Capital chefs

TOP-CLASS restaurants are one of London’s big selling points. David Mark took a break that put some to the test

Have you heard of a steakation? They account for a growing slice of the London tourist experience because its restaurants have a world-wide reputation.

Our base was the Charing Cross Hotel, close to Trafalgar Square and The Strand which can claim to be at the very centre of London: the Eleanor Cross outside is the point from which all road distances to the capital are measured. Every view feels like a postcard of the capital and grimy windows felt authentic rather than proof of forgetful cleaners.

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The plush, deep-red splendour of the lobby, the tea-lights illuminating the prints lining the classic Victorian staircase, and the gentlemen’s club feel of the sumptuous bars and relaxation areas were at odds with the very modern rooms. Bright, breezy and comfortable, our junior suite was full of neat little touches, like heavy blackout curtains and a shower powerful enough to wake up the most hungover of guests.

Steakationers need regular and relaxing walks to boost the appetite. From Charing Cross, you can stroll into St James’s Park to see the pelican giving one of his regular one-man performances to an adoring audience, cross the Thames on the impressively rebuilt Hungerford Bridge for a ride on the London Eye, or make an early-morning visit to the cutting edge fashion emporiums of Covent Garden, when the place still pongs with excesses of the night before. For our first night, we checked into the hotel’s restaurant: the views were almost as sumptuous as the food, with glorious floor to ceiling windows giving an unrivalled vista of Trafalgar Square and The Strand. A sirloin steak was lean, succulent and juicy, with flavoursome Portobello mushrooms and fat chips. Equally good was a terrine of red mullet, dorade and lemon sole.

Visitor passes eased us into some of the top attractions in the city. A blissfully sun-soaked first day saw us pop in at Vinopolis on the South Bank, which celebrates all things wine and wonderful. We giggled our way through the wine-tasting demonstration then were let loose to try a magnificent selection of tipples from around the world.

After this, tackling London’s scariest attraction, the London Bridge Experience and sister site The London Tombs, may not have been the best idea. When the zombie with the chainsaw jumped out, it was only the fact that I was seeing three of him that stopped him getting a punch in the eye. Still, hats off to the people behind what is a terrifying and ultimately convincing journey into the past.

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Babbo, a glorious Italian in Albemarle Street, provided the culinary highlight of the trip. The restaurant critic Giles Coren was rude about it in his newspaper review, but despite a surfeit of waiting staff, we found the experience simply amazing. From the amuse bouche of courgette and mascarpone, through the antipasti, the cod and red pepper salad and the lobster, scampi and clam stew, we became the couple we always feared – the ones who don’t talk to each other in restaurants. In particular, the veal cheek in Tuscan sauce was extraordinary

We were simply too busy emitting noises of deep appreciation for a meal served in intimate and homely surroundings which obviously cost a fortune. With three courses and a splendid bottle of red we were pushing £160, but I became reconciled to it by deciding every forkful was worth at least a tenner’s worth of pleasure.

Next night and next stop: the Park Terrace at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington High Street, where waiting staff were a lesson in prompt, friendly, respectful service.

We both got halfway through our main courses (grilled Blythburgh pork cutlet and pan-roasted halibut with garlic mash) before deciding we preferred one another’s, and duly swapped.

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We signed up for the London RIB Voyages trip, hopping aboard a rigid inflatable for an exhilarating high-speed ride up the Thames – laughing all the way at a brilliant commentary from a resident guide.

There was time too for a superb afternoon tea amid the sophisticated old-school splendour of the Langham Hotel (I felt like a giant looking into a dollhouse window when considering the tiny sandwiches, scones and cakes, so beautifully presented) before our train journey back to York.

When the train stewardess suggested fruitcake with complimentary coffee in first class, the answer was a resounding “no”. We were pleasantly stuffed.

Steakation? I’m sold.

GETTING THERE

* David Mark was a guest of The Charing Cross Hotel, where doubles in the new Executive Wing start at £195 (room only). Reservations: 0871 376 9012 and www.guoman.com/charingcross. He dined at Babbo in Albemarle Street, where three courses plus wine is about £58. 020 3205 1099 or visit www.babborestaurant.co.uk

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* The Park Terrace at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington High Street, 020 7361 0602. The Langham’s Wonderland tea, £38 in Palm Court.

* Return travel Doncaster-King’s Cross by East Coast Trains from £20 for advance fares booked online. Reservations: 08457 225 225 and www.eastcoast.co.uk

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