HOTEL CAFÉ ROYAL: AN ELEGANT OASIS IN PICCADILLY

I’ve often walked past this long established hotel (frequented by the likes of Oscar Wilde, Edward VII, Muhammad Ali and Elizabeth Taylor back in the day) restored in 2012, but never ventured in. Well, it was pissing with rain one day, so I dived in here to escape the elements.

I went in through the café  entrance,  the café  itself is fabulous, grand but not in a subtle and stylish manner. The service I received here was unprecedented; these guys are all about the customer. I was fannying around for a good five minutes trying to decide where to sit as I wanted a quiet-ish space where I could work on my laptop. No complaints. I then asked if I could work in the Green Bar which wasn’t busy as it was during the day and they obliged me more than willingly.

Feeling a little hungry as I hadn’t had any breakfast, I asked if I could take a look at the bar food menu. It was pretty steep, price wise and they didn’t serve till 11am. The bar man came to my rescue and offered me the menu from the main café (a fraction cheaper but still pretty pricey) and I settled on the frittata with mushrooms, toast and jasmine tea (£15).

It was faultless. The bar man was friendly and engaging but had this amazing ability to step back, never overzealous which makes you as a customer feel so at ease. The Ten Room, an all day dining spot at Café Royal hasn’t had the most glowing reviews; I haven’t eaten there, so I can’t really comment but my experience in the café and Green Bar was super positive and I’d definitely pop back to this spot.

They have an afternoon tea service in their opulent Oscar Wilde Bar which also plays host to cabaret, courtesy of The Black Cat,  every Friday and Saturday. Domino, which will be the more upscale restaurant at Café  Royal is due to open.