Review – The Booking Office Bar & Restaurant [King’s Cross]

Our Jason heads down to the (Neovictorian?) Booking Office Bar & Restaurant in King’s Cross St. Pancras. There he discovers an Italian man making an extremely strong punch, a famous stairwell and delicious toast…

Rating

Cuisine

British / Modern European – with some Victorian influences…

Appeals To

Marriot fans, with money

In a word

Classy

Best Booking Office Ever…

The Booking Office itself is tucked away in the corner of St, Pancras station, the quiet end I rarely go to – where the giant statue of the couple can be found. The famous staircase situated through the other side of the restaurant has had several moments of fame.

For example, this tall maze of staircases was used for The Spice Girls’ debut single, it’s featured in Penny Dreadful (?), and my personal favourite, it was used in Batman Begins. You might remember the poster of Batman himself diving down from the stairwell (fun fact: that was actually the stunt guy used for the poster, Buster Reeves, who was one of my bosses during my Kick – Ass 2 stunt feature).

Hell, you know when you’re in a Marriott restaurant, there’s just an atmosphere and setting that’s just signature. Roll on the food…

The Drinks

Salentein Malbec, Reserve 2012

This one was the winner. [Ed: agreed]

Contino Rioja, Reserva 2008

I remember it wasn’t as sweet and not quite as enjoyable as the 2012 Malbec, though I admit the first bottle had done a number on my palette…

I can neither confirm or deny that we took the remainder of this bottle for a trip around the hotel afterwards, and on the train home. Go figure out :3

The Food

Starters

Woodland Mushrooms on Toast :Crispy Cornish bantam poached egg, tarragon cream  

The mushrooms are flavoursome and plentiful in quantity, tarragon cream rich, thick poached egg white with a runny yolk, bread that almost tastes homemade. Excellent starter!

Main:

Catch of the Day: From the fish markets of the South Coast straight to the table, seasonal garden vegetables  

It’s a Monday night, so I’m opting for the fish instead of steak to start the week – I don’t regret my decision. What fish it was loses me, but it’s fresh and boy does it taste it! It’s texture was thick, juicy and wildly fragrant.

Resting on a bed of rich spinach, and accompanied with rainbow beetroot (not too sweet like it is generally served) the fish retains all the juices yet isn’t too watery. This is the best beetroot I’ve ever eaten.

It also comes with a side of cheesy broccoli and triple cooked chips, two things you generally can’t go wrong with and have become standard for me to order at a Marriott.

Dessert:

Chocolate and Pistachio Cake: Chocolate ice cream  

Expected a little more for the price it costs, though I think the desserts here are more about aesthetics than getting your face kicked in with a healthy dose of diabetes!

[Ed: now then Jason]

Blueberry and Almond Bakewell Tart: Crème fraiche sorbe  

Jack ordered this one, but in retrospect, this would have been the dessert for me! Thick, moist cake, dollops of tart, and a scoop of sorbet to keep those textures alive…

Punch:

The main event of the evening was a signature punch being created (something they were referring to as ‘The Bar Ritual’).

What I do remember is Gin and lime, the red wine through me means I lose some of the specifics. It was rather strong, and rather sweet. Danger…

[Ed:…Jack took some pretty pictures]

The Verdict

Really enjoyable. Be sure to take a self guided tour of the staircase. Play the automatic grand piano at your own risk of upsetting security – the maintenance guy appreciated our presence though, nice chap.

In a nutshell: excellent service from excellent, Victorian looking people. You must expect only the best at Booking Office…

The Details

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR
020 7841 3566
http://www.stpancraslondon.com/en/restaurant-bars/booking-office/
@StPancrasRen

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