Henri

Jackson Boxer has been on a roll; his partnership with Experimental Group at Cowley Experimental in the Cotswolds proved so fruitful that the pair are at it again, this time taking on the ground floor restaurant at The Henrietta Hotel, smack bang in the middle of Covent Garden.

London has really fallen for the beauty of a proper Parisian bistro as of late, and Henri really ramps up the Gallic charm, with flickering candles, lots of polished timber and marble, and a smattering of pale blue and burnt orange. There’s a flurry of activity behind the bar as you enter, where the team whip up excellent cocktails, leaning heavily into Cognac, Calvados and St Germain. A piano player provides the soundtrack, banging out some reimagined pop hits on the ivories.

A point of order that might irk some visitors - some bits of Henri are what your local Foxtons agent would call ‘cosy’. Many of the two-tops are well within elbow distance of each other. Space on the tables is at a premium too, so you’ll find yourself playing Tetris with plates often. Perhaps this is part of the rosy-eyed bistro vision, but no doubt some will find it uncomfortable.

The table space proves to be a minor issue because none of this delicious food lasts very long and empty plates are quickly banished. Hell will freeze over before we turn down a deep-fried trotter nugget with prune and mustard, and a seaweed canele with trout roe is a clever savoury take on a classic.

Then, a stunning little bowl of fat garlicky snails in sticky veal rice, beautifully-cooked bavette and a chunky, flakey tranche of cod with a heady waft of lime leaves and bisque. The menu is thoughtful, creative, but everything has a purpose - three hallmarks of Boxer’s cooking. And yet, there’s still room for a whole globe artichoke on the menu, served with a punchy anchovy dip in the centre. Wines are smartly chosen too, finishing in splendid fashion with a glass of dry Madeira alongside a wodge of pleasingly dense chocolate sabayon cake.

Amidst a growing crowd of Parisian-style bistros in London, Henri more than holds its own, and the future is bright for this chic little Covent Garden spot.

Henri is a traditional Parisian-inspired bistro by chef Jackson Boxer (also behind Brunswick House and Orasay) located at Covent Garden’s Henrietta Hotel. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the hotel, a 19th century townhouse which was once home to publishing houses and booksellers. The hotel is owned by the Experimental Group, an international hospitality group with a cohort of restaurants, hotels, wine bars and nightclubs across the globe.

Taking inspiration from traditional bistros in Paris, the restaurant serves classic French fare and signature cocktails late into the evening, albeit with Boxer’s own personal take on Parisian cuisine.

This is not the first time that Jackson Boxer has worked with the Experimental Group on a restaurant launch. The chef previously collaborated with the hospitality group to help open Cowley Manor Experimental hotel in the Cotswolds.

There isn’t a huge amount of information available about Henri yet, but we do know that the interiors have been overseen by French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon with the aim of evoking the beauty of Paris, as well as hints of historical Covent Garden.

Speaking about the opening, Boxer commented: ‘As a young cook my most eye-opening and palate-enlarging dining experiences involved a cheap early morning Eurostar ticket away. For all the affection and admiration I hold for the global and eclectic nature of my home turf, my reverence for the exceptional produce and imaginative verve of the Parisian bistros of my youth remains undimmed. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved in reimagining the luxurious country house hotel [Cowley Manor] for a contemporary, cosmopolitan crowd, now I’m excited to do the same for a late-night theatreland restaurant in Covent Garden.’