Review: Corinthia Hotel, London

“Is that Mr Big in the corner?” I whisper to my husband, Tim, who looks at me quizzically. “You know, from Sex and the City.” He glances over, but we can’t decide without resorting to staring, which would be obvious and rude in the intimate space of Corinthia Hotel’s Bassoon bar.

Given the roster of celebrities – Colin Firth, Jemima Khan, Cuba Gooding Jr, Mariella Frostrup - who’ve been snapped entering the swish five-star since it opened last month, our fellow drinker could well be Chris Noth. But we’re distracted from further speculation by the arrival of my Victorian Mojito (gin, lemon, sugar, mint, apple juice) and Tim’s Homemade Thyme and Lime Soda with Gin.

Bassoon might be the smallest public space in London’s newest grand hotel, but it’s already the busiest. With the city’s most creative – and, at £15 a drink, expensive – cocktail menu, served amid jazz-age décor complete with seven-metre-long piano bar, it’s no surprise Bassoon is already a hit with politicians from Parliament and office workers from Trafalgar Square, both a short stroll away.

For dinner, we can choose from Massimo Restaurant and Oyster bar, headed up by a Michelin-starred Italian chef, and The Northall, dishing up proper, seasonal British fare. Lunches and afternoon teas can also be taken in The Northall or in the snow-white Lobby Lounge, with its atrium skylight and globe-shaped Baccarat chandelier made up of hundreds of crystal balls.

The Northall’s soaring Neo-classical ceilings, double-height windows and elegant grand-café style win us over. While we’re waiting for a table, we grab a seat in the The Northall bar, a spacious room with a square Victorian island bar, flanked by a dozen white-leather barstools and 20 two-person tables. Cocktails here are classic and less pricey, at around £9 each, and there’s also an extensive list of wines by the glass, courtesy of a high-tech bottle preservation system.

When our table is ready, we’re taken through an anteroom - where you can peek over a striking white braided-stone counter into the kitchen - and seated at the curvaceous window banquette in one of the hotel’s seven bow windows. The colonnaded interior is flooded with natural light, and along two walls, a raised mezzanine area provides space for more tables, whose diners get a bird's-eye-view of proceedings below. Tonight, the mezzanine is filled with a group of business colleagues and a group of friends, while two South African politicians and another couple are seated on either side of us by the window.

Bigging up its ‘seasonal British’ ethos, most dishes on the menu list their provenance. Tim’s Warm Salad of Smoked Eel with House Piccalilli (£12, Severn and Wye Smokery, Gloucestershire) is moreish, with the rich, smoky fish flavour balanced by piquant, chunky piccalilli. My Softly Cooked Organic Egg Mayonnaise, Watercress Salad and Celeriac Salt (£9, Reggi Johnson, Lancashire), on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. #A plate with two soft-boiled eggs on it, albeit cooked to runny perfection, and a whispy garnish of watercress isn’t what I’d call egg mayonnaise. I’d call that soft-boiled eggs.

My main course, Butternut Squash Tart, Beenleigh Blue Goats Cheese, Beetroots and Courgette-flower Beignet (£14, Highfields Farm Dairy), makes up for the starter. The delicate blue cheese adeptly complements the hearty butternut squash, with the flaky pastry and a handful of walnuts adding just the right bite. Tim’s Deep-Fried Haddock in Beer Batter, with Chips and Mushy Peas (£16, Dylan Bean day boats, Cornish Coast), is delightfully fresh, light and crisp, evoking seaside holidays, but minus the greasy newspaper wrapping.

We vow to forgo desserts, but a fleeting glance at the menu sees our resolve weaken. We share a Lemon Posset, topped with Blueberry salad and served with Hazelnut Biscotti (£8), served in a martini glass and so rich, creamy and delectable, we polish it off in a matter of moments, followed by an indulgent glass of subtly sweet 2005 Chateau Filhot Sauternes (£15).

Sauntering back to our room, we pass by the still-busy Bassoon, the Lobby Lounge and hotel’s private crescent-shaped courtyard, soon to have lounging sofas and smoking areas. Our room on the fifth floor has a small balconette overlooking the courtyard, but those with enough cash to splash on one of the 43 suites, opening later this summer, can choose from a range of vistas, including the courtyard, the Thames, St James’ Park, Big Ben and Trafalgar Square. The 470-square-metre Royal Suite promises to be the largest in London, with its own walk-in wine cellar, terrace fire-pit, gym, spa pod and 64-square-metre roof terrace.

Our entry-level Executive Room might measure a comparatively modest 45 square metres, but that’s the same size as our flat – and the typical London-hotel suite - so we’re not complaining. Dark-wood furniture and accents give a warm, homey feeling to the contemporary bedroom décor, while the white marble bathroom gleams and encourages lingering, with its built-in bathtub TV, standalone shower with rainfall or handheld options, his ‘n’ hers sinks and enclosed WC and bidet. Best of all, and rarely in a London five-star, Wifi is free throughout the hotel. Movies on your flat-screen TV, however, will set you back £14 a pop, and the lack of an in-room DVD player means your only entertainment options are Freeview or whatever films you have on your laptop or iPad.

Breakfast the next morning is back in The Northall, with the sun streaming through the vast windows. We’re momentarily tempted by the gut-busting English Breakfast – organic eggs, fresh fruit, juice, cereals, yogurts, pastries, muffins, toast, plus a choice of black pudding, sausages, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms or smoked salmon, poached haddock and grilled kippers - but at £33 for it, we go for the a la carte option instead. I still can’t figure out the difference between French Toast (not on the menu) and English Eggybread (£7), but either way, the four slices I was served, with cinnamon, nutmeg and fruit compote, defeated me halfway through, while Tim’s Organic Porridge (£7) came in a bowl large enough to feed two.

Before checking out, I took a peek at the hotel’s Espa Life, set to open in July. I’ve been lucky enough to lounge around some of London’s finest five-star spas, but this one takes the cake. The 2,500-square-metre space is spread over four floors beneath the hotel, and guests will have free access once it’s open.

The black, white and champagne décor evokes classic Chanel style, but it’s the numerous facilities and staff that truly take the breath away: 17 futuristic treatment pods for sessions with naturopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, osteos, physios and spa therapists, a gym with a nifty trickster stationery bike, a nail studio, a Daniel Galvin Hair Salon, movie-star make-up room with a catalogue of 4,000 movies for hair-and-make-up style inspiration, a café serving light, healthy lunches, three steam rooms, two Finnish saunas, an ice fountain, a stainless-steel swimming pool, a vitality pool with air- and water-massage jets, and three heated Cleopatra beds beside a fire.

The spa’s pièce de résistance? A one-of-a-kind, custom-designed 14-person sunken amphitheatre sauna. I bet even Mr Big would gawp at that.

Corinthia Hotel (Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD; 020 7930 8181, www.corinthia.com) offers doubles from £450 per night (two sharing), room only.

See the article online here: www.tripideas.co.uk/posts/view/6322/London-Corinthia-spirit-is-here-to-stay