The Northall

I have not stopped raving about The Northall since I took Mum to dinner there a couple of Sundays ago for Mother’s Day.

I booked with Open Table where there were two options of the Sunday lunch menu at £35 or the Mother’s Day menu at £55 – both with a complimentary glass of Laurent Perrier.  I was telephoned within five minutes of booking by the restaurant to explain that there was a special menu on offer and did I want that?   My Mum eats like a sparrow, and would probably leave most of the food served to her anyway, so best it was best to stick with the menu I’d booked.

The restaurant is just one in the Corinthia Hotel which is on the corner of Northumberland Avenue, incredibly close to Charing Cross and closer even still to Embankment underground station.  The Northall is beautiful and reminded me very much of the Balcon Restaurant in Pall Mall.  A huge, light space with tan leather studded seating and mirrored walls.  There was a minstrel’s gallery overhead with room for more covers.  Our table was on the periphery of the restaurant and Mum chose to look inwards whilst I had the chair looking out on the river, a partial view obscured by chain mail blinds.

The menu arrived with what some might say a limited choice of dishes, attached to a lovely duck egg blue bound holder.  We were happy that we didn’t have to spend hours poring over what to eat, so suited us.

Next were the two glasses of Laurent Perrier NV.  They were swiftly followed by a wooden board with a crusty round of bread, enough for two, with a choice of Cornish butter – salted and unsalted.  Iced tap water was regularly topped-up and we were not under pressure to order more drinks once the Champagne had gone.

I began with Ceviche of Loch Var smoked salmon, which was delicately cut to fit my plate.  A small pile of capers gave the dish contrasting colour and flavour and the muslin-wrapped lemon, personally for me, is always a nice touch.  Delicious.

The celery and parsley soup arrived in a stainless steel kettle and emptied into Mum’s empty bowl.  It was a really nice example of a creamy soup where both the celery and parsley were clearly discernible.

For main course we both went for the beef.  I like medium rare, Mum doesn’t “do blood” and the restaurant cooked our beef to order.  A large bowl of crispy roast potatoes arrived with equally crisp buttered French beans.  Two slices for Mum and one thick slice of Roast rib of Cumbrian beef for me.  As I had anticipated Mum managed just the one slice and I ended up eating her second piece of beef, which had been cooked beautifully.

The desserts were another delight.  I had the steamed rhubarb sponge, which was hand-drizzled with a vanilla-studded creamy custard.

The apple delice with raspberry sorbet was a gamble as Mum doesn’t really like apple but loves sorbet.  A really very pretty plate of food with the thinnest apple crisp garnish.  I asked to try it, probably a little later than I should have, as she had inhaled it.

Non-stop compliments from my Mum which accolade indeed for Garry Hollihead, Executive Chef.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen my Mum finish even a third of a three-course meal but today each plate was emptied with ease.

We weren’t offered coffee so took none and the total bill, including the 12.5% service charge, was £78.75 which I felt was worth every single penny.  My Mum was treated incredibly well and the service was faultless, even if we had got there for the first sitting and the breakfast service had just wound up.

As we were leaving we saw the well stocked cheese board or should that be table.

I’m told The Northall, becomes more subdued and romantic at night and so would be a great place to meet up with friends in this part of town.

A look on the menu outside the restaurant and it’s clear that the dishes are seasonal, and well priced for a London hotel menu.

The other restaurant in the Hotel is The Massimo, which is primarily a Mediterranean seafood restaurant run by chef patron Massimo Riccioli.

I absolutely loved our Sunday lunch and the restaurant made my Mum feel very special indeed, in fact all the Mother’s in the restaurant were incredibly smiley and being fussed by sons, daughters and the staff here.  I will definitely recommend and return to sample the bar and food on offer here in the evening.

The Northall at the Corinthia Hotel London,  Whitehall Place, 
Embankment, 
SW1A 2BD