A la Colthard / The Westbury and Goring Hotel

Over the years I have been contributing to the Rust I have often reviewed restaurants and sometimes hotels but never their bars so today’s piece is on the latter at two of London’s most underrated hotels.

I was meeting an old friend in the property world so the Westbury in Conduit Street Mayfair was a convenient venue. It’s a popular hotel but perhaps not up there with yer Connaughts and Claridges.

I have noticed that in the mornings many such hotel lounges are popular  meeting places for interviews and small meetings. On the table next to ours some guy from the tech world was holding forth. It was way above my head!

We had our coffee and catch-up.  Two flat whites set me back  £13.50 but I did not begrudge the expense as the armchairs were comfortable and the service good ( you can always  guarantee  good service at a top hotel )

Later I met another old friend, a lawyer, who had just got engaged late in life and he brought his glamourous fiancée along.

I chose the bar at the Goring Hotel as our venue.

Again I like its club-like ambience with comfy chairs and wood panelling.

There was no music, no attempt to be trendy, it was not too loud just the solid assets of comfort, space and good service.

The occasion demanded champagne and as I cannot abide acetic champers normally to be found in the the house variety I ordered Bollinger. Not cheap at £ 90 a bottle – but it was an occasion after all.

The Goring is the only hotel in central London still in family hands. In the loo are naughty Victorian semi porn  gravures and hilariously a reply from a Goring to a letter of complaint about them. Really!!! Whatever next!!!

Mummy and daddy adored the place, they claimed they once sat on the table next to the late Queen Mother. It’s that sort of hotel. Not designed for naughty afternoons but solid, respectable and classy.

Not like Daffers!!!