Review: Chiltern Firehouse, Marylebone
Style Points: £££
Price: £££
Overall: 5/5
A booking at Chiltern Firehouse is an enviable thing, especially if its for dinner. When I finally managed to secure myself a table I could’t help but boast.
Located on one of the fashionable side streets in Marylebone, you can tell you’ve arrived at Chiltern Firehouse when you are greeted by twinkling fairy lights and a passage through the twinkling courtyard into the restaurant.
The converted firehouse is made up of a few different spaces and it took us a few wrong turns until we found the dining room hidden behind a thick velvet curtain.
Would I Want Seconds?
We started our evening at Chiltern Firehouse by ordering drinks at the bar whilst our table was prepared and ordered cocktails including the house special of Fireman’s Drill and Menage a Poire.
Once seated our delightful waitress introduced herself to us, asked about allergies and gave some genuinely useful recommendations. This cheery attitude was shared by the rest of the staff, all of whom were willing to converse and make a joke or two.
Following our knowledgable waitress recommendations, we ordered starters which consisted of crab stuffed doughnuts with coral dusting and Galician octopus with aubergine, daikon and mushrooms. The doughnuts in particular were magnificent bitesized versions of bliss! After this we couldn’t wait for our main courses.
I ordered the maple glazed salmon lovage with, barbecued kohlrabi and we also tired the venison loin. Both dishes were beautifully cooked and presented, exactly what we had expected from a restaurant with the reputation Chiltern Firehouse has. We also added a side portion of French fires and maple-bourbon sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes arrived as a mash which was extremely sweet, to the extent that I actually couldn’t eat it all, especially with my savoury main course.
I got over the disappointment of an overly sweet side dish once our dessert arrived. I tried the Milk and Honey, the name of which conjured up memories childhood where warm milk and honey was served up on toasty winter nights. The desserts of composed of meringues, ice cream and condensed milk. It was certainly a cosy and delicious dessert. We also tried the roasted pear dessert with raspberry sorbet, which was a fresh and tangy alternative to the soothing Milk and Honey dessert.
Could I Afford Seconds?
Dining at Chiltern Firehouse is always a special occasion, even when there isn’t anything in particular to celebrate. As a result we were somewhat unconstrained with our ordering, as this wasn’t the right setting to be frugal! This meant that dinner for 2 with drinks came up to about £200. We expected this and were prepared to pay the price for for the privilege of dining at Chiltern Firehouse and for such a stunning meal.
Overall?
I loved dining at Chiltern Firehouse! The food was delicious and the venue is stunning. However the thing I enjoyed most was the extremely friendly staff we came across. They all seemed genuinely happy to have us there and to be working there themselves, and this kind of enthusiasm is infectious.
Vist the Chiltern Firehouse website
Tube Station: Marylebone
Address: 1 Chiltern St, London W1U 7PA
