There aren’t many places I feel as protective about as I do The Beaumont, the luxury 5-star Art Deco-styled hotel in Mayfair I’d happily offer to act as caretaker if they were ever looking for a Shining-style Jack Torrence set-up, so when I heard that the New York steakhouse-styled Colony Grill was being given the heave-ho in favour of a more British-inspired affair called Rosi I was as anxious as a mother waving goodbye to an only child on their first day of school. However much I told myself that change is sometimes an improvement (albeit rarely), it was a tear-jerking moment.
My worries lessened considerably when I learned that the restaurant’s menu was to be designed by the celebrated chef, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, who helped The Northcote in Lancashire retain a Michelin star for over two decades and has been appointed Culinary Director of The Beaumont. With more titles than a member of the royal family (and considerably more than some), Goodwin-Allen is a past winner of Female Chef of the Year and has recently announced that she’ll be rejoining The Northcote as Chef Patron-Director following a change of ownership. Her time in London has certainly been a boost to her profile, however, having garnered a reputation for restaurant rebranding following a food directorship at the nearby Game Bird restaurant and American Bar at The Stafford Hotel in St. James’s Place a couple of years ago.
The Beaumont’s new Chief Executive, Stuart Procter, also hails from the nearby Stafford, so his appointment of Goodwin-Allen shows his confidence in her ability to enthuse diners with her modern British culinary style, something which led me to have extremely high expectations of Rosi. Working alongside The Beaumont’s Executive Chef Brendan Fyldes, Goodwin-Allen has also brought over Jozef Rogulski who did an 8-year stint as Executive Head Chef of The Game Bird.
Overseeing a multi-million project to refurbish and add a further 29 bedrooms, there have been several noticeable changes since Procter’s arrival, such as the awnings at the front of the property, which provide coverage to customers of Le Magritte Terrace, having been changed from burgundy to racing green. This colour, which one assumes Mr Procter judges to be more British in feel, is also sported by the hotel’s newly branded Bentley, on hand to chauffeur hotel guests to nearby locations. But it’s fair to say that the retirement of The Colony Grill is Procter’s boldest statement yet. With Rosi being the hotel’s only fully-fledged restaurant, there’s a lot riding on its success.
Named in honour of Rosemary Saïd, the wife of The Beaumont’s owner, the new design of this windowless restaurant is a lighter, more romantic affair with soothing pastel interiors, and while the banquette and booth seating configuration is the same, the white linen tablecloths have been replaced with peach-toned marble tables dressed with racing green leather place mats. The red leather-upholstery which made the clubby Colony evocative of a well-heeled New York steakhouse have been traded for a tactile light green, complete with blush pink scatter cushions to add to the plushness and femininity which this new English-inspired incarnation exudes. The vibe is now less F. Scott Fitzgerald and more Evelyn Waugh-meets-The-Mitford-Girls, with a welcome emphasis on comfort that goes hand in hand with extremely attentive service. The Beaumont has always been the kind of establishment that looks after regulars.
Meanwhile, the commissioning of Luke Edward Hall for a series of vibrant murals surrounding three sides of the restaurant was an ingenious choice; enveloping diners in the graciousness of an old-time Mayfair and capturing a refined, bygone London, when it would have been unimaginable for gentlemen to dine without a jacket. You almost get the sense that you’re part of the 1930s hoi polloi, something decidedly in-keeping with the glamorous Art Deco styling of The Beaumont, and diners may well feel inspired to order something suitably chilled, sparkling and expensive.
Goodwin-Allen’s development of the la carte menu treads the fine line of offering familiarity to regulars and encouraging a new audience with a host of playful new imaginings of beloved British favourites, from chipolatas with British beer mustard and hash browns with a pickled walnut ketchup to cauliflower cheese bites with a truffle mayonnaise: snacks designed to be enjoyed with an aperitif ahead of the main event, or you may prefer to commence with something from the unapologetically decadent caviar and oysters selection.
More British flavours follow, with a surprisingly elegant old-fashioned pork pie starter served with homemade piccalili and salad cream, crafted like a gala pie and sliced theatrically at the table as you might a beef wellington. Given that most of us have sampled the majority of these delights many times over, the new restaurant team’s ambition is to make diners declare their version the finest and most original. The corn-fed chicken Diane and steamed lamb suet pudding are other nods to tradition, while browsing Rosi’s Sunday lunch menu, detailing a roast sirloin of beef with all the trimmings including beef fat potatoes and a red wine sauce, is precisely why the restaurant’s evolution to a more English style works.
You’ll also find plenty of familiar European classics which British restaurants have been honorarily borrowing since the food revolution of the 60s and 70s, such as Chef Rogulski’s signature Chicken Kiev, oozing with truffle butter and accompanied by the silkiest mashed potato you’re ever likely to come across. An instant hit with diners at The Game Bird who were offered bibs in case they were sued for damages, the Kiev that was the talk of the town when it first appeared will undoubtedly entice devotees to make the short pilgrimage from St. James’s.
Rosi’s delightfully camp dessert menu offers a finale to entice even the most savoury-minded diner, from a ‘rich’ Mayfair Millionaire Tart with chocolate and salted caramel, to a Black Cherry Blancmanage recalling the Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketch when blancmange appeared as extraterrestrial invaders who played tennis. For sheer pleasure opt for the Rosi Sundae: the ultimate whimsical treat allowing you to build your own 2, 3 or 4-scoop bespoke sensation from their homemade ice creams and sorbets, toppings and sauces. A signature of the former Colony Grill I for one am very pleased to see reestablished, whether you’re 8 or 108, endless fun can be had with the tick-box notepad and pencil encouraging you to splurge on tipsy raisins, caramelised popcorn and marshmallows.
A good steamed pudding was not only a staple on Winston Churchill’s table (when he wasn’t enjoying ice cream with chocolate sauce), but was a moment of indulgence everyone could rely on in Britain, even as cuisine hit rock bottom during the post-WWII years when rationing felt interminable. It’s therefore charming to find that Rosi have celebrated this with their own Seasonal Sponge, ‘flamed’ theatrically at the table and served with whipped cream. The only question is, where is the custard? And if they want to be truly authentic, I know many who favour the triptych of custard, cream and ice cream. Apart from that little teething problem (ho ho), Rosi’s assured cookery style makes this one of the memorable London dining experiences, where you’ll always have favourite dishes to return to, served with lashings of fun.
Rosi at The Beaumont, 8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF. For more information and reservations please visit the website.
