It is a challenge, especially in central London, to make a boutique hotel both stylish and comfortable. Far too many places have tried and failed to create an atmosphere that is simultaneously welcoming and inviting; I lose count of the number of times I’ve walked into a magnificent building, only to be let down by the haughty and unfriendly welcome, indifferent décor and disappointing bedrooms.
But L’Oscar, a hop and a skip from Holborn tube station – it would probably like to call itself Covent Garden, but Holborn is more accurate – is the antithesis of these behemoths. Intimate, friendly and wonderfully chic, this Jacques Garcia-designed spot has won plaudits ever since it first opened. Well, allow me to add a few more.
The chief joy of L’Oscar is how you immediately feel at home as soon as you’re showing into the library which doubles as the reception desk, whereupon you’re brought a cup of tea and invited to make yourself at home as the hotel’s theme, such as it is, is pointed out to you – the fine collection of bird motifs and feathers upon the words are stylish and never chintzy or tacky, which is an exceptionally fine balance to strike. And then, once the formalities (such as they are) are over, you’re taken up to your lavishly appointed room, and then you can relax in considerable comfort.
I was staying in a junior suite grande, which was both beautifully designed and superbly welcoming. The bed was as cosy as any that I’ve slept in in recent years, and the snacks on arrival – chocolate-coloured strawberries, yes please – were delicious and a fine curtain-raiser for dinner that evening. But the piece-de-resistance here was the bathroom.
Not only was there a capacious bath and superbly powerful shower, but the Lalique toiletries and high-class L’Oscar branded soaps make you realise that you’re staying somewhere not just five star, but thoroughly top drawer. Relaxing here for a couple of hours was no hardship whatsoever, and then it was down to dinner.
At first glance, the menu in the restaurant seems pleasant but unsurprising: Asian-influenced comfort food for starters, traditional grills and fish dishes for mains. Well, how wrong – how deeply, deeply wrong – we were. Every single thing on offer here is truly superb, showing how a dynamic chef and a brilliant kitchen team, aided by a superb front-of-house, can make an evening come to life in wonderful style.
We begin with about the best Old Fashioned I can remember having, before truffle Croque Monsieur and popcorn shrimp – both potentially gimmicky, both utterly superb – come as appetisers and raise the game to a whole new level. Coupled with a glass of Sancerre apiece, it doesn’t get a lot better than this.
Except of course it does, moments later, with a sublime T-bone steak, prepared tableside and served with the finest bone marrow mashed potato imaginable. Accompanied by a bottle of the restaurant’s most popular wine, the Chateau Peymouton, it’s a true delight, and even better than most steaks I’ve had in dedicated restaurants. Cap this off with a chocolate fondant for pudding, and you’d have thought that this was a wonderful end to the evening.
Not so fast! It was time to try a few more of the cocktails – a ‘London Never Sleeps’, L’Oscar’s take on an espresso martini with Amaretto rather than vodka, ‘Do You St Tropez’ – gin, crème de Violette, elderflower, utterly delicious – and then, while we were practically begging for mercy and more at the same time, a sweetened take on a Margarita, the Smokey Muña.
After that little adventure, I slept extremely soundly, and a room service breakfast (full English, naturellement) and a cup of Earl Grey did wonders for my constitution, before a bracing shower sent me on my way. But it wasn’t before taking an extremely fond farewell of the wonderfully friendly staff, who behaved as if they had become my new best friends. I am sure, over the course of the many visits that I intend to make here, that they will be. They have been warned.
For more information, including details of offers and what’s on, please visit www.loscarlondon.com.
