For all you foodies out there this post is for you! Chiltern Firehouse is the restaurant that everyone in London has been talking about for the past few months and is the new 'celeb hangout'. If you're anything like me this in itself may put you off as all I am interested in is some delicious food not who might be sitting at the next table. But fear not, when it comes to the food Chiltern Firehouse certainly does not disappoint!
This is a fairly unassuming place which you could easily overlook as it's tucked away behind high, black wooden gates. If you take a little peak through these gates you'll find a beautiful oasis tucked away just a stone's throw from Baker Street. There's a beautiful courtyard and bar area which is technically reserved for the hotel guests but we managed to persuade them to have a quick drink out there before having lunch with my brother.
Essentially you can't really tell that this fantastic building ever used to be a fire station but probably the one clue you couldn't miss are these huge double height, glass paned doors which lead into the hotel bar area. All the mismatched chairs and slightly tired looking tables combined with fig trees and hanging plants overhead give a truly unique feeling and I couldn't get enough of it! I have a feeling I was a little antisocial at this point as I was snapping away on my camera. Also how amazing are those gold pineapple lamps? I never thought I'd be one for a pineapple light but who knows maybe I've been converted...
The old school feel of the bar area is a little bit magical so I highly recommend trying to get in there if you can as I've never been anywhere quite like it and it's a great spot for a quick pre-dinner cocktail. So girls bat your lashes at the one of the many (very attractive) members of staff and see if you can blag your way in!
As someone who is usually not a fan of open kitchens in restaurants, they tend to be noisy and sometimes a little smelly, this one really did blow me away. This might sound strange but it really is beautiful and I was jealous of the lucky diners who got to sit along the side of the kitchen while they ate. If you go as a couple it's definitely worth requesting a table on the 'bar' by the kitchen - I know that's where you'll find me next time I go!
Now let's get onto the part you've all been waiting for...the food!
To curb everyones hunger while we poured over the menu we ordered some of the 'Devilled Cucumber with Spiced Salmon Tartar' and the 'Crab Stuffed Donuts with Coral Dusting' which it seems everyone has been talking about recently. Now I don't like 'fishy' fish (I am aware that sounds ridiculous) and so I didn't try either of these but I have been assured that they were both delicious, particularly the crab donuts which were devoured pretty much instantly!
Having all mulled over the menu for a good long time we all finally made some decisions. I went for the 'Roasted New Season Carrots with Chervil and Brown Butter' - may not sound that exciting but it was delicious. The carrots were beautifully sweet and the chervil and brown butter were great accompaniments.
The boys went for 'Steak Tartare' which is something that's never really appealed to me personally...something about the idea of raw meat and raw egg.... But I have to say the simple presentation of it was quite striking so I couldn't resist stopping Matthew from tucking in and snapping a few pictures.
The steak tartare was served with 'Firehouse Hot' sauce which was certainly hot!
Mum went for 'Sea Trout Crudo with Yellow Mole and Coriander' which looked fantastic but I forgot to take a photo...
Onto the mains... first of all I apologise as I only got a photo of Matthews as I got distracted by how good my steak was! I redeem myself (hopefully) though as his was by far the best dish of the day! He had some kind of slow cooked Iberico Ham which was incredible. The meat literally melted in your mouth and we were all thoroughly jealous! Although another recommendation would defintiely be the Lobster Noodles which both my parents had and it was lovely, even me, the non-fish eater, loved it!
It was so lovely to see my brother again, with him living in New York I only tend to see him 2/3 times a year. This time I hadn't seen him since Christmas so it was long overdue! Matthew and I are planning on going out to New York in the spring to see him so I'm already very excited about that!
I can't recommend Chiltern Firehouse highly enough, this is the second time I've been and it gets better every time. Due to it's current popularity it can be a little difficult to get a table but it's definitely worth the effort!
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