Fortnum and Mason - The Restaurants

Welcome back to Access London, thank you once again for your continued support for disability access and awareness in London.

Today's post is on the world famous and iconic London store - Fortnum and Mason. With a history dating back to the early 1700s and Royal Warrants being awarded over the last 150 years, Fortnum and Mason is certainly one of London's most recognised and oldest stores. Located on Piccadilly, almost opposite the Royal Academy of Arts, it is in a prime location. Its rear entrance is located on another prestigious London street - Jermyn Street.

Piccadilly has very wide pavements and pedestrian crossings making it an easy road in which to access Fortnums. Once inside, you are greeted with traditional British decor. Fortnums is famous for its food hampers and also their beautiful Christmas and other seasonal displays and products. There are several lifts within the store. If entering from the main Piccadilly entrance, the lift to the far left is the largest to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

Fortnums has several restaurants, and a wine bar. Apart from The Gallery, which is not advisable for those in a wheelchair, all of Fortnums other famous dining areas are accessible to those with disabilities.

The Wine Bar is located in the basement and can be accessed by a lift.

To dine at any of the other restaurants I would highly recommend ringing ahead and booking, especially if you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter so that arrangements can be made for you.

St James's Restaurant
This is located on the fourth floor of the store and is probably the most famous of Fortnum's restaurants, offering a more formal dining experience. The restaurant serves lunch Monday-Saturday between 12noon and 2pm and Sunday roast on Sundays from 12 noon to 2.30pm. It also serves Afternoon Tea and High Tea between 12noon and 6.30pm Monday-Saturday. There is a more formal dress code for this particular restaurant. You can also enjoy the sounds of the house pianist most afternoons. There is plenty of space in St James's to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility scooters. For details on pricing, menus and to make a reservation, please call 0845 602 5694.



The Parlour Restaurant
This restaurant is located on the first floor of the store and overlooks Piccadilly. It is open from 10am to 7.30pm Monday-Saturday and 12noon to 5.30pm on a Sunday and Bank Holidays. This is the place to truly indulge your sweet tooth. The Parlour serves gorgeous ice creams (I particularly recommend the Frosted Strawberries and Shortbread or the Walnut with Maple Syrup), delicious cakes, open sandwiches, the Ultimate hot chocolate for those colder days and tea in traditional teapots. It has a definite 50s, retro feel about the place. If you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter, I recommend talking to someone on the reservations team about this so that more space around your table can be arranged. There are also disabled toilets very near by.



The Fountain Restaurant
This restaurant is located on the ground floor of the store and can be accessed from both instore and also directly from the Jermyn Street entrance. For those who use a wheelchair or mobility scooter, I would recommend using the Jermyn Street entrance that leads straight into the restaurant. The Fountain has a deluxe brasserie atmosphere and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It opens for breakfast 7.30-11am Monday-Saturday, lunch 12noon-3pm, afternoon menu 3-5pm and dinner 5.30-11pm. There is a jazz guitarist that plays between 6pm and 9pm Monday to Friday. There is also a special jazz brunch on a Sunday that is served from 11am to 3pm. This restaurant also has disabled toilets located near by.



To make a reservation at any of the above restaurants and to discuss your access requirements, please call the reservations team on 0845 602 9654.

Whichever restaurant you choose to visit at Fortnum and Mason, you will enjoy an elegant experience. Don't forget, if you do go and would like to share a picture with Access London, please feel free to email it to: accesslondon.claire@gmail.com

COMING SOON: Love Never Dies, London Eye & River Cruise, The Wizard of Oz, Access London celebrates 25 years of Phantom of the Opera.

Pre-Theatre Dinner @ Petrichor Restaurant in The Cavendish

Welcome back to Access London, thank you all for your continued support. I have had some fantastic feedback from my last two posts on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. This show closes on May 21, so don't forget to book your tickets soon. Access information available on the previous posts as well as details of a discount ticket offer.

Today's post is about the delicious pre-theatre dinner menu at The Petrichor Restaurant, located in The Cavendish Hotel. The Cavendish is our recommended hotel for 2011 - feel free to browse through our other posts on it. The hotel is easily accessible from the level access drop-off point on Duke Street, just off Jermyn Street and behind Fortnum and Masons. From here you can take any of the lifts from the reception area up to the first floor where the lounge and restaurant are located.

The restaurant itself has three shallow steps up to it. It has a hand rail on either side of these steps. If you use a wheelchair, mobility scooter or simply cannot manage the steps, there is a ramp available to assist you in entering the restaurant and every member of staff is more than happy to help in whatever way they can.

The pre-theatre menu runs from 5.30pm-6.30pm Monday-Thursday and 5.00pm-6.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The menu changes every 2 months and there is always a choice of meat, fish or vegetarian options. The menu is incredibly priced for a central London hotel at £15.50 for 2 courses or £20.50 for 3 courses.

The Head Chef, Nitin Padwal, creates his dishes from local produce, sourced from sustainable sources and all freshly produced. The Petrichor is an AA rosette awarded establishment and has a very relaxed atmosphere - an ideal dinner location before a night out at the theatre.




Examples of the April/May menu include:
Starters - Soup, Irish Beef Seared Fillet, Wiltshire River Trout or English Radish and Blue Cheese Salad.
Main: Spiced fillet of Sea Bream, Wicks Manor Pork Fillet with Truffle Croquettes, Chicken Ballotine with Blue Cheese and Smoked Bacon or Mille Feuille of Crispy, Homemade Tagliatalle with Wilted Beet Greens.
Desert: Cherry Sponge, Chocolate Tart and Banana Ice Cream, Homemade Ice Cream Selection, Cheese Board.

Located in Jermyn Street, 2 minutes from Piccadilly, the Cavendish and Petrichor are ideally located for visiting the West End theatres. To see the full menu and keep up to date for the menu change in June, please see their website HERE




If you wish to make a reservation and/or discuss access and dietary requirements, please contact the Petrichor on: 020 7389 3500






I am going away on holiday for a couple of weeks now, so this blog will sadly not be updated during that time. When I return, there is lots to look forward to with posts including: The Wizard of Oz, The Royal Parks, Tate Britain and The Mousetrap.

I am also delighted to announce that Access London will be joining in the celebrations for Phantom of the Opera's 25th Birthday this year. I will be running a piece on the show and Her Majesty's theatre on and off over the next few months with lots of interviews from current and former cast members, stay tuned for more information....