• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

The Gilbert Scott at St. Pancras

August 13, 2011 6 Comments Filed Under: Uncategorized

 Arabian night sky ceiling.
Hand painted walls.
Glasses of British champagne to start.

Finally London has a place to match the Musée D’Orsay in Paris! This vast renovation of St Pancras hotel is heart stoppingly dramatic: the combination of pattern, on the carpet, walls and ceiling is daring, conveying the exotic adventurism of British colonialism. The Victorian gothic architecture is matched by sweeping staircases, tall cathedral windows, arched vouted ceilings, brass door fittings and ghostly corridors. Marcus Wareing’s restaurant dishes at The Gilbert Scott intelligently match the era and decor. I have seen reports of poor service, but I found the French imported front of house perfectly sufficient. I imagined them getting on a Eurostar at the end of the evening.
It’s not cheap however, we spent about £75 each but there are early supper and lunch deals. Both the teen, my friend Mary and I really enjoyed our evening there. I even met my lovely friend Shelley von Strunckel tucked into a booth, but then, she is a local! We chatted about the astrology of the riots, theatre, travel and food. Her companion has a farm in Sri Lanka, he described the avocados “like footballs”…I must go there.
I would love to stay at the hotel but I read that the rooms are less baroque in decor, more corporate which is a shame.

A cured mackerel, potato salad with soup. The ingredient that made this dish sing were the pickled grapes.
I liked the idea of this English dish, a baked onion with thyme and cheese but it lacked umami. Maybe it should be simmered in Marmite, that would be very British.
Stylish waiters with braces and arm garters.
Oyster with pickled lemon slices, I stole the lemon slices off my friend’s plate, they were so moreish.
Artichoke tart for mains for me. Basically a big posh vol au vent with one of my favourite vegetables. 
My architect friend Mary had sea bream (I think) with a vongole sauce, an intense liquor you wanted to mop up with bread. We also had a side of nutmeggy cauliflower cheese and chunky crisp chips. Lovely.
The teen’s fish n chips. Very good. More of the super crispy battered fish would have been appreciated however. Sarson’s mayonnaise a good addition. Sarson’s vinegar, a traditional British ingredient, is used extensively throughout the menu, which I liked.
My Jaffa cake desert was very good and reflected the intricate patterns of the decor outside. The teen had the “delicious” chocolatey cornflakes: a warm chocolate mousse with cereal that was a clever updated twist on children’s nursery food.
An elegant dining room that I would happily eat in every day.
The staircase, a jumble of structured colour and pattern.
The ghostly hallways with Minton tiled floors.
Wouldn’t you like to don a bustle and suck on a cigar?
Maybe they could film an update of The Shining here? Kubrick would have approved. Every carpet is designed specially. 

Recent posts

Queens of Kelp, from the Outer Hebrides

June 4, 2023

midsummer supper club June 17th 2023 Msmarmitelover

My next supper club: midsummer June 17th

May 28, 2023

I organised a street party for the Coronation

May 10, 2023

Previous Post: « Pollen Street Social
Next Post: Outstanding in the Field »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Henry North London 2.0

    August 14, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    Those carpets are divine…

    Reply
  2. theundergroundrestaurant

    August 14, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    Aren't they?

    Reply
  3. Tasting Pages

    August 14, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    It's such a grand and stunning hotel, I visited for the first time recently (for cocktails) and was very impressed. They've done and amazing job, inside in the public areas (haven't seen any of the rooms yet) and out. Hope to eat at the GS sometime, need to save up! In the meantime I'll continue to stop in for a cocktail and swoon at the decor.

    Reply
  4. Wilhelmine

    August 18, 2011 at 9:28 pm

    Hi, I just bought your book, and I just love it;) We are travel a lot to London and just love London and all the great food. We are real foodies. How can we find out more about the underground restaurant and be a member of the fanclub? We have today send an email (probably not right) on the website, looking forward to eat at some places…and I will for sure follow your blogg. (sorry for my english.;)) Kindly regards from Nina in Norway. You are also welcome to visit my blog if you want;)

    Reply
  5. theundergroundrestaurant

    August 18, 2011 at 10:53 pm

    hi Wilhemine, you can check out the events tab on marmitelover.blogspot.com…for my next events x

    Reply
  6. thejulep

    January 24, 2012 at 6:26 pm

    Looks divine… but most of all I need to know where that gorgeous black and white top/dress is from – WANT!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Tasting Pages Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 BYO book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th #london #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer
For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries. Here is how to prepare goose neck barnacles or percebes which are a very expensive and rare delicacy, hunted down from cliffs. It’s quite dangerous to forage them. #canapes #eventcatering #satanicfood #percebes #grossfood #seafood #devilsfood
Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here h Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th at London’s pioneering supper club. Tickets £50 BYO. Scandinavian inspired summery food. #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer #northwestlondon #londonevents #popups
Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy cir Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy circa 1987 pic: kerstin Rodgers #rip #tinaturner #rockphotographer #kerstinrodgers #teenagephotographer
Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on war photography in the Ukraine . Go to the exhibition @thebppa @thebargehouse in SE1 last few days 
Had to stop filming cos I was told off. The photographers would be less forthcoming if they were filmed I was told. 
Anyway @frenchpete_1 should be followed by a camera crew cos he’s a star.
For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pas For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pastry quiche and a little one with less blue cheese & no salt for my 7 month old granddaughter. She absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying seeing her experience and explore new foods with baby led weaning. Avocado, strawberries, kiwi & buttered crumpets are a hit. Pasta less so. Who is this child? Are we even related? #babyledweaning #quiche #homemadepuffpastry
Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The natio Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The national newspaper again. These are the stories I love to do: I go off on an adventure, take my time, interview people (especially women), photograph them in their environment and create recipes on site. This story cost me a lot more than I made as I had an accident and lost my excess. My own damn fault though! Loved loved loved having a campervan. Thanks for lending me it @camperdays.international and sorry about the hole in the side.  https://www.thenational.scot/news/23505593.foraging-seaweed-western-isles/
My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @l My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @lk.general.building left yesterday. They’ve been working since January. I had the awning installed, the encaustic Minton tiles removed and put back with green grout. The terrace was causing damp so this had to be done. My calamondin plant is looking lovely. The benches which I repaired with hard wood & I repainted using a mix of 2 colours. The marble table I bought in Suffolk at a car boot. Everything is still dusty & I’m waiting for the window cleaner to arrive.
Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine f Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine for their contribution of these beautiful dry ciders for the coronation street lunch. Gorgeously illustrated labels. #stcuthbertsrd #kilburn #london #cider #artisanaldrinks
When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. It’s smoother. Artisanal distillery @devoncovevodka contributed some bottles to my coronation lunch which gave everyone a feeling of being at a classy party. Thanks so much. And also @rawfoodanddrink for arranging. If you want to read my blog post about how and why I organised this event, copy and paste this link: https://t.co/GWNNW2XKba #coronationstreetparty #biglunch #community #kilburn #london #forthepeoplebythepeople
I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now. They sent a selection: elderflower bubbly, st. Clements orange 🍊 Sicilian lemonade, @belvoirfarm_uk lemonade, which were all delicious and just the tickets for the fortuitous mini-heatwave that occurred on the Sunday coronation lunch. #thankyou #community #coronation #streetparty #biglunch
Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! T Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! Tiny bit in the guardian. Decent pic in the Mail and The Star credit @asproider #coronationlunch #kilburn #stcuthbertsrd #kingscroftrd #fordwychrd #templarhouse
My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, s My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, spinach, cheddar. I used crème fraiche and blind baked puff pastry shells. I was up at 11 last night making these for todays street party, which featured in the mail, telegraph, mirror, metro courtesy of photographer Gavin Rodgers @asproider
Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebr Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebrides with @outerhebrideanforager Fi bird. She’s cutting sea spaghetti. I drove my campervan @camperdays.international from london to the Hebrides- using my gas stove to cook foraged and local ingredients. A real food safari. With the sea spaghetti I made a sea spag vongole with giant parlourdes picked up from the sand at the same time. Great fun, beautiful weather and, the day of the full moon, a wonderfully low tide. This was on south Uist.
More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-ba More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-based version of the original. Beautifully constructed, designed and written by @nikisegnit it’s vegetarian rather than vegan but recommended for both. She widens the sensory vocabulary around plant flavours in this book- encouraging new delicious sounding combinations. Now she includes new categories such as flower & meadow, caramel roasted, zesty roost- just the words make me salivate. #foodbooks #bookstagram #newbooks
Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainman Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainmansion I found out so much about marmalade. I’m going to make it this winter. I found out the worlds best maker is Japanese, in fact I was most impressed by the Japanese marmalades in general. Everyone wore orange. I must have tasted 50 marmalades. I met Paddington’s sister, karen jankel who is michael bond’s daughter, born in the same year as Paddington. She gave a charming talk on Paddington, mentioning how the queen insisted on having real marmalade sandwiches in her @launerlondonofficial handbag during the shoot. The house itself is Tudor and Georgian. I stayed in my campervan from @camperdays.international in the car park, cosy in the rain. Another freewheeling adventure. #yorkshire #marmalade #travel #food #ontheroad #campervan
I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a vegetarian rather than a vegan. How I still need butter. And how restaurants & plane meals are now vegan rather than vegetarian. But, there are still more the double amount of vegetarians as vegans in the UK. I’ve written a vegan cookbook V is for vegan (link in bio) and am a big fan of vegan foods. I’ve not eaten meat for over 40 years. This is a sustainable diet, in terms of longevity. Vegans that I knew from the early noughties have reverted to meat eating. #newpuritanism? #vegetarian #vegan #foodwriter
Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a seaweed that tastes just like truffle. Just done a little kelp foraging at low tide with @thetempleharris’ Amanda Saurin. Isle of Harris. Turquoise sea, white sand, cloud hovering just above. @camperdays.international @roosterpr
I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to Sophie of @tobia.teff she uses the iron-rich, gluten free teff grain from her homeland Ethiopia. She showed me how to make injera, the Ethiopian flatbread which is fermented. She also talked about the coffee ceremony, 3 cups, which they pair with toasted barley or, currently, popcorn! I’d love to visit Ethiopia and find out more about their ancient food culture, history, 3.5k year old monarchy and religions.
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover