Blakes Hotel has turned from an "It-hotel" of the 1990s into a London classic. It's still hip, still luxurious, but now it's more relaxed and less scene-y. A group of beautiful young things continue to gather around the entrance, but now, rather than waiting for a pop star or supermodel to spill out, they wait their turn to try out trendy electric bikes, whooshing them through the sultry summer streets of Kensington.
Blakes' cool classiness extends to its recently revamped restaurant, which has moved from the basement to the first floor and is now next to the buzzy bar, which will be relaunched, in turn, in September. The look of the 57-cover space was inspired by Anouska Hempel's design for the rest of the hotel, which takes its cue from her travels across the world. The restaurant in particular evokes the atmosphere and aesthetic of a traditional steamer carrying moneyed travellers up the Bosphorous – it's all dark walls, gilt accents, dimmed lighting and mirrored panels. It is at once high glamour and low-key.
(Image credit: Jason Bailey)
The wine list is short for a hotel restaurant, but in no way suffers for its brevity. The focus is on Italian and French bottles, with excellent choices at all price points and an impressive selection of rare vintages. The menu is a combination of Mediterranean and classic hotel fare with a dose of Asian influence thrown in for good measure. Along with a grilled Dover sole – filleted at the table, of course – and rib-eye with chips, there is charcoal-grilled pluma bellota Iberico with Padron peppers, coconut saffron curry, and black cod with miso and tahini.
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Every dish is expertly prepared by head chef Peter Del Campo, who has been at Blakes for eight years and is taking the restaurant forward into a new era with aplomb. Each meal starts with a globe artichoke served with truffle mayonnaise – quite the most moreish and indulgent appetiser imaginable – to be followed by starters such as buffalo ricotta ravioli with Norcia black truffle, charcoal-grilled octopus or beef tartare.
When it comes to mains, Dover sole aside, the lobster paccheri and wild sea bass are highlights. The restaurant also takes good care of vegetarian and vegan guests with imaginative and appealing dishes designed especially for them rather than as an afterthought – still quite a rarity in London.
(Image credit: Jason Bailey)
The desserts are wonderfully light but indulgent at the same time. The millefeuille with green tea and vanilla cream and Canadian maple syrup is sweet but not cloying and pleasingly fragrant without being flowery. Feeling full? Order instead a bowl of plump red Emilia-Romagna cherries, served solo so as not to detract from their deliciousness. Which is what the restaurant seems to be all about, really – elevating an ingredient to its best-possible iteration through careful selection and preparation and by keeping things simple. It's a difficult balance to strike, but Blakes manages it with formidable finesse.
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