London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
Central London: Westminster, Victoria and Pimlico
Quilon, London SW1
Restaurant, bar (Taj Hotels)
41 Buckingham Gate SW1E 6AF
T 020 7821 1899 w www.quilon.co.uk f TheQuilon tw TheQuilon
Open 1200 (1230 Sat-Sun)-1430 (1500 Sat-Sun), 1730-2300 (2230 Sun). Children welcome if dining.
Cask beer None, Other beer 20+ bottles (GB, international, vintage), Also 180+ wines, 60 whiskies, specialist spirits and cocktails.
Food Michelin starred south Indian, Wifi. Disabled toilet in adjoining hotel.
As the birthplace of the gastropub, London has plenty of pubs with strengths in both kitchen and cellar, but if you want to enjoy top notch cooking and service in the more formal surrounds of one of the capital’s excellent restaurants, the general rule is great wine and rubbish beer. Almost alone among honourable exceptions is Quilon, opened in 1999 as part of Indian-owned luxury hotel 51 Buckingham Gate. Chef Sriram Aylur’s food is rooted in coastal southwest Indian cooking but with a contemporary twist, featuring an array of fresh ingredients and light and interesting flavours, including plenty of vegetarian options. And though oenophiles won’t be disappointed, beer fans will be delighted to find that fine beer, and not just bland British-brewed but Indian-branded lager, is promoted as a preferred match to this delightful cuisine.
Choices include Anchor Liberty Ale, Brewsters Pale, Camden Town Hells, Pietra from Corsica, Sam Smith’s rarely seen Yorkshire Stingo, Sharp’s Chalky’s Bark, Williams Brothers Ceilidh Lager and several examples of aged Fuller’s Vintage Ale. There’s even a five or eight course tasting menu matching beers to such delicacies as lotus stem chop, grilled scallops with mango and chilli, cauliflower fry with yoghurt, lamb biryani and coconut with asparagus and snow peas. Prices for dinners and tasting menus are pitched at luxury levels and you’ll inevitably pay a premium on the beer, but the set lunches are some of the best bargains in London given the quality on offer.
National Rail Victoria Underground St James’s Park, Victoria Cycling LCN+ 38, link to NCN4, LCN+ 6A 50 Walking Link to Jubilee Greenway, Jubilee Walkway
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