Elysium Magazine continues its search for the luxury the discerning gent deserves in the city. Marketed as a luxury boutique hotel, Elysium Magazine visited The Arch Hotel in London. Read on to find out what we thought of our stay.

 

THE LOCATION

The Arch is conveniently located by Marble Arch underground station, perfect for a shop in Oxford Street. The location is also ideal to get the best out of London, visiting the sites, looking for a luxury restaurant or quaint bar in the midst of the hustle of the shoppers, nothing is far from The Arch.

 

THE ROOM

The Arch boasts 82 individually designed guest rooms which offer a luxurious stay combined with a host of extra features to ensure the perfect night’s sleep in the heart of busy London.

 

With all the luxury of a top hotel the guest rooms provide opulent fabrics, bespoke colour schemes and are filled with the latest technology including Sky HD TV, internet radio with more than 10,000 channels, CD/DVD player with an extensive library of Oscar winning films, iPod dock, free soft drinks, Jing tea and a Nespresso machine in every room!

 

 

The deluxe rooms are something of a treat at the hotel, its not uncommon to see families staying in these deceivingly large rooms, all equipped with the luxuries you need when you are at home. Some rooms also benefit from a separate study, just in case you want need some work time away from loved ones.

 

Impressed with the welcome at the Arch, we were interested in what was offered at its impressively decorated restaurant.

 

THE FOOD

HUNter 486 Brasserie is a glamorous bar and restaurant located with the Arch London. It is open all day offering guests and non-residents heavenly food and service in a casual, relaxed atmosphere.

 

Mirroring The Arch London’s boutique warm style, it takes its name from the 1950’s district dialling code for Marylebone. Classic glamour and timeless hospitality combine for an unforgettable eating and drinking experience.

 

 

The bar is stocked up well; the list of champagnes and wines available is impressive – covering most of the continent! The cocktails were a great start to the evening, the Ginger and Passion Fruit Mojito (£9) was made to perfection. While the cocktail menu is not as extensive as some London bars, they are made to order using the best ingredients on offer.

 

The range of food available at HUNter 486 Brasserie was ideal – perfect for the discerning gent looking for variety in the city. For starters we tried the Carpaccio of beef, aged parmesan and rocket salad (£11.50) which was bursting with flavour and looked visually stunning. Presented beautifully, it has us excited about what we could expect for our main.

 

For the mains we opted for the Strozzapreti pasta, tiger prawns, lemon and mint (£15.50) and the Grilled darne of Scottish salmon (£17.50). The pasta followed in the vain of the starter, carefully presented on the plate, the colours of the prawns blending with the lemon and mint garnish. The fresh ingredients brought out what the chef wanted us to discover – an adventurous palate is required to appreciate how the chef had put together such an impressive dish.

 

The salmon was, again, presented beautifully and the portion was plentiful. The salmon was grilled to perfection and tasted fresh, perfect with our side of new potatoes (£3.95). The waiter was keen to ensure he recommended only what we were looking for from the evening, continuously ensuring we were satisfied he sought feedback on the mains – the careful and attentive service can be amiss in London hotels, keen to rotate tables as quickly as possible. The service at HUNter 486 Brasserie matched the food, perfect.

 

 

The dessert menu looked as if it had been specifically made for us! It offered a good variety of our favourites, Cheesecake sundae, Lemon tart, Eton mess and ice creams to name a few. We opted for the Hot chocolate fondant with coconut ice cream (£6.95), which was a portion good enough for two. The fondant was warm enough to tuck into immediately and mix perfectly with the coconut ice cream. The use of coconut ice cream rather than traditional vanilla was interesting, and certainly didn’t take anything away from the chocolate fondant. A great treat to end the evening.

 

VERDICT

The Arch London lives up to its name of a luxury boutique hotel in London with a perfect location and setting. The staff at reception, concierge and the restaurant are focused on ensuring your stay is perfect and memorable. The artwork on display throughout the hotel is distinctive and provides a great theme for the stay. It is of no surprise that a number of celebrities use the hotel when in London to work – a nice home away from home in the centre of it all which the discerning gent would certainly approve of.

 

Rooms: 4/5

Location: 5/5

Dining: 4.5/5

 

 

THE DETAILS

 

The Arch London
50 Great Cumberland Place
Marble Arch, London W1H 7FD

T: +44 (0)207 724 4700 (hotel)
F: +44 (0)207 724 4744
T: +44 (0)207 724 0486 (HUNter 486 restaurant and bar)

General Enquiries – info@thearchlondon.com

Reservations – reservations@thearchlondon.com