And it’s already a scene
St Clement is Soho House founder Nick Jones’s first project since stepping down from the global members’ club he built. Located just by Temple station on the Strand, it’s a 90-bedroom hotel currently in its soft-launch phase, with a pool, spa, gym and Florence Knight’s rooftop restaurant all set to open in September.
For now, the focus is Café Clement, the ground-floor restaurant Jones has opened with ex-River Café head chef Danny Bohan. There’s terrace seating out front, a garden at the back, and a glossy, glitzy dining room inside. As predicted, it’s already one of the hottest tables in town, with everyone from Stanley Tucci to Natalie Imbruglia and Angela Hartnett spotted dropping in.
Eat This
It’s open from 7am right through to 11pm every day, so it really is an all-day spot. We went for dinner on a heatwave evening and sat out on the front terrace watching the children of Russian oligarchs being dropped off for dinner in big range rovers, which was pretty entertaining as people watching goes.
The menu spans pastas and salads to grilled meats and fish. Highlights for us included the zucchini fritters and the parmesan custard with caviar from the snacks menu. The open lobster omelette was one of the dishes of the night, as was the turbot fillet with salsa verde and the delightfully retro crinkle fries. We also had a lovely tomato salad and a pasta dish of tagliarini with slow-cooked veal ragu.
Desserts didn’t quite hit the same heights – a cherry brown butter tart wasn’t as good as it sounded, but the baked peaches were a nice summery finish on a hot evening.
Drink This
Start with a glass of the English fizz ‘Rock Story’ from Sugrue in Sussex. We also had a classic Provence rose from Chateau la Coste, and the ‘Theia’ muscadet from J Bretaudeau.
Why Go
This is a hot new opening arriving on a wave of hype. If Soho House never exactly had a great reputation for food, Jones is looking to put that right with Cafe Clement – super delicious and fun vibes to boot. We can’t wait to come back for breakfast, Sunday roast and that rooftop come September.
Useful Information
Location | 12 Temple Place, London, WC2R 2NF
Website | stclement.co.uk
