A cracking Sunday roast is an edible homage to our fine nation and although pubs and restaurants across our green and pleasant land may serve up this veritable feast, some are quite simply a cut above the rest. To save you from having to endure a mediocre meal of terrible tatties and shoddy service, we have dutifully eaten our bodyweight in juicy joints and supersized Yorkshire puddings to compile this; a small but perfectly formed list of the finest roasts in and around London. Sumptuous scran aside, every Sunday lunch listed overdelivers in some way; from bottomless Champagne and unlimited caviar to service fit for a king. Tuck in…
The Swanky one: The Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay
Stepping into The Savoy always reminds me of that eerie scene from Titanic, where glamorous, ghostly figures from the ship’s glory days appear at every turn; waltzing around the ballroom, blissfully unaware of what is to come. With so many colourful characters calling this iconic hotel home over the years, it’s hard not to. Claude Monet’s there, gazing out of his bedroom window in search of inspiration, Marilyn Monroe’s laughing away in the hotel’s prestigious grill and Vivien Leigh has just clapped eyes on Laurence Olivier for the very first time.
Decades on, it’s still the London go-to for everyone from Taylor Swift to Rihanna, so where better to indulge in a great British roast with a side of stardust. Today, the beautiful art deco dining room is all Barolo coloured velvet snugs, glinting chandeliers and often the odd royal to boot. Kick off in style with their new take on their famous Arnold Bennett omelette (now an airy souffle), before turning your attention to their much-feted Sunday roast. Expect a perfectly cooked dry-aged sirloin served to your liking with all of the trimmings present and correct – the Yorkshire pudding is heaven sent and no, that’s not an exaggeration. For dessert? Oh, try them all my darlings, in the words of Marilyn, “life is to be lived.”
Sunday Roast at The Savoy Grill is served between 12pm and 5pm from £55 per person. It is comprised of a dry aged sirloin of beef with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and a red wine jus, with optional side orders available. For more information, visit www.thesavoylondon.com.
The Trendy one: No. Fifty Cheyne, London
Sunday roast is taken very seriously at No. Fifty Cheyne, very seriously indeed. It’s not mere section in a menu or a token ‘dish of the day’, heaven forbid. This acclaimed Chelsea townhouse-cum-restaurant has an entire menu dedicated to the nation’s most iconic dish – and its double-sided, to boot. Rumour has it not everyone shares our unwavering resolve for the great British roast – such souls can rest easy knowing that there is a nice selection of grill options up for grabs (many of them made to share). In our humble opinion, however, it’d be churlish to deviate from the main event… so we don’t. The Sunday sitting at No. Fifty Cheyne packs in 200+ covers, giving you an indication of how popular this tucked-away townhouse is.
When it comes to beef, it’s 40-day aged sirloin (or, if you’re particularly lucky, you may manage to nab one of their pungent 100-day aged ribs with melty smoked bone marrow). The cut, akin to a steak, cloaks a cluster of fist-sized roasties, crisped to within an inch of their lives, never mind triple-cooked. A hearty ball of stuffing comes neatly tucked into a semi-charred Yorkie, reclining on a bed of bread sauce. Need we say more…this is not your standard carvery fodder; No. Fifty Cheyne takes Brits’ first choice of comfort food and really makes a meal of it.
No. Fifty Cheyne’s famous Sunday lunch sitting runs between 12-5.30pm, with various meat choices, limited edition roasts and larger sharing joints available. For more information visit www.fiftycheyne.com.
The Right Royal one: 45 Jermyn St.
Newsflash! Culinary connoisseurs after a ritzy roast with lashings of old-school glamour can find it in 45 Jermyn St’s iconic fiery orange booths. The Fortnum & Mason-owned restaurant boasts a chin-ticklingly good menu littered with oodles of added oomf from the off. There’s the trusty Beluga-laden caviar trolley which glides around the glorious dining room, just waiting to be beaconed, not to mention the white truffle section of the menu – everything from the outrageously decadent Champagne risotto to their [not so]humble cheese toastie gets a shaving or two.
On Sunday, however, attention should be turned to their royal Cumbrian sirloin; a beautifully presented fine feast of a dish with all of the trimmings one would expect from the royal grocer. But do leave a little room for their truffle-laced malt ice cream with Hoxton honey – it’s the perfect way to draw the meal to a close. Well, it’s not really ice cream if it’s not spiked with eye-wateringly expensive truffle, is it?
45 Jermyn Street is owned by none other than Fortnum & Mason. For more information or to book, visit www.45jermynst.com.
The Greedy one: The Grove’s ‘Million Dollar Buffet’, Hertfordshire
Consider buffets a tad pedestrian? Think again. Make the great escape to leafy Hertfordshire and in under an hour you could be bumping caviar at one of the world’s most expensive buffets, with a cavalcade of gutsy prime cuts, succulent lobster and melt in the mouth sashimi ripe for the picking. If the immaculately presented live-action food stations look familiar, you probably recognise the 5* hotel’s lavish spread from its Netflix fame. ‘Million Dollar Buffet’ saw sharp-tongued restaurant critic Grace Dent get stuck into its 500 dishes with glee.
In fact, The Glasshouse restaurant puts on a full buffet every day of the week, but Sunday lunch is the hot table, with an impressive roast station piled high with various succulent joints, fist-sized Yorkshire puddings, a medley of creatively cooked seasonal vegetables and lashings of gravy. If the Basque cheesecake has pushed you a belt size too far, walk it off around the Grade II listed mansion’s sprawling 300-acre estate – London’s very own Grand Union canal snakes its way through the hotel’s verdant splendour. No so pedestrian after all, hey.
The Glasshouse restaurant is located within The Grove hotel. Buffet prices for non-residents start at £40 for a weekday breakfast. The Sunday lunch sitting is priced at £82pp (this will rise to £88 from December). For more information, visit www.thegrove.co.uk.
The Meaty one: Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at Corinthia London
It may be a country mile from Marlow but Tom Kerridge’s eponymous bar & grill, which lurks within the glitzy Corinthia hotel, bears all of the Michelin-starred celebrity chef’s usual hallmarks – albeit with a little added pomp and ceremony (visiting the powder room involved passing 1,001 crystals along the way – as you do). Sitting pretty in the former Ministry of Defence building, it’s a cavernous lair of grand columns, vertiginous vaulting and blood red banquettes – the perfect mix of decadence and comfort.
Despite its grandeur, it’s much like the man himself; loud, proud and oozing bonhomie. Little touches quickly make diners feel at home – a compliment regarding the insanely delicious treacle bread was quickly repaid with a take-home recipe card. The hearty menu is an edible ode to the nation’s most celebrated dishes, albeit with a Kerridge twist – I learn this when tearing open my Yorkshire pudding, only to release an unexpectant torrent of succulent slow cooked beef. Whilst pescatarians and vegetarians are well looked after, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill is the ultimate spot for a carnivorous Sunday feast, with plenty of seasonal surprises along the way – it’s a dandy. Like the great British roast, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill has all the ingredients of a timeless classic.
Located in the heart of Westminster, within the 5* Corinthia London hotel, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill serves Sunday roast from 12.00pm onwards. For more information, see www.kerridgesbarandgrill.co.uk.
The Jazzy one: Searcys St Pancras Bar & Brasserie
Nesting up in the gods at one of the world’s most beautiful railway stations you’ll find Searcys St Pancras; a chic Champagne Bar and Brasserie, where the traditional Sunday roast comes with a side of live jazz – oh, and bottomless Champagne! Still not convinced about spending your Sunday inside a railway station? Head to their ‘gram-worthy terrace, dutifully whack one of the ‘Champagne buzzers’ that they have thoughtfully sprinkled around the joint and sip away beneath the spectacular glass roof and Tracy Emin’s hypnotic Barbie pink neon, ‘I want to spend my time with you’ – that should win you over nicely.
Ready for the main affair? Venture inside to the warmth of the dimly-lit brasserie where you can debate between the Lake District roast beef or flavourful Paddock Farm pork with all of the trimmings and all whilst shoulder shimmying to the sax. Whichever you choose, for heaven’s sake leave some room for dessert – they do a cracking Eton mess, coupe and all! Though one word of warning – those prone to wanderlust beware, a seat on the terrace means watching cherry-cheeked, Breton-clad Francophiles bid au revoir to Blighty as they hop aboard the Eurostar – so easy on the champers or you’ll find yourself cartwheeling the barrier and joining the ‘rosbifs’ bound for pudding in Paris!
The Sunday Jazz Feast at Searcys St Pancras Bar & Brasserie runs from 12pm to 5:30pm (last orders are 3.30pm), with reservations available for up to two hours. Unlimited Champagne is available for £70pp and lasts for 90-minutes. Secure your table now for a memorable afternoon of music and dining. www.stpancrasbysearcys.co.uk.
