About Time: You Romanced Under the Fairy Lights at Dalloway TerraceBy Angelica Malin
There is nothing more magical than the sparkle of winter. The festive spirit coats the city like a glove, and everything is that little bit more glittering, enticing and fantastical. People are nicer, hot chocolates are fancier, the city streets are prettier – I simply love winter, and everything it represents. And one of my favourite things about winter is discovering new hotspots every year, to sip mulled wine and romance under a fairy-lit tree. This year, my latest obsession is Dalloway Terrace – a beautiful outdoor, terraced restaurant in Bloomsbury, which has been transformed for the festive period, complete with fairy lights, white trees, sheepskin rugs and hot water bottles. I think it’s going to be your new favourite place to enjoy December in the capital in style – and here’s why:
Dalloway Terrace: The Lowdown
You’re in for a real treat. This Christmas, Bloomsbury’s enchanting Dalloway Terrace has been transformed into a magical winter wonderland – the perfect heated hideaway with hot chocolate cocktails, cheese fondue, festive films and a hearty menu of winter delights. Dalloway Terrace is part of The Bloomsbury Hotel – a Grade II listed neo-Georgian building, which is full of class and charm. You’ve never seen anything so beautiful; the terrace has been transformed by master florists Wild at Heart by Nikki Tibbles with snow-covered, Narnia-like foliage. There’s complimentary hot water bottles and shots of Génépi liqueur on the heated terrace to guarantee the perfect cosy evening.
Dalloway Terrace: The Film Club
Fancy something different? Well, every Saturday night, the heated terrace plays host to the Dalloway Film Club, in conjunction with The Nomad Cinema, showcasing an array of classic movies through wireless headphones and a 30-foot screen. Make a night of it – a selection of dishes can be ordered from the Dalloway Film Club Menu, paired with bespoke cocktails inspired by the film being shown, and you’re invited to curl up beneath Foxford and Sheep Skin blankets to keep out the cold. Glorious.
Dalloway Terrace: The Food
The food. Oh boy, the food. I absolutely love the food at Dalloway Terrace; we started with the smoked salmon with Guinness brown bread (a must-try, the bread is out-of-this-world) and their new, special cheese fondue. As part of the winter terrace, the restaurant is embracing the Alpine spirit with a range of savoury and sweet fondue in collaboration with La Fromagerie. It’s such a lovely, wintery style of eating – we enjoyed the Classic Swiss fondue, which is absolutely delicious, served with sourdough and pickled root vegetables. The fondue is spot on – the perfect size as a starter, totally delicious, with a fun, playful element. If you’re a chocolate lover, you must try the sweet fondue – white chocolate fondue with clementines, strawberries and banana – for a real winter treat.
For main course, we enjoyed some real hearty, delicious dishes. The miso cod with quinoa is beautifully balanced, with a lovely texture, and the warm winter vegetable salad is a real winner. The salad is a mixture of baby carrots, kale, roasted chicory and balsamic glaze – a hearty, full-bodied salad, perfect for winter.
They’ve also got some new limited edition winter specials by Head Chef Peter Del Campo, including Jerusalem artichoke soup with girolles and black truffle, East Sussex game pie with sweet potato and roquefort and Balmoral Estate venison loin with baby beetroot, organic lentils and basil. Dreamy.
Dalloway Terrace: The Drinks
The meal ends on a real high, with Dalloway Terrace’s special hot chocolate cocktail menu. The hot chocolate cocktail menu has been created by the internationally renowned chocolatier Maison Pierre Marcolini – you must try it. Choose from Raisin the Bar with spiced rum, lbv port, Black Forest with gin, vermouth and cherry heering and Gingerbread Choc with cinnamon liqueur, ginger liqueur and lapsang syrup. I tried the Raisin the Bar with spiced rum, and totally loved it – a rum-spiked hot chocolate, served with homemade gingerbread man and soft marshmallow, what more could a girl want? There’s also some limited edition winter cocktails, including a Spiced Old Fashioned and mulled wine, which are the perfect thing to sip under a fluffy blanket.
Dalloway Terrace: Our Verdict
Honestly, I couldn’t have loved Dalloway Terrace more; the cheese fondue is delicious, the setting is stunning, the hot chocolate cocktails are heavenly and the vibe is just so, very romantic. This is one place you can’t miss this December in London – make this the top of your list for winter hideouts, and you can thank me later.
Dalloway Terrace is at 16-22 Great Russell St, Fitzrovia, London WC1B 3NN – for more information and to book, see here.
