly arrived at 11:00
p.m. It comprised the following:
* Foie Gras on Brioche toast
* Smoked salmon on wholemeal bread
* Barbecued, smoked chicken
* Beef and vegetable pastie
* Broccoli coleslaw
* Roast beef
* Prawn toast
* A fruit dish of grapes, strawberries, passion fruit and olives
with walnuts
* A selection of cheeses including cheddar and brie
* One bottle of champagne (Alain Thienst Reims Brut)
All this was more than enough for
two people and very reasonably priced
at £42.00. There are plenty of other
options, such as Apricots stuffed with
white Stilton, Tartlettes of Devonshire
crab or Smoked quails eggs, to select
from.
Of particular note were the Foie Gras,
Smoked salmon and Barbecued chicken,
which were really tasty. The Beef and
vegetable pastie was clearly home made
and the best I've ever had. The roast
beef slices were of good quality meat
and served wonderfully rare and thinly
sliced. All these goodies came nicely
arranged with carnations and orchids
on the tray to complete the presentation.
Chef Adam Standen is the man
in charge and we look forward to doing
a full restaurant review in future.
The Montague Hotel in Bloomsbury
Nick van Riemsdijk at the Montague
is probably the most adventurous chef
in the group and is not afraid to challenge
the palate as Mike Hepworth experienced
on a recent Friday night visit to the
hotel. Mike had heard a few good things
about Nick so I decided to let him select
the food for the evening, an approach
that rarely backfires. A pancetta and
white onion tartlet with turmeric cream
is not the kind of dish that Mike would
ever select through choice, but the circular
dish had a thick crust and was extremely
tasty.
 A
talented young music student was tinkling
the ivories during the evening and
the room was light and airy, enhancing
Mike's appreciation of the main course
of pan-seared zander. The side dishes
of Thai infused lemon grass and tomato
water with Pak Choi (Chinese spinach),
asparagus, sea scallops and Japanese
wheat noodles was very delicate and
made a fine broth. This created a varied
selection of dishes with wonderful
flavours.
Nick followed up the main course with
a Panacotta desert, with a Passion
Fruit Coulis and wild berries. Again
the attention to detail and presentation
was superb and it rounded up with a
very experimental meal that clearly
demonstrated the chef's abilities.
The prices at the Montague's Blue
Door Bistro are very reasonable, with
any two courses (starter and main,
or main and desert) costing just £15.95
Pictured above right: The terrace
could be in a country house hotel!
The Rubens Hotel, Victoria
The Rubens hotel is situated within walking
distance of Victoria station and overlooks
Buckingham Palace. There are two restaurants,
the Library and the Carvery.
 Quite
by chance I found myself staying at
Rubens while in London entertaining
a very important client. Though the
hotel staff saw us as regular guests,
we found the service to be exceptional.
On that occasion we didn't eat at
either of the restaurants, but we've
heard that Chef Daniel Collins is
known for his meat dishes, in particular
his Marinated Beef Fillets, larded
with Ginger and Garlic and also for
desserts such as his Panna Cotta with
Stewed Rhubarb and Gooseberry Compote.
The Chesterfield Hotel, Mayfair
The Chesterfield hotel (conservatory
pictured left) is situated in the heart
of Mayfair. We look forward to sampling
Chef Stephen Henderson's signature
dishes, of Colchester Crab Cakes and
Sticky Pudding some time in the near
future.
Dine Online briefing - the facts:
Milestone, 1 Kensington Court, London W8
Tel - 020 7917 1000, Fax - 020 7917 1010
Nearest tube - Kensington High Street
Montague, 15 Montague Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1
Tel - 020 7637 1001, Fax - 020 7637 2516
Nearest tube - Russell Square
Rubens, 39 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1
Tel - 020 7834 6600, Fax- 020 7233 6037
Nearest tube - Victoria Station
Chesterfield, 35 Charles Street, Mayfair, W1X
Tel - 020 7491 2622, Fax - 020 7491 4793
Nearest tube - Green Park.
The Milestone is a member of Grand Heritage Hotels
International reservations: +44(0) 171 244 6699 Fax 244 7799
email info@grandheritage.demon.co.uk
Dine Online has reviewed some other Grand Heritage Hotels:
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