I was due to meet my friend in the Rockwell Bistro & Wine Bar which is part of the hotel’s £6 million renovation.
The hotel overlooks Trafalgar Square, sitting on the corner of its namesake and Spring Gardens, in the bustle of this historic area.
I was early and once in the lobby saw that it flows seamlessly into the restaurant, which with its low lighting and warm colours looked both luxurious and relaxed.
I waited at the bar where I went straight for the cocktail menu and picked a Yasmina – a cocktail made with Grey Goose vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, Pedro Ximenez sherry foam and topped with chocolate shavings – which not only elevated the drink but also me, run ragged from a busy day.
My friend arrived and picked an Aperol spritz and then we went to sit at our table to peruse the menu.
It’s a tough choice: there are multiple small plates, cured meats and cheeses, Sussex Wagyu beef and a wine list chosen so you can have a wine matched to your meal.
I went for the Wagyu beef tartare, which quite honestly was the best I’ve ever tasted.
My friend, who I worked with years ago on telecom publications, reminded me of a time when we were invited out to lunch and I ordered the tartare without knowing what it was, my expression when it finally arrived, and the humiliating pain with which I’d managed two mouthfuls.
This couldn’t have been more different. A quail’s egg yolk broken over little cubes of beef that had the texture of dense jelly – think savoury Turkish delights. There was a warm heat that ran through it from the pickled shimeji and horseradish. Eaten with the accompanied crackerbreads, every mouthful was both soft and crunchy; a very playful dish.
My cod cheeks looked like cauliflower florets, such were their shape, and covered with a powerful blue cheese sauce. The meat was firm and the dish had spicy undertones.
My vegetarian friend went for the vivid green gnocchi, which she said was rich despite the small serving and she particularly loved the crispy chilli oil.
The Rockwell’s “Caprese” salad with buffalo mozzarella, heritage tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil was incredibly fresh.
We shared a bowl of zucchini fritti and if I could make these as Rockwell’s did have I don’t think I’d ever eat potato chips at home again.
We had a choice of three desserts. My friend went for the coconut and mango pannacotta, which was so light it was like tasting perfumed air. She called it a palate cleanser, before demolishing it.
The caramel flan, on the other hand, with biscuit crumb, should only be tackled by hardcore sweet toothers. It came paired with the sweet sherry wine that had been used to make the foam for my cocktail.
This double sweetness was too much even for me. I ached to finish it but couldn’t.
Perhaps I should have chosen the warm doughnuts with a spiced chocolate hazelnut sauce. But maybe the same thing would have happened.
The restaurant, with its leather seats and velvet banquettes, with the trees dotted around, is a place you could stay for hours.
As we stepped out onto Trafalgar Square, with Lord Nelson flanked by a cloudless navy sky, my friend and I promised we’d return.
With all its grandeur, it really is a special place.
