Panic on the streets of London as A-listers and epicures clamour to get their knees under top table Chiltern Firehouse.
Lovely little Chiltern Street sure is one happening London nabe right now – even one of our fab-foot-forward LUXE itins slinks through many a voguish shop in the area. No surprise, then, that when haute-elier André Balazs decided to roll out his first ever London residence in 2014 he plumped for a spot on this bustling Marylebone passage. Set within an 1889 Grade II-listed red-brick Victorian fire station, the hotel features one of our top picks from the oh-so-green and on-the-scene seventh edition of LUXE London (available in-store and online now), eponymous restaurant the Chiltern Firehouse.
The interiors alone have issued some murmurs of excitement, striking an elegant balance between modern buzz (industrial accents; a vibey terrace) and old-school cool (original subway-tiled walls, leather banquettes, deco-style features, and the kind of gentle lighting that only the style set would expect). However, we recommend pulling up a stool at the marble-ous counter from where you can ogle the deft chefs flipping and flambe-ing away in the shiny, brassy open kitchen.
Such a beautiful, off-beat setting could warrant a fussy menu, especially when the chef at the pass is Portuguese whiz Nuno Mendes (mentored by the fathers of faff Jean-Georges and Adrià, and formerly the talent behind shuttered culinary firecracker Viajante), but the menu is refreshingly understated, with a warm, seasonal focus on simple comfort eats. Of course, a few on-trend ingredients including chervil, puffed barley and beets have crept into the mix, but the resulting plates are piled high with robust yumminess such as steak sandwich with chipotle, horseradish mayo, house pickle and fries, or blackened salmon with sea kale, crispy skin and trout roe.
But before you throw on your Pucci and hit the London cobbles, be warned that the Chiltern Firehouse is one tough cookie to crack. Billed as the new Ivy and aflutter with slebs like moths to a flame, us mere mortals often struggle to get a look in. There are a few ways to get your stillie through the door, however… 1) snog your concierge; 2) bed down in one of the hotel’s lush pads for the night, which will also grant you access to a beaut little jewel box bar, off bounds to those distinguished diners; or 3) slink up early for a smarty hearty breakfast – a still relatively unswamped option despite handsomely delicious plates including spiced crab omelet and a mean Eggs Benny with cheese biscuit and glazed ham. Fire up and charge in!
Chiltern Firehouse Hotel, 1 Chiltern St, W1, Marylebone, London, +44 20 7073 7676, chilternfirehouse.com
