The Montagu Kitchen is situated in the Hyatt Regency London and it’s recently had a refresh for autumn, so we went along to the Marylebone restaurant to check it out.
Hotel restaurants can be decidedly hit or miss. However first impressions were pretty good, with large floral displays separating the swanky space apart from the hotel foyer.
The Montagu Kitchen describes itself as a ‘modern British all-day dining destination’ but in actual fact it’s a bit more exciting than that, taking inspiration from The National Trust’s Chartwell house and garden in Kent. Famous for being Winston Churchill’s former residence, the restaurant’s Executive Chef, Mark Sainsbury also hails from Kent, which makes the menu much more specific than generic ‘British’. The theme runs throughout the restaurant, from the floral trims on the waiters outfits to the pretty design of the menus.
We kicked things off with a couple of Kent-inspired signature cocktails. The first of which, Chartwell Preserve, comes complete with a triangle of toast, coated in marmalade. Refreshing and juicy, it’s a great precursor to dinner. The Roses & Apples was pretty impressive too, using apple juice direct from Chartwell Garden itself! A little bowl of amuse bouche with beetroot and pistachio arrives, cleansing the palette.
Expect dishes to change frequently, but whilst we were there we tried the ‘warm textures of broccoli and courgette’. Sounds kinda crazy but expect a green rectangular mousse topped with tender stem broccoli and dotted with beautifully tender florets of Romanesco. Sprinkled with a ginger crumble, the parmesan crisps were delicious works of art.
There’s a good mix of meat and fish options, as well as a Josper grill section with everything from steaks to tiger prawns and even smoked aubergine. We went for the turbot which was steamed and served in a creamy sauce alongside swiss chard, fondant celeriac and a fresh green salad with grapes.
Who can resist a dessert trolley, especially one laden with giant slices of marmalade sponge cake. There are also hot desserts like the rose bakewell tart which comes straight from the kitchen, topped with a delicious scoop of English honey ice cream which had just started to melt. Yum!
As we leave we suddenly remember we’ve been sitting in a hotel. The Montague Kitchen have done such a good job of transporting us to Kent for the evening.
To find out more, visit https://themontagurestaurant.co.uk/
