Last Updated on September 12, 2024
Rooftop style in Central London
On Piccadilly since 1908, the grand The Dilly Hotel is in prime territory for exploring London, with the hotel mere minutes away from bustling Soho, shopping on Regent Street, or a stroll through Green Park. For many guests, The Dilly’s excellent location along with its imposing façade and swish interior make it a perfect choice for a stay in the capital. But the hotel has more to offer guests, such as the stylish Terrace at The Dilly restaurant, which I was excited to visit for the summer launch of the outdoor Secret Garden, as well as returning to review the full dinner menu. Now with the addition of the intimate Secret Garden – perfect for sipping a cocktail whilst watching shoppers and Routemaster buses sail by – Terrace is open all year round under an impressive slanted glass roof and silver arches.
Arriving at Terrace one is instantly impressed with a unique venue that makes excellent use of space with a large bar area on the left by the entrance, with plenty of tables for indoor dining which enjoy the rays of evening summer sun under the glass roof. Outside, the Secret Garden has space for around 6 tables along the terrace. With fellow diners already sipping cocktails and tucking into the locally sourced menu, we were keen to join outdoors for the full Terrace at The Dilly experience.
First up we enjoyed two cocktails from the classic cocktail menu. The Boulevardier with Hennessy V.S, sweet vermouth, Campari and Orange Bitter, was intense and refreshing. Dilly’s Pisco Sour with Kaffir lime infused pisco, lime juice, Gomme syrup, egg white and Peychaud’s bitters, was an excellent rendition of the popular South American cocktail and was light and airy.
For the first course, we were intrigued to try the pan-roasted scallop with charred baby leek, black pudding croquet, apple and wholegrain mustard. The salty black pudding croquette provided an excellent contrast with the large, flavourful scallops and this is certainly a recommended selection from the starter’s section of the menu.
On to the mains, and we were licking our lips in anticipation of the roast belly of pork with purple sprouting broccoli, mash, cider sauce, bacon jam and cracking. The crunchy crackling was served in the same style as a prawn cracker making for an impressive presentation, and the pork itself was tender and flavourful. Also from the mains menu, we ordered the Dilly steak burger with toasted brioche, celeriac remoulade, burger relish, mustard pickles and fries. The burger patty was thick and rich, and we especially enjoyed the homemade pickles with their excellent mustard sauce.
For dessert, the expertise of The Dilly with its popular afternoon teas shone through. The sticky toffee pudding was done just right – kept simple, warm and gooey, and with a very well-balanced toffee sauce. The dark chocolate fondant is worth ordering for its accompanying chocolate and blood orange ice cream, with small chunks of blood orange peel adding a satisfying additional intensity of citrus to each spoonful. Terrace at The Dilly also offers an impressive range of teas for after dinner, such as the sweet goji berry tea which we sipped as we watched the sun go down over central London.
Offering a superb location for exploring London, The Dilly has much to offer its guests on the Terrace which is an ambient and impressive location to enjoy a drink before exploring all that London has to offer, or for a full meal to relax after a long day of sightseeing,
21 Piccadilly
London
W1J 0BH
02077348000
Looking for something different? We also recommend Americana on Haymarket, a few minutes’ walk away
Leave a Reply