The Ampersand Hotel - London

Dining information

Restaurant:

There’s been a bit of a buzz around Apero, the Ampersand’s basement restaurant and bar. Looks-wise, Apero continues London’s love-in with NY: industrial light fittings, polished tiles, exposed brick, dark leather seating and wooden tables. The dining concept is more Mediterranean: a menu that leapfrogs from one small plate to another, rather than a stolid three-course approach. Waiters nudge guests in the direction of around five or six plates between two, but choose wisely, or some rather odd combinations could arrive at your table all at once: smoked cod roe on little toasts, plaice goujons with avocado mayonnaise, and a rich, creamy seafood pasta, for example. Head chef Saverio Murano is an affable chap: tell him what you liked if you see him.

Top Table:

Sit at one of the big round tables right by the window in the pretty tea parlour, so you can spy on London life. In Apero, take a curtained basement booth and watch a procession of legs pass the poppy-red pillar box.

Last Orders:

The barmen will keep you from thirst until midnight Monday to Saturday, and 11pm on Sundays. The restaurant stops plating up at around 10.30pm.

Room Service:

Available until 10pm, room service includes items from Apero’s menu during the restaurant’s opening hours; after that, there’s a smaller selection of sandwiches, salads and snacks.

Hotel Bar:

At Apero’s glittering bar, friendly barmen mix cocktails swimming with giant hunks of ice (for slower melting) and equally tasty mocktails. The drinks menu is inspired by the nearby V&A and its artists, as well as European philosophers and their Grand Tours. We recommend the vodka-spiked and jasmine-infused Eastern Dawn or the Picasso-inspired Saint Suzanne.