Fancy PANTS. My first thought upon entering the super glam Plum and Spilt Milk’s grand bar
– it was probably the chandeliers.
Cooking up “Simple classics, beautifully cooked in the heart of King’s Cross St Pancras” is the tag line but I don’t feel this does it justice. Just to clarify if like me you turned your nose up at the thought of dining with some dude announcing the train departures over the tannoy, this little gem isn’t actually in St Pancras, but rather in the Great Northern Hotel.
Upon entering you’ll instantly realise this is going to be a blow-out. Go with it – do it properly. Dinner for 2 will easily cost £100 but you won’t feel short changed.
I’d recommend starting with a cocktail in the bustling bar downstairs before moving upstairs to dine under the hand blown glass light bulbs in the elegant dining room. Ladies try the Lady Violet champagne, elderflower vodka and raspberry liqueur, Gentlemen, I’d suggest the masculine 1854, Woodford Reserve, smoked pineapple syrup.
The menu featured a number of sharing dishes for 2 people, such as the whole roast chicken with caramelised garlic or the special of the day, Beef Wellington, at *cough* £75 we passed.
Instead I opted for the perfectly summery starter of Broad beans and Caerphilly on toast which was light and perfectly seasoned. Also delicious but much richer was the gooey Creamed smoked haddock and poached hen’s egg, perfect for dipping the homemade bread into.
We tried 3 of the mains, the Salt Marsh lamb shank hot pot was nicely presented with potatoes topping melt in the mouth lamb, spiked with plenty of red wine. Also fantastic was the Monkfish curry which came with pilaf rice – beautifully spiced without overpowering the meaty fish. Slightly weaker was the Fish pie which came with a parmesan crust and a side of braised peas. I wanted just a little more fish but the mash was buttery heaven.
The house carafe of wine represented great value and quality at just £12.50. The set lunch menu also looked like an affordable way to taste a little bit of luxury.
Staff were absolutely flawless, being attentive, personable and not in the slightest pretentious. Highly recommended, do not hesitate to visit.
