Kit Kemp – who, with her husband Tim, owns Firmdale Hotels – has created some of London’s best contemporary hotel interiors. They may sometimes seem a touch self-indulgent, but they are often witty: beautiful even. (Her decoration of a ballroom-style chamber at the new Haymarket Hotel – now one of the most elegant rooms in the heart of the West End – is a case in point.)
The Italian food on our visit, however, was consistently enjoyable, and certainly better than the dreary Firmdale norm. But that’s not to say it was necessarily good enough for the group’s typically elevated prices. With bills boosted by wines tending uncomfortably towards the tenner-a-time mark – yes, that is by the glass – even a pasta-based meal could easily set you back £40/head. If you include some serious protein, spending twice that would take no real effort. Problem is, for that sort of dosh, why on earth would you choose to come here?
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