Lunch @ The Wallace

Without tooting my own horn too much, I think I'm great a planning surprises. Whether I'm good at keeping them a surprise, however, is a different story! I recently made a discovery hidden in the chaos behind Bond Street. The Wallace Collection is a free museum with permanent exhibitions of paintings and artefacts dating all the way back to the 1400s. If you're an art lover, you'll enjoy getting lost in the several damask lined rooms before sitting in the glass roof topped courtyard to indulge in French cuisine.

The Wallace Restaurant takes bookings to dine in their brasserie. While there was the option of afternoon tea, I decided to opt for pretty much every seafood dish! The house crab salad was so good that I refused to share it and by no means a dainty starter. The pan roasted lemon sole grenobloise was zesty perfection and the sweet potatoes. The salmon turned out to be simply done perched on a bed of greens and kale pesto. Despite the busy lunch hours, the restaurant felt quite serene. For a very appetising meal for two (plus green tea and a flat white!) the bill was around £50. As somebody who has paid an unspeakable amount for fine dining, I can safely say that this was a great experience because I got to enjoy food and art all at once.

Now, I don't know about you but I would choose the opulence of a museum over a fancy five star hotel any day!

The Wallace Restaurant information
Address: The Wallace Restaurant; The Wallace Collection ; Hertford House; Manchester Square ; London; W1U 3BN
Telephone: 020 7563 9505
Closest station: Bond Street
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