The Gourmand: The best foodie hotspots in London's Bloomsbury

Words by
Jemima Sissons

20th June 2018

From the ikra-nomiyaki dish at Jidori to a City Slicker cocktail at The Coral Room, seek out London's gastronomic delights in Bloomsbury this month

9am Rise and shine in The Henrietta, the first London hotel from the chic French trio behind the Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) speakeasies. With curved Art-Deco-inspired headboards, brass fittings and ECC cocktails in the minibar, it makes for a decadent London escape. For breakfast, tuck into coconut porridge with medjool dates alongside a reviving juice.  

Lobby Bar at the Henrietta Hotel

10am Take a leisurely stroll to Lamb’s Conduit Street in Bloomsbury. Take a peak inside the recently opened La Fromagerie and get to know your Berkswell from your Bavarian Blue with the knowledgeable staff. A few doors up, pick up a copy of Noble Rot magazine at the restaurant of the same name — it’s a must for all curious foodies.

11am Time for a break at Knockbox Coffee before browsing the offerings at The People’s Supermarket and, for oenophiles, Albion Wines. Then check out the covetable pieces at interior shop Pentreath and Hall, such as the Bergamot washing up liquid by Atstier de Villate or a Redecker vegetable brush.  

1pm Head around the corner to the newly jazzed up Bloomsbury Hotel for a preprandial tipple at the Coral Rooms. With a redesign by the urbane Martin Brudnizki that includes bespoke Murano chandeliers and art by Luke Edward-Hall, it ticks all the style boxes. Sip an-almost virtuous Green Fingers, with vodka, agave and kale juice, before trying the lobster and crayfish mac and cheese.    

The Coral Room

4pm After lunch, walk to Soho’s Mee Market. Split across two levels it offers Korean and Asian-inspired dishes, as well as a retail space on the lower ground floor.

5.15pm Those with a yen for golf should head to Swingers West End, the second outpost of the indoor crazy golf company. With a Riviera-themed set up and food by Patty & Bun and Hackney Gelato, it shows that golf doesn’t have to be, in the words of Oscar Wilde, just “a good walk spoiled”.

7pm Meander back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. After a glass of champagne at the Henrietta, head out to try the new offerings in the vicinity. Dust off the vocals at the newly opened Jidori, a yakitori and karaoke joint, serving dishes such as katsu curry scotch egg, okra-nomiyaki and the celebrated ginger ice cream with miso caramel.  

Ramen

10pm For a romantic tête-a-tête, the team behind Kitty Fisher’s in Mayfair has opened a second restaurant — Cora Pearl. With more seasonal British fare and cocktails high on the agenda, it’s then just a short hop back to the billowy sheets of The Henrietta.