Last Updated on January 4, 2026
Take The M Train
Choosing our Restaurant of the Month always prompts a lively debate here at London Unattached Towers. We are looking for incredible cooking, innovative gastronomic or service concepts, a favourite chef setting up a new kitchen, or in the case of The Midland Grand Dining Room, a new opening in one of the city’s finest spaces. The reopening of the Victorian Gothic St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in King’s Cross in 2011 was a landmark moment in the regeneration of the area. Marcus Wareing’s The Gilbert Scott restaurant in the eastern wing of the building was named after the building’s architect and was an immediate hit. Both its interior design and menu, rooted in British culinary heritage, gained plaudits. The Gilbert Scott was the first London ‘railway’ restaurant to come near to the legendary status of Le Train Bleu in the Gare de Lyon or New York’s old-school Oyster Bar and Restaurant at Grand Central Station.
Fast forward to 2023 and the restaurant has now been reborn as The Midland Grand Dining Room with the name referencing the site’s original hotel. Allegra chef Patrick Powell has been put in charge of the kitchen and there is a refreshed interior design by Hugo Toro. The main entrance is something of a work in progress, there is no obvious signage and some unattractive metal fencing to protect outdoor seating, pots and greenery. I’m sure this will get sorted out in the not-too-distant future, but at the moment it is an eyesore.
To get to the restaurant you have to walk through the Gothic Bar. Staffed by glamorous young things of indeterminate gender, it holds the promise of decadence; but as is so often the case, the office-dressed customers didn’t live up to the billing.
Although the interior has been refitted, the integrity of the space has been honoured and it still has the feel of a grand dining room, even if it’s a bit Gotham City. The colour palette brings together mustard yellows and browns as compared to the reds and greens under Wareing’s regime. But there are gilt cornices, plush velvet cushions, banquettes and curtains, heavy dark wooden art deco style chairs and tables, mirrors and light fittings, and marble effect pillars to give some bling factor
With a few reasonably priced bottles to be found in the capacious wine list, we drank a creamy E.Guigal Cotes de Rhône Blanc with notes of apricot and honey coming from the Viognier grapes in the blend. (£40) The menu has some fun-sounding appetisers such as Comté gougères with pickled walnut and grilled octopus, pickled chilli and Gordal olive; there is also a ‘Salads Raw & Shellfish’ section with oysters, “The Grand” fruits de mer and the roasted hand dived scallop, champagne and caviar, a dish I first tried at The Waterside Inn where it had additional truffle shavings to make it even more ridiculously deluxe and expensive! But we went straight for the entrees. A scrumptious and gorgeously plated crab toast with elderflower sat in a rich, boozy shellfish sauce. It was a damn sight more decadent than anything going on in the Gothic Bar…
A potato and watercress velouté was deliciously smooth and peppery. A modest portion of trout tartare with some pickled veg on a sliver of toast came along for the ride with the soup. It felt surplus to requirements and was probably there to bump the price up.
Our side dishes were a crisp if over-salted house salad and a perfect hot, rich and cheesy potato dauphinoise that made me feel happy to be alive.
I’m a sucker for a soufflé, and today’s option of the day featured apricot with spiced ice cream on the side. It was light and fluffy with an insouciant quality and given a lift by the clean-tasting spiced ice cream.
Unlike many new openings, the staff at The Midland Grand Dining Room are properly trained and deliver professional-level service. Brexit has caused huge problems for restaurants and top-end employees places wanting to bring in the sort of people who used to flock to London to work from the EU now have to pay the government a surcharge to employ, for example, a young French sommelier. This leads to higher prices for us all and often poor service with students plugging the gaps. However, The Midland Grand Dining Room is bucking the trend towards informality within the higher echelons of the restaurant ecosystem. With a few niggles, the food is excellent and the room is already buzzing, so if you are looking for something a bit grander for a social or business outing, it should be on your radar.
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel,
Euston Road
King’s Cross
London, NW1 2AR
Other new restaurants that have caught our eye this month include
Riviera – The latest launch from the Zandi brothers’ Emerald Hospitality Group (Como Garden, Zuaya and El Norte) takes over the St James space previously occupied by Sake no Hana. Taking inspiration from the French Rivera hotspots Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Nice, and Antibes, Riviera is set to bring the South of France elegance and glamour straight to the heart of London. We will be reviewing Riviera very soon!
Riviera – 23 St James’s St, London SW1A 1HA.
Coco Canary Wharf – Coco is launching their third site in Canary Wharf following Coco Grill & Lounge in Tower Bridge and Coco Asia in Thurrock. With its alcohol-free offering, a menu that traverses Indian and Japanese cuisines, shisha pipes and perfect-for-Instagram décor, it is sure to attract a City crowd.
Coco Canary Wharf – West India Quay, 14 Hertsmere Rd, lsle of Dogs, E14 4AF
Noble Rot Mayfair – We loved Noble Rot, Soho, the restaurant that replaced the Gay Hussar, and have high hopes for their new Mayfair outpost in Shepherd Market. With Stephen Harris of The Sportsman as executive chef and the fabulous Noble Rot wine list, it should be a winning combo!
Noble Rot Mayfair – 5 Trebeck St, Shepherd Market, London W1J 7LT
We run a monthly Restaurant of the Month review, picking one venue we think you should all know about. Last month was Nessa in Soho,
definitely somewhere you should try. Other hot picks we’ve picked and reviewed include Jacuzzi and Bouchon Racine. If you know of a new opening in London we should be trying, do let us know!
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