The Royal Horseguards Hotel is a classic 5 star luxury 282 bedroom hotel, situated on the banks of The Thames river overlooking the iconic London Eye, but what this Papapreneur remembers the most is the special Gin Masterclass that they held where I learned not only about Gins but about the mixers they use.
The Royal Houseguards is a Grade I listed building with stunning architecture modelled on a classic French chateau.
Whether you’re staying in one of the elegantly presented rooms or a fabulous suite offering views across the Southbank’s stunning skyline, you’re sure to have a wonderful stay filled with warm hospitality and happy times.
For the business traveller, the hotel provides a suite of incredible meeting rooms with classic Victorian interiors in each.
Formerly the home and office to the first ‘Chief’ of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Sir Mansfield Cumming, the Royal Horseguards has a fascinating history and connection to Whitehall and according to legend the hotel once had a tunnel leading to the Ministry of Defence that was used during both World Wars.
After a busy day in town, why not sip cocktails in the grand Equus Bar or now the summer months are here, head out onto the secret terrace overlooking the beautiful Whitehall Gardens and down to The Thames.
The Secret Herb Garden at The Terrace is the ideal place to indulge the senses with an array of summer spritzes, and herb-inspired cocktails, as well as delicious tapas and an outdoor pizza oven serving sizzling delights throughout the day and night.
The Royal Horseguards have once again teamed up with premium mixer experts Fever-Tree to develop an extra special G&T menu which guests can garnish with herbs from the garden including fragrant lavender, lovely rosemary and refreshing mint, to create their own combinations of botanical delights.
To complement this wonderful botanical experience, The Royal Horseguards are also offering a series of gin and tonic masterclasses presented by Fever-Tree which runs for a limited time.
The masterclasses costs £25 per person and includes three delicious G&T’s and a selection of tapas. It is hosted by a gin and tonic expert with the focus on classic, versatile and specialist gins including Plymouth, Beefeater and Monkey 47, mixed with Fever-Tree’s range of premium tonics.
We were looking forward to dinner in the plush surroundings of One Twenty One Two restaurant, named after the hotel’s former neighbour, Scotland Yard, famous telephone number 1212. The restaurant serves classic continental dishes, prepared using British-grown artisanal ingredients, with a menu that changes with the seasons.
After some wonderful gins, we decided to dine at One Twenty One Two with Lobster ravioli with lobster bisque. This dish stood out from the start with the use of freshly made pasta and the generously filled parcels of ravioli brimming with tender lobster pairing perfectly with the bisque.
My dining companion had the Seared scallops with chorizo, pea puree and chorizo oil. The scallops were a good size and cooked to perfection they also paired really well with the chorizo and pea which added a nice dimension to a simple but well thought out dish.
For the main event we ordered the English lamb cutlets medium rare, which was presented with red wine, redcurrant jus, braised shallots, confit cherry tomatoes and watercress. The lamb cutlets were generous in size and cooked to my liking.
Seafood risotto was a wonderful combination of flavours and textures with plump mussels and juicy prawns.
The lemon tart was creamy and zingy and the shortcrust pastry had a lovely buttery flavour.
The passion fruit popped to perfection in this “berry” pleasant dish that was a sweet way to finish the evening.
The Royal Horseguards is a classic luxury hotel, offering decadent experiences within surroundings steeped in history.
The Royal Horseguards Hotel
2 Whitehall Ct, Westminster, London, SW1A 2EJ
+44 (0) 207 523 5062
www.guoman.com/en/london/the-royal-horseguards.html
@horseguardsLDN
