The Caxton Grill - London SW1

Hotel 41 is No1 on TripAdvisor for London and its easy to see why.  From the moment you arrive nothing is too much trouble and if you do have a problem you are compensated. It is a 5 star hotel which is situated on the top (5th) floor of the Rubens Hotel (4*) on Buckingham Palace Road (SW1).  An oasis of calm this small select hotel feels more like a private club with the central library (Executive Lounge) providing the hub.  Great personal service which included complimentary champagne (choice of four leading marques) and comfortable quiet rooms provided a wonderfully calm ambience.  However, they do not have a restaurant so after reading the reviews on Square Meal we headed to the Caxton Grill at the St. Ermin's Hotel which is about 10 minutes walk away. 

Squid Ink Raviola with Crab

 The hotel lobby at St Ermin's has an impressive array of grand terraces and chandeliers but initial impressions of the restaurant were that it is a bit 'ordinary' by comparison.  That was soon forgotten however as we were directed to our table and our Portuguese waiter, Ivo explained the menu choices.  He was fully informed about all of the dishes which we had questions about and was most helpful throughout the meal.  For starters I had the Squid Ink Raviolo which was stuffed with fresh Devon crabmeat and Sea Fennel, topped with Coriander Gremolata in Crab Bisque. Ivo told me it was his favourite and I think it will be mine too (once I have been back to try all the others !). 

Dover Sole

For main course we ordered the 'Catch of the Day' which was whole Dover Sole grilled in the Josper Grill. Of Spanish origin, the Josper is a charcoal based 'closed draught barbeque' that cooks super fast at incredibly hot temperatures and (as the argument goes) more thoroughly than any other option as the heat is distributed evenly from above, below, left and right of whatever’s been placed on the grill. In my opinion overcooking fish is the worst thing you can do so I was interested to see the results by this method.  I needn't have worried, Executive Chef, Hus Vedat, is a very talented.  The Dover Sole was skinned topside only then cooked upside down which allowed the fish to cook beneath the skin to the perfect result.  Dressed with burnt butter and lemon soaked almonds it was simply delicious.