Lunch at Le Magritte Bar at The Beaumont Hotel,Mayfair.
Le Magritte bar is located in The Beaumont Hotel, Mayfair. The bar’s decor is inspired by the works of the surrealist artist René Magritte. Renes’ “The Schoolmaster” painting takes pride in its place behind the bar and sets an enticing view as you walk along the corridor towards the bar.
Inside the bar combines a luxurious atmosphere with artistic elements that pay homage to Magritte’s unique style. It also has the feel It is of an American bar so popular in London in the 1920s. All good hotels use the trick that their bars and restaurants should have their own identity and feel. Le Magritte successfully achieves this and can hold its own alongside Mayfair’s best bars.
The Beaumont, a five-star hotel that opened in 2014, is designed to echo the grandeur of the 1920s. On the outside, you get a clue what’s in store inside; it is an impressive art-deco feast for the eyes. Tucked away between Grosvenor Square and Oxford Street, Selfridges is less than five minutes walk away.
We were here for lunch in Le Magritte bar, a chance to take a peek at the new menu, this was our second experience eating at The Beaumont; the first was a delightful afternoon tea in the impressive Gatsby Room, situated in the hotel’s heart.
For those of you who have followed my culinary exploits, you will know I start off with good intentions of not overeating but rarely succeed. Our visit to Le Magritte was to be no different.
The delightful Antonino, the food and beverage manager, directed us to four dishes to get a feel for the menu.
First up is the British Tuna Tartare, Carlingford oysters, a classic prawn cocktail, and the popular Lobster Roll. This was my first experience eating British bluefin tuna; this line-caught tuna weighed in at 118kg. British tuna is usually found off the coast of Cornwall, and as you would expect, our tuna stocks are closely monitored, and quotas prevent overfishing. I was informed that the fine specimen was the last British Tuna they would receive this year.
The Tuna Tartare is served with ponzu, sesame, chilli, and potato crisps. The dish tasted so fresh and light; the dressing added to the freshness but did not overpower the Tuna. It was a perfect way to start any meal. Alongside that were three beautiful Carlingford oysters in a seasonal autumnal flavour of apple and blackberry mignonette. It is a must-have dish for all oyster lovers.
Prawn cocktail is a British classic. The key to a great one lies in the quality of the Marie Rose sauce and the prawns. Additionally, it needs to be visually appealing. The picture below shows how stunning it looked served with avocado, grapefruit, and a savoury biscuit.
Three large prawns rested on the top, covered in the Marie Rose sauce accompanied by sliced avocado. The Marie Rose sauce had the right amount of kick, just enough to make your lips tingle. Dig deeper into the dish to reveal the delights of more chopped prawns; I also enjoyed the addition of avocado and grapefruit. This was a seriously good prawn cocktail.
Finally, our quartet included another classic dish: a lobster roll. This dish originated from over the pond and is now a firm favourite on these shores. The brioche roll complemented the sweet-tasting lobster which was dressed with creme fraiche and dill.
The menu at Le Magritte has something for everyone, and other popular dishes include a classic club sandwich, shepherd’s pie, Caesar salad, wild mushroom veloute and a rather interesting pizza that was topped with Artichoke, truffle and London ham.
Now, this was the point where my good intentions of a lightish lunch went wrong: we were joined by Executive Chef Michael Turner, and the conversation soon led to the menu and the Colony Grill’s signature dish. Michael previously worked as Executive Chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, so naturally enough, Beef Wellington is in his DNA, and his version has quickly become a favourite at the Colony Grill; at this stage, I should point out that the full A-la-carte menu is also available to order from when dining in Le Magritte bar.
So what was any self-respecting food lover to do? Our lunch had just been extended by a Beef Wellington, and I was so pleased we did.
The Beef Wellington arrived along with creamy mashed potatoes with truffle mash and rooftop carrots; “rooftop” comes from the honey added to the carrots. I learnt that the Beaumont has a beehive on the roof, and the honey from the beehive gives the carrots a glaze.
The Wellington was served with a stout pickled onion and red wine jus. Beef Wellington is a classic, and this version will live long in the memory; the pickled onion was an excellent addition, adding a different texture and flavour to the plate. A quick thumbs up to the supporting cast of mash and carrots: the mash was so creamy and rich with the truffled butter. I’m not going to guess at the calories in each mouthful; frankly, I don’t care; it was delicious. The carrots were beautifully cooked and honey-sweet, so special thanks to the bees of Mayfair.
So that was our lunch at Le Magritte, the perfect environment to enjoy lunch, whether a snack or, in our case, something more substantial. As I previously mentioned, day or night the bar has its own charming identity with the timeless elegance of the decor and attentive service that makes you feel very at home.
The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton St, Brown Hart Gardens, Mayfair London W1K 6TF
If you liked this article you might like to read about Bar Atoine, bar at the Four Seasons hotel.
