7 New Private Dining Rooms In London
The Vaults at Brunswick House
Vauxhall
Jackson and Frank Boxer’s Vauxhall restaurant Brunswick House has a new private dining room in the renovated basement space of its 18th-century building. Between 12 and 24 diners can enjoy dinner in the candlelit room, complete with seasonal flowers and beautiful tablescapes, with a separate menu featuring a selection of the restaurant’s classic and seasonal dishes, including raw Dexter beef with smoked bone marrow and crispy shallots; pork and prawn stuffed chicken wings with truffle; cod with rainbow chard, squash and girolles; and chocolate pots or plum cakes for dessert. There’s an extensive wine and drinks list, plus regular live jazz sessions in the adjoining cellar.
Price: From £65pp
30 Wandsworth Road, Vauxhall, SW8 2LG
Visit BrunswickHouse.London
The Adega at Lisboeta
Fitzrovia
Lisboeta opened its doors last year and its Portuguese sharing dishes and Insta-worthy interiors have already earned it a loyal legion of fans. Headed up by chef Nuno Mendes, the restaurant now has a private dining room in its basement, next door to the wine cellar. Up to ten guests can enjoy snacks, charcuterie and cheese boards, plus small plates and platters from the regularly changing menu. Dishes include plumas gelhadas (grilled acorn-fed black pork from Alentejo with a tomato salad), confit cod with caramelised onions and potatoes, garlic prawns, and pão de ló – freshly baked olive oil cake. Guests can choose Portuguese wine by the glass or bottle, with a particular focus on wines from the Lisboa region.
Price: From £95pp
30 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 2NG
Visit Lisboeta.co.uk
The Vault at MiMi Mei Fair
Mayfair
Samyukta Nair, the restaurateur behind Mayfair’s Jamavar and Bombay Bustle, opened MiMi Mei Fair last year as an opulent Chinese restaurant with dreamy interiors. There are seven rooms – some filled with teal leather touches and art-deco glass wall lights, others with dining booths for two or four people – plus a new luxury dining space, The Vault. Created for couples, or groups of up to six, the space is hidden behind The Moon Bar, where you’ll find a dining room draped with red velvets, plush furniture and soft lighting. Groups can enjoy cocktails, including the ‘Baijiu Tini’ made with orgeat, lime and apple; or the ‘Yuzu Lynchburg’ with lychee and yuzu sake; before moving into the second chamber for a sit-down meal. Expect a selection of dishes like crispy langoustines with Périgord truffle, wagyu black pepper puffs, Hakka noodles, and wood-fired roasted Peking duck.
Price: Minimum spend of £600 for up to six guests.
55 Curzon Street, Mayfair, W1J 8PG
Visit MimiMeiFair.com
Casa do Frango
Soho
Casa do Frango specialises in Algarvian-style ‘frango’ chicken cooked over wood charcoal. With sites in London Bridge and Shoreditch, the group has just opened a third outpost on buzzy Heddon Street. The new place has a street-level terrace, a spacious dining room on the ground floor, and two private dining rooms – Sol and Mar – each with space for up to 15 guests. With some of the most beautiful interiors on this list, both spaces are light and bright, with rustic interiors and plenty of Portuguese artwork on the walls. Food-wise, starters include grilled whole chorizo with black olive mayo and gazpacho, and grilled prawns with white wine and parsley, while sharing platters of chicken and wood-fired veg served with rice, salad and slaw will follow for mains. Perfect for a casual, laidback affair.
Price: Available on request.
31-33 Heddon Street, Soho, W1B 4BN
Visit CasaDoFrango.co.uk
Ochre
West End
The couple behind Muriel’s Kitchen launched a restaurant in the National Gallery this summer. Ochre offers a contemporary European menu ranging from weekend brunch to dinner and afternoon tea and there’s also a private dining room that seats up to 16 which looks out onto St Martin-in-the-Fields and Nelson’s Column – ideal after an exhibition. Ochre is all about style: the beautiful space has been designed by the same team behind Brown’s restaurant Native and the ever-popular Lina Stores, and all the staff are dressed in Boden. Lunch and dinner in the private dining room consists of sharing plates like Cornish mackerel and sea lettuce tacos; halibut ceviche with lime, avocado and orange; charred cauliflower steak with sautéed chanterelle mushrooms; and 28-day aged Rib-eye steak with triple-cooked chips. Diners can finish the meal with apple tarte tatin or white chocolate crème brûlée.
Price: From £35pp.
National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN
Visit Ochre.London
Walter’s
Dulwich
The duo behind Covent Garden seafood bar The Oystermen opened Walter’s earlier this year, a neighbourhood restaurant and bar in West Dulwich, where head chef Khalid Hassan (formerly of Social Eating House, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Murano) creates hearty dishes made with British produce. The restaurant recently opened a private dining room in its wine cellar where every bottle in the collection is for sale. Up to 12 guests can sit around the long farmhouse table to enjoy snacks – such as cod roe, trout skin, espelette and truffle arancini – as well as small plates including peanut-glazed chicken salad and tempura cauliflower with curry sauce, and larger dishes of ox cheek and mushroom pie or whole sea bass served at the table. There’s an excellent cocktail list, plus plenty of non-alcohol options.
Price: Available on request
Park Hall Road, Dulwich, SE21 8BW
Visit WaltersDulwich.co.uk
The Petersham
Covent Garden
Regular readers will know we love Petersham Nurseries, so we were excited to hear its Italian restaurant in Covent Garden, The Petersham, has opened a private dining room curtained off from the main restaurant. With a separate entrance and terrace that overlooks Floral Court, the room has beautiful Genoese chandeliers and seasonally changing floral displays. The dining room seats up to 40 guests, making it ideal for larger parties or events. Guests can enjoy meals that revolve around The Petersham’s slow food ethos, with an emphasis on seasonal fruit and veg. Current menu highlights include fresh pumpkin and wild mushroom pasta with a reggiano fondue; herb crusted lamb rack with leeks and rainbow carrots; pecorino, pear, and black pepper risotto; and apple crumble with Disaronno custard.
Price: Available on request.
2 Floral Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9FB
Visit PetershamNurseries.com
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