Sunday Roast, the tradition that London does not abandon

Certainly it is true, and sad, that pubs turn out their lights: almost one per day closed in 2025 in England and Scotland. A figure, continued, that testifies that even in the English provinces certain traditions are fading. Yet at least the Sunday Roast, the typical Sunday lunch with the roast, potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire pudding always next to it, tends to endure and it is obvious that in restaurants that ride the best English cuisine (which is not shoddy, as the vulgate would have it, and certainly not coinciding with fish and chips, for another dish not bad if done properly) there is a tendency to perfect the offer. London, in this, is not only a bulwark but instead continually evolves and sharpens, indeed sharpens, the knives of gastronomic competition.

There are the super-classic restaurants where you can never go wrong and which I always recommend: Rules, Wiltons (especially for fish, its Dover Sole is timeless), The Guinea Grill (which boasts of cooking the best beef in England) or the pub much frequented by young people (even for dinner, not just beer, a pleasant surprise) The Devonshire, very close to Piccadilly Circus. But it is the hotel restaurants that hold surprises in store, not least because, in the whirlwind movement of chefs that has always characterised London, they are either future stars of the kitchen or acclaimed masters who come to the hotel (to name but a few: Heston Blumenthal, who has been at the Mandarin for some time after the triumphs of the Fat Duck, Mauro Colagreco now with two proposals at the spectacular Raffles London at the OWO).

It is impossible not to start with the wonderful intuition of a few years ago of the Pie Room at the Rosewood in Holborn. A beautiful hotel, deco taste but revisited, an excellent bar like Scarfes, a restaurant with typical dishes and the iconic Pie Room, dedicated to one of Britain's most solid culinary institutions: pies. Chef Nokz Majozi has just left the Pie Room after 11 years (she goes to Fallow, a must-try, already one of the coolest places in the capital) but her influence can obviously still be felt. In the Pie Room, and in the Holborn Dining Room restaurant, the creations, stuffed savoury pies (which can also be bought on the fly, thanks to a special counter on the street for take-away), or 'pies' as some still say, are a veritable treasure trove of taste. And the Sunday Roast is no less: here I would suggest having it served with a gin cocktail, as the Gin Bar, with over 300 labels for all tastes, allows for pairings to be explored. The luxury Rosewood chain has just opened another hotel in London that is already the best, sumptuous in every way, in the imposing former American embassy, The Chancery. For catering, however, they have set their sights on Japan and the Mediterranean.

There is also movement at The Beaumont, an Art Deco style hotel in Mayfair, a stone's throw from Selfridges, and it is no coincidence: it stands in the parking building that was built for the department store's customers. A hotel of great refinement (the artist Antony Gormley has created a stunning suite-work here, but Schiaparelli is no different), it has relaunched with investment and has just changed the kitchen with Rosi, a new chapter from chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen. Her task is to offer solidly traditional cuisine with injections of modernity. She has brought along Jozef Rogulski, with her at Game Bird (it was, with them, one of the best restaurants for game, for me) at Stafford. And here don't miss, in addition to the roast, the Chicken Kyiv, a Russian dish that was all the rage in the 1970s, truffle butter and mash excellent. The new room, redecorated in pastel colours and with frescoes by today's star Luke Edward Hall gives the ambience a refined old Mayfair elegance, befitting a hotel that has to live up to its narrative: a perfect (fictional) gentleman like Beaumont, who aspires only to the best. I'm on the right track. But if I had to put a pound on the next star I'd do it on the new head chef of The Grill at The Dorchester, Jacob Keen-Downs, who arrived in August under the supervision of gastronomic director Martyn Nail to revive the Grill, a piece of London dining history (if you want to overdo it, you still have Ducasse, three stars, at the hotel). Well, Jacob and his team - a practically perfect, discreet, punctual, friendly service - first brought me the perfect Beef Wellington (the only flaw: perhaps the portion is too large even for two), then he himself took me on a tour of the kitchens and cellar at the end of the evening with a verve and sympathy that really makes a big impression. One of the best breakfasts ever (how nice to find the Arnold Bennett omelette) for those who stay overnight in one of the best hotels in London since the 1930s, when it opened and was 'home' to aristocracy, business and show business stars. For us old-fashioned folk, then, there is already the collaboration in place with the prestigious jazz club Ronnie Scott's (after all, Cole Porter was at home at the Dorchester) which adds atmosphere to the Grill (vibrant, solemn yet secluded decor), while on Sundays, after the excellent Sunday Roast, a trolley with equally typical desserts arrives next door: banana split, baked Alaska ice cream, Sherry trifle. Last note: to prepare for dinner, choose Bar Vesper, which in addition to excellent cocktails (the menu is now inspired by the golden section) has a brilliant advertising claim: 'But first, a Martini'. Don't you already have an appetite? It's also Sunday...