While the newly launched Principal London hotel has been dazzling guests and visitors alike this spring, summer brings us one more reason to get excited – Neptune, the hotel’s restaurant, is now open. It’s the creation of the ice-cool proprietors of east London raw seafood destination The Richmond, which was the haunt of many a Millennial A-lister over the last few years.
Taking its lead from Principal’s combination of carefully preserved original features and eclectic design touches, the dining space is classic and relaxed, furnished with a playful variety of fabrics and woods against Instagram-friendly peach-coloured walls and an array of indoor plants. Diners who want to experience the Neptune aesthetic at its purest should book the private dining space, above which hangs a peach-coloured mirror ball.
The seafood platter for two includes trout tartare with dill and crème fraiche, wild mussels with saffron soffrito and Wild Rock oyster aguachile. The menu definitely leans towards the ocean – but there’s also a wood-fired grill for four cuts of steaks, from sirloin to porter.
The menu offers a choice of Kumamoto, Wild Blackwater and Morecambe Bay oysters. In a departure from the London-wide norm, caviar is served on home-made waffles with chives and Jersey cream – definitely a twist worth trying.
All pictures by Sebastian Boettcher
