Discovering a local: Caxton Grill

Caxton Grill at The St Ermin’s Hotel has been open for a while now but last weekend was the first time Mr S and I made it there, despite the restaurant being only five minutes walk from our flat! I love exploring all the great restaurants in my local area of Victoria, and now I’m happy to add this one to my list.

Enter the hotel’s beautiful foyer with its high ceiling and chandeliers and head through the bar to the Caxton Grill. A modern space with a neutral colour palette, wooden tables and open terrace in the summer, ideal for a casual dinner close to Westminster. As soon we sat down we were offered an aperitif and as I’ve become even more in love with Bellinis since my trip to Venice and we ordered one each to lead us into the meal.

Bread at The Caxton Grill is excellent, with a perfectly chewy crust and served with a deliciously whipped butter. As a food blogger sometimes avoiding extras such as the bread basket is necessary, but definitely don’t do that here as the warm freshly baked bread is a real highlight.

With a glass of Spanish chardonnay poured for each of us, Mr S and I ordered some nibbles from the snack selection. A pair of cute cones, containing rosemary and garlic slow-roasted lamb with a pistachio and cornflake crumb was delicious. But even better was a light and beautifully presented salmon tartare in a tin.
My scallops in a lightly honied sauce with pomegranate seeds were perfectly cooked but I did think the portion was very small. I think three fat scallops would have been a more appropriately sized dish for a starter.
Mr S’s starter of seared venison loin was better-sized and I loved the layering of flavours from the pickled mushrooms, parmesan and radishes. The restaurant’s newly appointed executive chef Alexander Boyd has created a menu that truly focusses on local ingredients, many of which come from the hotel’s own kitchen garden on the roof! Previously chef at The Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London, Alexander has cooked for many important people including members of the royal family!

Having worked at London’s top seafood restaurant, Chef Alexander knows his fish, and I chose the daily special, a beautifully cooked sea trout with seasonal vegetables and light and delicate gnocchetti.
At the restaurant a Josper Grill is used to cook meat and fish at a high temperature whilst retaining flavour and Mr S’s fillet steak from the grill was cooked perfectly rare. I found the texture a little chewy but he loved it and I will defer to him as the more frequent meat-eater. A vegetable side dish of spinach, garlic and chilli and broccolli came straight from the hotel’s rooftop kitchen garden. Interestingly the hotel’s rooftop is also home to the hotel’s bees, 350,000 of them to be exact, producing honey for the restaurant.

Instead of dessert Mr S chose the platter of British and Continental cheese with chutney, oatcakes and apple and with some of my favourite soft cheeses in the selection, I really enjoyed it too.
My beautifully presented dessert was a celebration of the St Ermin’s fruit garden, both sweet enough to satisfy a dessert lover but also light and refreshing, the platter contained hibiscus and apple jelly, fresh berries, an almond cake with perfect texture, delicious blueberry and yogurt ice cream, and my favourite bit, a little blueberry marshmallow.

We were really pleased to make another local discovery, and I can foresee many return visits in the cosy setting of The Caxton Grill with its friendly service and tasty food.

PIN FOR LATER: