When I arrived at The Goring I was brought a glass of champagne and asked about the Middle East. I can see why the Queen Mother adored this London institution. Sorry for the silence on this blog but I had a diabetic scare while working in Cyprus and have been resting, & undertaking medical tests, in London for the last week. However, today learning that a very special person in my life had died meant I decided to go to The Goring for lunch to remember this incredible lady in a sublime way.
I have stayed at this hotel and Jeremy Goring got Lucinda Buxton at Mango PR to help me with my blog when I was in Bangkok last year. This is another London hotel I feel a special affinity to and I have had perfect meals there on my birthdays for the last two years.
I have stayed at this hotel and Jeremy Goring got Lucinda Buxton at Mango PR to help me with my blog when I was in Bangkok last year. This is another London hotel I feel a special affinity to and I have had perfect meals there on my birthdays for the last two years.
| The Welcome Around the corner from Buckingham Palace, this is said to be the UK Royal Family's restaurant of choice. Katie Middleton, and her family, spent the night before her wedding to Prince William in 2011 staying here and the Goring family have owned it since it opened in 1910. I did not have to say my name (Four Seasons Hong Kong pool staff to note) and was taken to my table and presented with a glass of champagne. The Menu/Ambiance The 'best of British food' menu in this restaurant always blows my mind and listening to the conversations of older clients at the tables around me talking about restocking their wine cellars after a move etc made up for the poor WiFi. The onion bread was to die for too. Starter The chance of trying crispy rabbit meant I picked the pressed game terrine to start. This was such a fresh and interesting dish with so many delicious flavours, textures and chunks of perfectly cooked meat. I would order the crispy rabbit again. Main Course For my main course I ordered roast Cornish cod in a lobster bisque. I would not usually order fish as a main course but it seemed the right dish for the lady I was celebrating and was a divine dish with its clean taste, crispy crust, cashmere like silky lobster flavours and a citrus bite. I drank a perfect very dry Grey Goose martini while eating this and felt blissfully content thinking about The Checkers, Montgomery and my lunch there with this lady and her charming husband. Dessert The idea of trying Earl Grey meringue sold the lemon tart as my dessert. It was a delicious dessert but I am afraid I could not taste the Earl Grey, the fault of the martini?! Coffee & Petits Fours I ended the meal with a double espresso and petits fours, marvelling at The Goring's beautiful signature china. 🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻 (7 out of 5 ‘teddies’) - 'free' champagne, food & service from heaven and staff who made me feel perfectly at 'home' on a day when I felt very fragile but did not tell them anything about this. OK, I almost cried talking to the lady who took my credit card, she was so sweet about it all. My tips:- try the onion bread and, if you are on your own, take a magazine, so you can pretend to read this while listening to the fascinating older guests around you. |  The stunning David Linley (the late Princess Margaret's son) designed dining room with Swarovski crystal chandeliers.  My pressed game terrine with crispy fried rabbit, pickled vegetables & grape must (young wine) dressing.  My perfect very dry Grey Goose martini. I had to order this on a difficult day.  My crisp roast Cornish cod, with a lobster dumpling, young fennel, lobster bisque, citrus oil and small pieces of grapefruit.  I almost had the bitter chocolate ganache, and was also tempted by the British cheeses but it was the Earl Grey meringue that won the day.  Orange 'marmalade', Early Grey meringue and lemon tart. A dessert I had to try.  Petits fours, a double espresso and The Goring's dream signature china. |
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