The Pem is a fine-dining restaurant in Westminster that is headed up by star chef Sally Abe (formerly of The Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-starred pub). The restaurant also features a dedicated private dining room that can host all manner of occasions, ranging from business lunches to birthday parties.
Christened the Harben Room, The Pem’s private dining space can seat up to 24 guests for lunch or dinner. The room is named after Henry Harben, a huge supporter of women’s suffrage who played a key role in winning the vote for women.
The Harben Room is a discreet and elegantly appointed space, which continues the innate femininity of the main dining room, featuring rosy hues, eye-catching artwork and a dark wood table dressed with vases of flowers and candles. Private dining parties can pre-select three or five courses from The Pem’s a la carte, or for an extra exclusive experience, can have Abe and her team design a fully bespoke menu suited to your own tastes and preferences.
The three-course menu begins with poached native lobster bathed in shellfish cream and paired with heritage tomato, before moving on to sirloin and rib of Dexter beef with oyster, turnip and horseradish and finishing up with black forest gateau (a personal favourite of Abe’s.)
The five-course offering meanwhile begins with a selection of canapes, while the first and second courses offer hot smoked sea trout with caviar, English muffins and lemon and roast Scottish scallops with caramelised cauliflower and shellfish bisque. The main event is a fillet of venison wellington with Wiltshire truffle creamed potato and purple sprouting broccoli, while a pair of desserts includes roast pear ice cream and a prune and vanilla custard tart.
Drinks flights are easily accommodated for too, while on-site accommodation (the restaurant is housed within the Conrad London St James) is a plus if you’re coming from out of town.