The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont

We are lucky to live in a city that has so many new restaurants to whet our appetite. The Colony Grill Room, the latest offering from Corbin and King, housed in The Beaumont, their first hotel, is one of them. I am a great fan of Fischers and The Wolseley, so I was looking forward to trying The Colony and it certainly exceeded my expectations. From the moment I walked into the elegant Art Deco inspired lobby of The Beaumont, I knew that I was in for a treat. A set of double doors leads you into the American Bar that has a great vibe. It was busy but not crowded and my girlfriends and I enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail (they know how to mix a proper martini - shaken and not stirred) with a spot of people watching. It is Mayfair after all. The decor is in keeping with the 1920s building (a converted garage) and you are immediately conveyed back in time to the glamour and style of the pre-war era. I half expected my fictional hero Hercule Poirot to walk in any minute! Tom Mackenzie, the attentive reception manager seated us in one of the luxurious red leather booths that is so conducive to conversation and with the great lighting everyone looks fabulous! However there is nothing old-fashioned or stuffy about The Colony. Like its sister restaurants, you get great service and the ambience makes you feel special and yet relaxed. Rudi, the excellent reception manager at Fischers organised a table for me before The Colony had opened, so I had little information about the menu. The All Day A La Carte menu is a combination of American grill room and European classics. There were no great surprises but a wide choice from crustaceans, salads, American style sandwiches to grilled meats and fish. None of us fancied the Chicken Marengo that was the special of the night but we enjoyed the potted Morecambe Bay shrimp, Caesar salad , a comforting chicken pot pie and the New York strip steak. My Dover sole was perfectly cooked. Leli, the restaurant manager looked after us very well and helped us select lovely wine. She steered us towards a Cote du Rhone Blanc which I will certainly be sourcing. We managed to leave a little room for dessert and devoured a delicious sherry trifle that was almost as good as the one my sister makes. We couldn't resist the Baked Alaska that was served with pistachio ice cream, a twist on the traditional. I would recommend The Colony for a romantic dinner, a night out with your friends or a treat for your parents. The layout also makes it suitable for a business lunch or dinner as the booths afford you privacy. As ever the best ingredient to a great night out is sharing an evening with your closest friends and the hours slipped away effortlessly. www.colonygrillroom.com The Beaumont 8 Balderton Street Brown Hart Gardens W1K 6TF 020 7499 9499 October 2014 @NuzySayani Nuzy Sayani is Catwalkschoolgates’ restaurant reviewer. Nuzy lives in Marylebone with her husband and seven year old son. She is a technology lawyer and loves the theatre, cinema, is an avid reader and likes nothing more than trying out restaurants. Nuzy will be sharing her dining experiences with us and would love to hear from you with your recommendations.

We celebrated my husband's birthday last night at Colony Grill. I arrived 30 mins early to have a drink at the fantastic Art Deco style bar but it was too busy. The staff showed me to our table early so I could wait for my husband who was running late. The staff welcomed me and nothing was too much trouble. I enjoyed a margarita whilst I perused the menu and wine list, which is fantastic! The table behind me were a bit noisy so I asked to move tables, which was accommodated with no problem at all. By 7:30pm the restaurant was full and a really buzzy atmosphere and a bit of celeb spotting. I wasn't too keen on my globe artichoke starter, it was too cold I would have preferred it warm. My husband ate omelet followed by New York strip, which he said was better than he had eaten in California last year. I had poached salmon which was cooked to perfection. Sides were perfectly seasoned mash and fries plus grilled courgettes with nuts. It was all delicious and delivered with friendly and efficient service. I was a little disappointed by the dessert. The options looked great and then the waiter put a pad in front of me with a tick list to build my own sundae. I was very excited as I like to think of myself as an ice cream expert! However, it came up in a small dish with a little bit of cream to the side and a dashing of sauce, as if I had ordered a regular ice cream. It certainly wasn't a sundae. We had a fantastic time but the pastry chef just needs me to come in and show them how to build a sundae (hint hint). I shall certainly be returning and have booked my boss in for a business dinner next week.

Exemplary friendly service, great setting and we had a fantastic meal. I suspect the menu could be more exciting but I'll definitely be going back

Colony Grill Room is Mayfair's restaurant du jour, given to us by the clever people behind The Wolesley. Colony grill room is the main restaurant in the new Beaumont hotel, so new, that my london cabbie was embarrassed not to have heard of its' existence. I have been 3 times now and I can't get enough of it, it's that x factor in a restaurant. For me it's the classic dishes done to perfection that win here... think steak Diane with unctuous red wine jus, which surprisingly I have never had before and buttery gorgeous dover sole and a gigantic creamy creme brûlée. The other attraction is that London/ International buzz with a sprinkling of stardust, Becks and Posh, Tom Cruise and Joan Collins, to name a few. Start with a cognac powered classic champagne cocktail in the bar and then open those art deco doors to another world of old time glamour and London's most exciting dining scene. Prices ineveitably are not cheap but hey its worth it. Also service is friendly and professional, star or not. Book in, 9pm is the best sitting, put on your sunday (or saturday night) best and go escape to a night of refined hedonism.

The Colony Grill is the latest venture from Corbin & King, but certainly not their best. Just as this famous restaurant duo gave us their take on the grand European café with The Wolseley, on the French brasserie with Zédel and the Austrian experience with Fischer’s, here is their interpretation of the traditional Grill Room of the 1920s. The Colony is located in the tastefully classy and discrete Beaumont Hotel in London’s Mayfair and one cannot help being impressed by both the hotel and the entry into the restaurant, which is a clear homage to the architectural and artistic delights of the art deco style. While the tables were well-spaced and our group of three benefited from a side booth looking into the main dining area, the dark brown art- and photo-covered walls as well as the total absence of natural light began to grate as the meal went on, feeling almost claustrophobic to me by the conclusion of our experience. Onto the food, and if you like solid and traditional – but ultimately rather uninspiring – dishes, then this is the place to come. Wanting to hedge their bets, the Colony offers a range of soups, fish dishes (oysters and the like), salads and egg-based options (anyone?!) to begin, followed by club sandwiches, grills, more substantial fish options and other meat dishes for the mains. While the former are priced competitively, with starter options averaging at about £10, £30+ for a steak or a piece of Dover Sole is passive reminiscent more of fine dining than what one might more reasonably expect here. Perhaps there is a Corbin & King premium? Moreover, as with the also somewhat disappointing Kaspar’s in the Savoy, would the same diner wanting to spend £17.50 on a dressed Dorset crab really want to follow this up with a Shepherd’s Pie main? Attempting to be all things to all people means, ultimately, you end up being pretty average at everything. This was certainly our experience, from the six different dishes (three starters and three mains) our group sampled. My veal Pojarski main (fried with breadcrumbs on a bed of boiled spinach) was poorly executed and unpleasantly salty to name but one example. Neither the pasta or fish mains selected by my other comrades really inspired. We passed on puddings, but for the more sweet-toothed diner, the ‘bespoke sundae’ option (where one can customise an ice cream/ topping/ sauce combination for a set price) is an innovative touch. In conclusion: this is a safe, if somewhat bland option for a business lunch; I would rather the Wolseley or Fischer’s any day…