Hotel Review: Montcalm Hotel Nikko

the UK Dining Guide

Clifford Mould recommends The Montcalm Nikko Hotel, a step away from Speaker's Corner

I was so impressed when I last reviewed The Crescent Restaurant at The Montcalm for Dine Online last March that I arranged a special dinner there for my Wine Club. The unaminous verdict of all thirty five members present was that the then chef Peter Robinson's cuisine was outstanding and furthermore, that you get excellent value for money. As I knew that I would be pretty tired after hosting the dinner, we decided to stay the night afterwards so as to put the Hotel itself to the test.

We stayed in a small but well appointed room with all the luxuries one has come to expect of hotels with international reputations. There's 24 hour room service, private faxes, voicemail and satellite TV. Our room probably looked smaller than it is because the bed is so huge and comfortable. It is also very quiet, indeed it is hard to believe that you are only a hundred metres or so from Marble Arch and all the traffic thundering into Park Lane. The Montcalm is located in a delightful crescent in Great Cumberland place. Thus the corridors and many of the internal walls have a gentle curve to them, adding even more to the delight of the decorative features of the original Georgian terrace.

I sneaked a look at some of the larger rooms after breakfast. There are some very cleverly arranged duplex suites which have utilised the original high ceilings to have a sitting room on the first level with an elegant spiral staircase leading to the bedroom suite above. This arrangement is very popular with visiting business people who need to hold meetings, interviews or who require private dining, left.

Talking of breakfast, we were overwhelmed by the choice starting with so-called Continental breakfast for £13.00. As you'd expect from the price, this is not just coffee and a croissant, but a terrific assortment of fruits, cheese and cold meats, pastries and cereals. Then there's English breakfast at £17.95 with all the traditional fries and grills including Mr Cowman's homemade sausages as well as smoked salmon and scrambled egg, Finnan haddock or kippers. For £19.95 you can tuck into a full Japanese breakfast, and I saw some Japanese guests tackling a range of beautifully presented bowls with grilled fish, miso soup, braised vegetables and rice. If you do only want coffee and a piece of toast you may have to do some hard bargaining with the waiter, as there do not appear to be any half measures in the Crescent dining room.

Having said that, the staff are charming and could not be more helpful. They will park your car for you in the hotel car park - there is another park across the street if theirs gets full. If you want a really elegant Hotel in the centre of the West End with all the luxuries but none of the impersonal atmosphere of a very large hotel, then I can promise that you will enjoy your stay at The Montcalm.

Please also read Clifford Mould's May 1999 review of the Crescent Restaurant at the
Montcalm Hotel Nikko, Great Cumberland Place, London W1A 2LF
Tel: 020 7402 4288 Fax: 020 7724 9180

Single rooms from £205, doubles from £225

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