BRUNCH AT THE CORAL ROOM

The Coral Room is the stylish new casual dining area and bar within The Bloomsbury Hotel, part of the Doyle collection of hotels which includes the Kensington Hotel (Tale as Old as Time Afternoon Tea) and the Marylebone Hotel where I had one of the most imaginative and delicious Afternoon Teas ever. Situated a few minutes from Tottenham Court Road underground and on the edges of vibrant Soho, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a lazy weekend brunch, afternoon tea/coffee or cocktails where this seemingly calm oasis comes to life in the evening.

I think every blogger has heard of or been to the Bloomsbury’s most popular outdoor spot for a bite to eat, the gorgeous Dalloway Terrace. Bloggers flock in their droves to  capture perfect shots for Instagram of Dalloway Terraces’ themed floral installations whether it’s summer or winter so expectations were high. The Coral Room which opened in November 2017 is a hip and trendy art nouveau/retro salon-bar designed in collaboration with Martin Brudniski is of course a vivid coral colour.

The centre piece is the ultra-cool and glamorous bar area and the chandeliers. Three layers of small Murano light bulb-type glass balls all coming together to form the most unusual contemporary and stunning lights. The art-deco like bar has a very 1920’s feel and theme with a sleek marble top, antique mirrors, glossy wooden front and coral leather topped stools.

I’ve never seen such an array of drinks, there is an extensive choice for mixologists to create what must be the most inventive cocktails as the Coral Room is transformed into a decadent cocktail bar in the evening plus there is a vast choice of small plates to dine on; it’s somewhere I’d love to come in the evening.

I was here to have Sunday Brunch with my partner in crime, we arrived at 1:00pm where the Coral Room was still very quiet.  Smartly dressed waiters and barmen a plenty, service is prompt. We were presented with the brunch menu where you can pick a choice of three dishes for £25. I started off with a glass of Mimosa, English sparkling wine topped with fresh orange juice, the Coral Room pride themselves in offering up to 29 different varieties of English sparkling wine. I also chose English Breakfast Tea and my husband a flat white coffee. I love how all the Doyle Collection hotel’s have similar china – contemporary in style, vertical lines of pastel colour, each hotel has its own colour theme whether it’s light olive, grey or cream.

What We Ate:

I was disappointed not to see the Lobster & Crayfish Mac ‘n’ Cheese on the menu as it’s something I was really looking forward to ordering so instead, I chose Poached Egg with bacon on a toasted muffin topped with hollandaise. My husband chose the Severn & Wye Smoked Salmon with Guinness granary bread, crème fraiche and lemon, for our third dish, we chose the Truffle & Parmesan fries.

The Mimosa arrived in a beautiful tall champagne flute which was a burst of effervescent bubbles and citrus, something I welcomed on this warm early Sunday afternoon. My husband an unusually fussy coffee aficionado found his flat white to be a little bit on the milky side, but my tea was brewed to perfection.

My poached egg was perfectly cooked which sat on bacon on a crisp but soft muffin, so often I worry about ordering poached eggs as they can so easily be overdone but this was beautifully poached, the silky yellow puddle of liquid complemented the rich buttery Hollandaise, I really do think that two should be offered or am I just greedy!

My husband’s salmon was melt in the mouth, meaty but very delicate in flavour offset by the sour crème fraiche, the highlight was absolutely the Guinness bread.  I’ve never tasted anything quite like it, the texture though crumbly was not dry in any way at all, it was fruity, yet no fruit is present in the bread, is malty and just perfect, it’s a bread I would very much like to buy and eat at home.

The Truffle & Parmesan fries were so moorish, I ate more than my fair share of these earthy garlicky sticks of perfection, the truffles definitely lent an earthy musky taste which married perfectly with the addition of pungent parmesan, I found them to be utterly intoxicating. Everything was washed down with refreshing English Breakfast tea though I could have quite easily finished off brunch with something sweet but the Coral Room don’t have dessert on their brunch menu.

Other dishes on offer   include Chicory Salad served with walnuts, pear, stilton and honey & mustard dressing, Tenderstem Brocolli with kale, cashew nuts, toasted seeds and roasted squash and keeping with the healthy theme, a breakfast bowl which is all the rage now, the Coral Room’s is a vibrant Rainbow Acai Breakfast Bowl with seasonal berries, banana and toasted nuts, I do love breakfast bowls which I often make at home. Also, there is a choice of toasted sourdough with or without bacon and the Coral Room’s special omelette plus a choice of sides, we chose those delicious fries. As well as Mimosa cocktail, you can also choose to have a Bloody Mary or green smoothie plus the usual hot beverages and green tea.

Final Thoughts:

We were both very impressed by the Coral Room, we were nicely satisfied, brunch is definitely a good idea to while away a couple of hours and even better, an evening of cocktails at the Coral Room’s vibrant and glamorous bar is somewhere I look forward to coming to.

We were guests of the Coral Room, but all photo’s and opinions are my own.

The Coral Room at the Bloomsbury Hotel

16-22 Great Russell Street

London

WC1B 3NN

Email: info@thecoralroom.co.uk

 

Tel: 020 7347 1221