Lunch at The Rembrandt

The mere mention that I am having lunch at The Rembrandt in Knightsbridge brings gasps of excitement and jeers of disbelief. It’s not everyday that you dine in the Knightsbridge area, so I made every chance to boast about it!

Home to Harrods and resident restaurants such as Zuma, Petrus and Ottolenghi, it is not uncommon for students to have the ‘Look, Don’t Touch’ view on eating in Knightsbridge, apart from say, Wagamama and Yo! Sushi along Brompton Road. Well, fear not, The Rembrandt answers to the problem of having a decent lunch without jeopardizing the meagre student bank balance.

Located on the doorstep of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the hotel prides itself on its Edwardian style architecture and furnishings, in particular the 1606 lounge in which guests, like me, are able to have their G&T before being served in The Palette Restaurant. Of course, there’s plenty more than just gin and tonic on the menu.

The Rembrandt has the answer to any Imperial College student’s needs with a special evening function package, prices from £30.00 per person

Lunch here is a relaxed affair and can be served as a three-course carvery, in which guests first help themselves to an overflowing counter of platters that include salmon terrine and various cured meats as well as countless vegetarian options with grilled aubergines taking my fancy, and other vegetable salads. There are usually two meats available for the carvery on the day, with tender roast beef and a very brilliant pink gammon steak on the day that I visited. The best thing is that what you choose to put on the side of your mains is entirely up to you, portion-wise and selection-wise: and with that thought in mind I loaded three Yorkshire puddings, slithers of grilled salmon, spinach in the most brilliant form unlike the normal boiled greens I frequently find myself eating… and a dozen more sides I could bore you to death with the mundane details of. As for the best course of the meal, that is, if you aren’t bursting at the seams from the two previous ones, is a choice of dessert cakes and other miniature fancies.

On quieter days, lunch is the more conventional 3 course set menu, with an impressive array of choices that changes with seasonal produce. Lunch and dinner is priced at £24.95 including service charge, a steal when you could think about Zuma along the road charging £18.90 for one prawn. I exaggerate not.

The Rembrandt also serves as a brilliant choice for evening functions with its location being just five minutes walk from the South Kensington campus and tube station as well as its superb dining facilities. Whether it is simply a drinks reception, Christmas dinner for the residence halls, or an annual sports club function – The Rembrandt has an answer to any Imperial College student’s needs with a special evening function package, prices from £30.00 per person.