The Goring Dining Room

Douglas Blyde visits a “revitalized” dining room at the Goring, where he finds a “globe-trotting” wine list and a classic dining experience delivered with warmth and care.

“Gone is the feeling of stuffy (dare I say tired?) decorum wrapped in overly dignified furniture,” wrote Country and town houseThis is Olivia Emily. However, thankfully the “shiny silver bells and soft, buttery beef Wellington” remain confirmed by Hazel Plush in The telegraph.

Design

This quirky bastion of British identity is so close to Buckingham Palace Gardens that it could be considered another wing. Opened in 1910, it set standards for luxury as the first hotel in the capital to offer central heating and private bathrooms in every room.

Still owned and managed by descendants of the original family, the five-star hotel is overseen by general manager Jeremy Goring, pictured in silhouette on display plates, while larger-than-life general manager David Morgan- Hewitt, dining by the fireplace during our visit, has been a bustling presence in this Belgravia haven for three decades.

The peculiar fiber fronds that once glowed a jarring blue in the dining room have been replaced by more flattering conventional chandeliers as part of a cozy redesign, including multiple banquettes, by Russell Sage Studio (67 Pall Mall, Glenmorangie House, Fife Arms). Taking inspiration from the Beatles, the art includes a painting of the ‘Goring’ on drums and guitar, with whimsical wallpaper mixing various jungle fauna. But the renovation goes well beyond a simple facelift. After 36 years, a brand new all-electric kitchen from Menu System faces an imposing six-seat chef’s counter next to an Evogro microgreens fridge.

Drinks

Three years into his tenure at the Goring, Lorenzo Tili has stepped up to the role of head sommelier, replacing Breton Jean-Baptiste Lemoine who later moved up to the role of assistant food and beverage director. Resplendent in a flamboyant red velvet jacket pinned with a glittering sommelier badge, Tili mentioned that he began his wine career at the lesser-known Satyrio Restaurant & Wine Merchant on Aldgate, a place where diners can enjoy a Fassona steak tartare with Solaia. He progressed to the Savoy as head sommelier under the Goring’s food and beverage director, New Delhi-born Jeet Chauhan.

The globetrotting list spans 28 countries, from Austria to New Zealand, Canada, the Czech Republic and England. Despite the historic property’s five-star credentials, real efforts are made to ensure accessibility. The page dedicated to house wines under £100 includes, with bottle age, Casa Silva Reserva Carmenere 2018 at £53, while £1 more buys the intriguing Pisano Rio de los Pajaros Reserve Tannat 2013. high end, Petrus is close. at retail price, with the 2000 vintage at £6,900, while £3,400 puts the 1994 within reach. Other well-priced bottles include the Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux 2012 (£400) and Graham’s 1966 port (£369). Through a concerted premiere program, Tili aims to keep sought-after classics within the reach of mere mortals for years to come.

The sparkling wine range includes English wines ranging from Coates & Seely Brut NV (£125) to Hundred Hills Blanc de Blancs 2017 (£175), disgorged in 2007, Dom Pérignon Oenotheque 1975 (£3,120). Other notable sparkling bottles include Laurent-Perrier’s rare Alexandra Rosé 2012, £700, and Bollinger’s Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises 2005, £1,200.

Creations at the bar are overseen by general manager Jeremy Goring, including a version of The Penicillin, The King’s Cure, featuring The King’s Ginger, honey and pink pepper tincture.

Dishes

Bathed in natural light, the kitchen is headed by Claridge’s qualified executive chef Graham Squire, who previously worked at Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Trinity in Clapham, and then at the Lickfold Inn in West Sussex with Story’s Tom Sellers.

After a luscious and refined beetroot macaron, enhanced with a brightening yuzu gel at the chef’s granite counter, lunch began in the textured dining room with a visit from the busy champagne trolley. Vinified in 20-year-old oak casks, Bollinger’s 2014 La Grande Année, which like The Goring holds a Royal Warrant, lent weight to Jersey Rock oysters dressed with crème fraîche, dill and marinated gooseberries. This successful combination resulted in a pinkish lettuce aftertaste. For added impact, the grand Bollinger also paired with what was described as a “controversial” Marmite butter that made our guest wince, leaving us wanting more.

More shellfish followed in the still dish, The Goring Eggs Drumkilbo, said to have been a favorite of the late Queen Mother. Eggs applied to the translucent lobster cocktail with roasted tomatoes and compressed cucumber turned out to be aged caviar. A soothing crab muffin topped with tasty and chic Chinese takeaway quality fried parsley was served in a crab shell inexplicably filled with sunflower seeds. With this, Tili served “a wine from the Peloponnese”. Beyond a label listing the alleged serving suggestion of three fish, Gaia’s Monograph Assyrtiko 2022 offered, Tili said, “more freshness than Santorini,” where the producer also has a winery. Perhaps out of habit, given that the clientele here tends to be more mature, Tili noted, “Don’t let its screw cap fool you” as she poured the nimble wine, which had intriguing celery notes.

A fillet of Aylesbury duck, matured in a dedicated kitchen cabinet, was cooked in a bain-marie, then pan-fried to crispiness and served alongside a very good hazelnut-spiced French toast. The side dish, a lollipop-shaped confit leg, escaped dryness, demonstrating technique. In the context of the restaurant’s overall prices, the traditional truffle mashed potatoes contained a lot of truffles for £10. With this main act, Tili poured a glass of Flor de Pingus 2013, organic since day one, into a miniature carafe via Coravin, which seemed more gourmet than the Pyrex-like measuring jars we’ve seen elsewhere. With notes of tobacco and leather, it brought both “intensity and sweetness” to the dish, Tili said, “which is what Tempranillo can do.”

Finally, the second meal cart was conveyed to show the scene of the famous rum baba flambé, filmed, with permission, by the neighboring table. Echoing the dish’s caramelized pineapple-infused rum notes, 2017 Bottle 576 of 1,000 Les Demoiselles Côteaux du Layon proved to be the best pairing, further enhanced by the addition of lemongrass cream.

Last word

Revitalized, this special dining room, which we suspect may never be franchised, continues to offer a classic dining experience with warmth and care. If one thing could be changed, it would be that the wines arrive before the dishes so that Tili and her team can have plenty of time to explain their thoughtful pairings without worrying that the dishes will get cold.

Best for:

• Gentle markups on more expensive bottles
• Fine British cuisine including must-try specialities
• Cheerful, opulent and comfortable decor

Value: 92.5, Size: 95, Range: 96, Originality: 95, Experience: 97; Total: 95.1