Lanes of London

Great service right here by Jack, David, and Davide. They are the best and the drinks are great!

I revisited Lanes to get a taste of their festive afternoon tea just before Christmas as part of a Living Social deal. As we took our seats we were presented with a tea menu as well as being asked if there were any allergies or dislikes. I’ve noticed that this has started to become more and more common which is a really nice touch and the waitress was more than happy to swap out one of the ham sandwiches for a second salmon one instead.
First of all we were given a gin based cocktail to share between us served in a cast iron teapot which was much heavier than it looked. I can’t remember what else was in it but it was delicious and an unexpected bonus as the voucher hadn’t mentioned anything about it being included.
The sandwiches were served to us first on a wooden board each and were mostly the usual standard afternoon tea fare; cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese and egg mayo but there was also a delicious hot honey-​glazed ham and melted cheese on a poppy seed bun which particularly stood out to me.
When we were about half way through however the rest of the tea arrived on a traditional three tiered stand holding the warm scones and desserts. There was also the added bonus of a couple of slices of stollen which was something I’d never had before. It wasn’t bad to be honest, the best way I can describe it was very festive tasting and it clearly had several different spices mixed through it. I didn’t finish it though as I wanted to save myself for the sweets of course! Visually these desserts were very appealing but it was disappointing to see that there wasn’t two of everything.
The best sweet treat was the super cute macaroon snowman. Looking at the menu this was supposed to be passionfruit and white chocolate but those are two of my favourite flavours and neither of them stood out to me (apart from the white chocolate that is the snowmans head of course) definitely style over substance. We were also of course served scones but for some reason I didn’t take a picture of them. They were OK, nothing particularly memorable though.

We had found this place on a Travelzoo deal for afternoon tea. This place was lovely and did not disappoint. We started with a tea cocktail. I am still not sure what was in it but know it was delicious. Next came the finger sandwiches and our selected tea– a white needle tea and rose bud tea, all very refreshing. Then came the sweets. Macaron made as snowmen, brownie Christmas trees, crime pots, scones, and a marzipan gift package. We actually could not finish it all, took it home and didn’t even need dinner that night. The location, atmosphere, and staff were all charming.

I came here for a rooftop lunch and the views were amazing, the food was amazing, the company was amazing. Got to try a lot of the main dishes which was great and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves that we’ve been back twice now and each time the food has been amazing.

As far as hotel restaurants go, this one is as good as it gets.
The menu is a little confused, but it makes more sense if you realize they’re talking about the literal lanes of London. It takes inspiration from all the ethnic dishes London claims as their own, from Indian, to Spanish, from Thai to classic British food.
It’s all served tapas style, so an especially great place if you’re a group with picky eaters, or are like me and always indecisive on the menu. It’s reasonably priced, so try a little of everything.
Never been to brunch, but have looked at the menu each time I’ve been and it looks great.

If you value your taste buds and dining experience at all, do not order the Urban Rajah tiffin board. On the menu, it sounds delicious, and reading it is what pulled my family and me into Lanes of London in the first place. Do not fall victim to the menu description! It is extremely misleading.
The vegetable pakoras described are simply fried pieces of cottage cheese (paneer) — completely tasteless. The shami kebabs, which are almost always made of beef, were made of lamb (not advertised) — extremely gamey-​tasting and not what we wanted at all. The worst part was the whitebait fish — it ended up being the focal point of the dish (again, not as advertised). It came in a bucket, not skinned, with the eyes still in fish, very lightly fried in some sort of batter. It was completely inedible. The entire dish was extremely off-​putting, and the only parts I could eat were the patties of potatoes and peas. Not what we had in mind at all. When we expressed our complaints to the wait staff, they had simply nothing to say.
On the other hand, my sister loved the butter chicken, so I’d say if you must go to this restaurant, stick with the basics and stay far far away from the Urban Rajah tiffin board.

I came here to enjoy one of my favorite British traditions, afternoon tea. For November and December, they only offer their Christmas tea menu, not the standard tea service.
I had a confirmed reservation, which they could not find, but was seated quickly.
The staff were super nice, but not always attentive. They asked me (and the adjacent table) about any allergies or dietary preferences, which was great. I told thm I don’t eat ham, so they said they’d bring me something else.
My team came quickly in a nice glass pot, along with an eggnog mousse with mincemeat spices.
Next came the tray… Couple of mistakes. First, they brought me the tray for the couple (double the food), and then they realized it and brought me my single tray… But it had a ham sandwich as one of the four. When I realized it, the server was super nice and apologetic. He had written it down, but the kitchen hadn’t followed through. He told me he’d bring another plate of sandwiches, but to feel free to keep the one I had in the interim. I figured he’d bring me one sandwich to replace the ham. I was shocked when 10 minutes later, he appears with a plate with 8 finger sandwiches (enough for two people)!!!
The Christmas sandwiches are: egg salad, cucumber/​cream cheese/​mint, smoked salmon and ham/​cheese (I got a substitute red pepper one that was delish!)
The scones level had two: one plain and one raisin. There was ample clotted cream and fresh strawberry preserves.
The top level had a Yule log, a mini gingerbread «house» and a large macaron.
Everything was delicious and I couldn’t finish it all.
The service was always friendly, but not necessarily attentive. My tea was never refilled (in fact, it was just cleared when I finished the pot). My original severs left (shift over?) but I was never handed off to the next shift. I had to ask twice for the bill.

Came here for a fancy afternoon tea with champagne a Wednesday afternoon (of course). The service was varied, some of the staff was very nice whilst another was looking forward to go home.
They had a nice selection of teas and offered white tea (my new favorite) in beautiful glass pots. They also refilled them with hot water as soon as they saw the tea was running low.
Their selection of sandwiches, scones and pastries was all very delicious and high quality. Unfortunately, as I have a nut allergy didn’t get a selection as nice as my friend. For instance my alternative for the super nice looking macaroon was: the butter cream from the macaroon without the biscuit shells. You could expect a bit more fantasy than that? And instead of the three layered pistachio and chocolate cake I got a dry piece of some kind of sponge cake with licorice and ginger. But other than that it was a satisfying experience. The portions was generous and the setting was modern but still homey.
If I ever decide to pretend to be rich again I would like to go back there, but without a nut allergy.

I luckily snagged a spot at the Unilocal Lanes of London brunch event held on one sunny Saturday mid-​morning. I don’t usually go out for brunch or have them at hotels on Park Lane so I was curious to try this event out.
After a whole week of eating out for dinner, I was really looking forward to some healthier food. Luckily, Lanes of London had a decent proportion of healthy stuff on their menu.
After we settled into our table, we were greeted with Mimosas to welcome us as we pored over their extensive brunch menu. I politely declined as I was trying to be ‘healthy’ so I just had a freshly squeezed orange juice instead.
I finally settled on a Foreman’s smoked salmon with scrambled eggs instead of their Signature Ham Hock Hash.
I very quickly got food envy for those who ordered the Ham Hock Hash as it looked absolutely delicious. Luckily, someone offered me a taste of theirs, and it was absolutely delicious. However, my order was also really good.
I also indulged in their freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice which was really refreshing. My tip of the day would be to mix two flavours of freshly squeezed juice and order their Ham Hock Hash.
Overall, the experience was really pleasant. Bonus points that Hyde park is just around the corner.

The menu at Lanes of London inside the Marriott hotel is divided into 4 ‘lanes’ representing Vietnamese, Indian, Lebanese and British cuisine.
We ordered the following:
Soft shell crab with apple salad x2
Butter Chicken (Brick Lane)
Beef Brisket Sliders (Portobello Road)
Lamb Cutlets
Chocolate Torte
Pimms Trifle
First to arrive were the two portions of soft shell crab. This dish was totally bland, dry and lacked any seasoning. Midway through the dish I was astonished to hear my dining companion comment that there are walnuts in this salad! I have a nut allergy! The menu had no indication of any dishes containing nuts.
Upon consulting the server it was confirmed that there were indeed walnuts in the soft shell crab apple salad. She then checked the rest of our order and advised that the butter chicken also contained nuts in the marinade but all the other dishes were nut free. Since I could not have the butter chicken I was offered the choice of another dish from the menu so selected the confit duck hash.
The butter chicken is apparently made using the chef’s grandfather’s recipe and supposedly a star dish, however my dining companion was unimpressed and did not find it anything spectacular.
Next to be served were the beef brisket sliders with bone marrow. This was the only dish that was noteworthy, the beef was soft and full of flavour.
The final mains to arrive were the lamb cutlets, this was chosen by my dining companion. I was curious to find out what the green substance the lamb cutlets were served with so referred to a copy of the menu. To my surprise it was mint pesto! Had I not checked the menu myself or been aware that pesto is made from pine nuts, I would have yet again consumed a dish containing nuts at Lanes of London! This was despite the server telling us that all the other dishes we had ordered were free of nuts!
We dined at Lanes of London on a Saturday evening, the restaurant was not busy. I doubt that Lanes of London will continue to trade for long, the concept does not work at all. I would rather go to Shoreditch or South London for better Vietnamese, Whitechapel or Southall for Indian (not Brick Lane) and Westbourne Grove for Lebanese.
What I would say is that Lanes of London would suit visitors to London with very limited time who want to sample a version of British, Vietnamese, Indian and Lebanese cuisine in one meal. Otherwise they could just hail a taxi to dine in the above mentioned areas for more authentic meals.
Diners need to beware of food allergies and not rely too much on information given by the servers.