5-star Luxury at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square and Texture Restaurant in Mayfair
Just a few hundred Jimmy Choo steps away from designer department store Selfridges itself; the grand 5-star London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square stands proudly on the corner of Duke Street and Brook Street in the heart of fashionable Mayfair. Situated in the most fabulous location just behind Oxford Street and a short stroll from Bond Street tube station makes this luxury hotel one of the best addresses to stay in London.
London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square Exterior
Hotel Lobby
Having unexpected the grandeur of this hotel I was pleasantly surprised by the warm and cosy welcome I felt as we stepped foot inside the tranquil reception area. Overall the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square offers 236 rooms over 6 floors but unexpectedly the atmosphere felt intimate and inviting, which added to this hotels exclusive offering. You know it`s going to be rather special too as Gordon Ramsay’s award winning Michelin-starred Maze restaurant can be found to the right and up the stairs from reception. So, if you fancy sampling the culinary delights at Maze, its high advisable to book well in advance to ensure you`re not disappointed.
Maze Grill Restaurant
Our twin room was lovely and spacious, with two huge double beds, side by side with high leather backed headboards. Our Piper-Heidsieck champagne was chilling on ice and a beautiful vase of stunning orange roses caught our eye on the coffee table by the window. The sun shone through each window and on closer inspection this is when I realised we had been given a room with a fabulous view of Grosvenor Square overlooking the park. The beds looked incredibly inviting, made up with the most luxurious duvet and pillows, five each to be exact – there was no uncertainty that we wouldn`t sleep well that night!
Once unpacked we explored the fashion floors of Selfridges for a few hours then made our way back to the hotel to get ready for our dining experience at Texture. Realisation that our hotel and Texture were just 5 minutes from each other made this even more convenient.
We found Texture easily on Portman Street just behind Oxford Street and as soon as we entered this place had a warm and intimate feel. Elegantly designed with sleek lighting, the surroundings of this restaurant provide you with a chic champagne bar, cosy private dining behind closed doors, which seats 16 guests and the main dining area itself seating a substantial 60 guests. The visionaries behind Texture was formulated by French-born Xavier Rousett, one of the UK`s finest sommeliers and Aggi Sverrisson ex Head Chef at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons. The concept behind Texture`s cuisine is modern European and focuses on combining and emphasising different consistencies.
Texture Restaurant
Texture Champagne Bar
After ordering from the menu we began our meal with two champagne cocktails, one Ascot and one Rose Royal, which were delicious and while we were enjoying these homemade thin crisps of bread, Parmesan, cod skin and potato with fresh wasabi and lemon yoghurt dips were placed on our table. Then a cold celeriac appetiser appeared in a ceramic shot and when the consistencies inside the cup were mixed the end result was a incredible tasting creamy cold soup.
With our starters of Scottish scallops and Cornish crab we were recommended a bottle of Vouvray Les Argiles, Domaine Chidaine 2006, which had a fresh fruity spicy taste to go with our remaining food. The scallops were cooked to perfection in a rich truffle infused sauce and the Cornish crab was served with a fruity tangy sorbet, which really complimented its fresh sweet flavour. For our main courses we opted for the lamb dish that was cooked specially to liking and the Lancashire suckling pig, which had been cooked for 12 hours, with squid and then separate pieces in bonito sauce.
Our pre dessert of Icelandic Skyr and Rhubarb (sorbet, poached, granita, jus) arrived presented on dry ice and tasted just as spectacular as it looked, and to our amazement a stunning selection of petit fours were placed on our table for us to share with the cappuccinos that completed our meal. There was no way we thought we`d manage to eat the petit fours after such indulging but, we did and I think that sums our fine dining at Texture up!
Finally, we made it back to the 5-star luxury that had been waiting for us and we nestled down into the most comfortable beds for the best nights sleep that week! The following morning we decided to have a cooked breakfast in order to set us up for a solid day shopping so we headed to the Maze restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious leisurely breakfast and impeccable service.
