The background

The Beaumont Hotel recently reopened refreshed and renewed following a revamp by legendary designer Thierry Despont and architects Reardon Smith. The hotel took advantage of the forced closure over lockdown to return stronger and more beautiful than ever. The Colony Grill is the hotel’s restaurant, a sumptuous clubby space reminiscent of the Big Apple’s finest grill restaurants. The Colony Grill returns under the leadership of a new executive chef, Ben Boeynaems, previously of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s and The Goring Hotel – a man who knows how to cook for the most discerning of five-star hotel guests.

The space

The Colony Grill Room is full of luxurious textures and traditional touches – red leather booths, the perfect soft lighting from on-table lamps and burnished mirrors, Deco touches and white tablecloths. The wall art brings in a pop of vibrant colour with bold Hockney-esque landscapes paired with smaller images of Monet’s garden. It’s a comfortable, buzzy and elegant place to spend an evening.

The bar

Next door to The Colony Grill Room is Le Magritte Bar – leave time to drop by for a pre (and maybe even a post) dinner cocktail. The hotel’s revamp has seen the bar move to a new location off the lobby into a space that is intimate and atmospheric. The cocktails are classic and expertly made, with a focus on bourbon and whisky. Try the Martinez, a killer combination of sweet vermouth, gin, maraschino and pick-me-up bitters.

The menu

The Colony Grill Room’s menu has been lovingly put together by Ben Boeynaems and offers a modern twist on traditional grill room fare. Starters have a seafood focus and include fresh oysters, a deconstructed Waldorf salad with cured Orkney scallops, a New York shrimp cocktail with an especially zingy sauce, an enticing smoked eel carbonara, caviar on brown butter waffles or, for meat-lovers, a steak tartare with pickled egg yolk or buttermilk fried chicken.

Mains include classics such as Dover sole in brown butter, roast calf’s liver and onions and roast chicken with barbecue sweetcorn and black truffle. A meaty and delicious monkfish wellington was a standout choice, as was the halibut with buttered Dorset crab, seaweed gnocchi and crab bisque. The Colony Grill Room also offers a British-bred steak menu, including Suffolk-reared Wagyu, each of which is cooked over charcoal and comes with a bone marrow ragout as well as a choice of sauce (try the Beaumont horseradish).

Save room for dessert – you’ll want to order everything on the menu. Bananas Foster come flambéed at the table if your heart desires some old-school flare. Or try the bespoke sundae menu to really please your inner big kid – with a choice of multiple ice creams, sauces and toppings, it’s a true end of meal delight.

Consult with the restaurant’s expert and fun sommelier about what to drink during your meal. The Colony Grill Room has an extensive list focusing on European and North American vintages, including many chosen to pair well with meat. The dessert menu has an excellent pairing suggestion for each dish too, a fantastic way to finish a pretty much perfect meal.

The bill

A three-course meal for two with pre-dinner cocktails at Le Magritte and a bottle of wine, around £185.

The verdict

A sumptuous and sophisticated experience with a huge dash of fun, The Colony Grill Room is the perfect place for a celebration or a casual dinner.

colonygrillroom.com