The Londoner hotel in Leicester Square is home to a number of innovative restaurants and bars (see 8, Joshua’s Tavern and The Stage) and that line-up includes Whitcomb’s, a French-Mediterranean restaurant offering a contemporary take on classic French dishes. The restaurant works with a selection of small suppliers to source its premium grade ingredients and there's a strong focus on seasonality here. Chic interiors feature a multitude of grey tones, comfortable tartan-adorned seating, black and white photography on the walls and marble flooring.
Guests can choose from a variety of menus including petit déjeuner, prix fixe lunch, pre- and post-theatre and à la carte dining, but the running theme throughout them all is French cooking influenced by a variety of Mediterranean flavours. From the a la carte menu, for example, guests can start with dishes such as escargots cooked in n’duja lemon butter, calamari with chilli salt or a cheese tart served with caramelised onion and gorgonzola foam. While mains feature pasta, risotto and a selection of meat and fish dishes such as seared lobster with rigatoni and Scotch bonnet labneh crème; baby chicken and spinach risotto; herb-crusted French trim lamb cutlets; pan-fried Dover sole with citrus garlic butter.
There are few better places in the world to sample dessert than France, and Whitcomb’s dessert menu is testament to that. Expect the likes of caramelised puff pastry with vanilla bean Chantilly, mango, passionfruit and pain d'epice crème, Grand Marnier French toast with clementine confit and black pepper toffee butter and warm beignets with a selection of signature sauces.
There is a concise cocktail menu which helpfully suggests meal pairings with each one (try the Le Mariage cocktail with Lobster thermidor, for example) while a curated wine list features options from all over the world. It does pay special tribute to France, however, with some great vintages from Bordeaux as well as selected fine wines including Tignanello and Puligny-Montrachet.