Tag Archives: Four Seasons

Four Seasons Hotel and Grill, Beirut

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The newly opened Four Seasons, Beirut is chic, minimalist and luxurious. The décor is subtle and modest and yet exudes luxury and style.

Our room was sleek and smart, bright and airy. With an impressive sea view and generous living space, it was a lovely place to spend time. Arranged fashionably and decorated in muted creams and browns with inconspicuous wood panelling, it felt modern and original. The room was filled with thoughtful touches, most conveniently a range of magazines, including TimeOut Beirut which helped us navigate our way to the trendiest places in the city.

The bathroom was an elegant boudoir, with space and all the facilities for pampering and relaxing like L’Occitane toiletries and lovely Verbana smelling soaps. I insisted on having three baths during our two day stay! It all felt ultra clean and new, almost too good to use.

The Four Seasons Beirut has enviable facilities… at the bottom of the building is a lovely spa and on the top floor a breathtaking outdoor pool, with overwhelming views of the whole city. This is a picture perfect location to relax and sunbathe, and perhaps enjoy a cocktail.

At night the hotel comes alive, guests talk and drink in the communal areas, playing cards and enjoying the cosy amicable mood. Despite feeling underdressed most of the time, I felt at ease spending time in the Four Seasons with the kind staff all genuinely eager to make our stay as special and memorable as possible.

I slept very well both nights in the plump, perfect bed and woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. The Four Seasons know how to do breakfast providing an attractive selection of pastries, dried and fresh fruit, cereal and yoghurts. We ordered fresh orange juice and coffee and also tried some hot dishes from the main menu, sweet buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and Eggs Benedict with back bacon sauce Maltaise, grilled asparagus. There is a clear emphasis on top quality ingredients. The hot breakfast was delicious although I would have been entirely satisfied with the fresh fruit and cereal!

Each table is also given a traditional Lebanese breakfast of Arabic flatbreads, salad and cheese, wonderfully fresh and unique, though rather too much for us to finish.

After a weekend of indulging in Beirut we spent our final night in the Four Season’s Grill restaurant for a lazy last meal in the luxurious lounge. The menu is short and simple concentrating on classics done well. After a round of spectacularly pretty cocktails, we chose the Chateaubriand steak to share. It was absolutely delicious, melt in the mouth meat, cooked to perfection: red and juicy in the centre with a crispy, caramelised edge. I was so preoccupied by eating this supreme steak that I even forgot to take a photo! The fillet was served with spicy rocket and creamy peppercorn sauce, and a silver cone of scrumptious fries. I can now understand the attraction of this fine cut of meat and will definitely be ordering this speciality again.

Desserts were delicate and divine… I chose the Mille Feuilles Exotique with Mango-Passion cream, Jivara mousse and fresh raspberries and my friend ordered the Tarte Fine A la Minute, a golden apple tart with Ceylon cinnamon and vanilla bean ice-cream. These puddings were light and fruity, the ideal after rich steak.

Aside from the Breakfast and Dinners at the Grill, the Four Seasons tempt their guests with a chocolate tea at the weekends… so good I have written a separate post dedicated to this devilish feast!

The Four Seasons is a destination hotel… and staying somewhere so pleasant makes it difficult to tear yourself away to explore the city… everything you need and could ever want is found inside the great glass doors.

Visit the Four Seasons Beirut website for more information and to book here.

Thoroughly Modern Milly travelled with bmi, British Midland International. British Midland International flies direct from London Heathrow to Beirut offering ten flights per week. Flights are twice daily on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays with a daily service on all other days.  Fares are available from £485 return including all taxes and charges. For more information and to book visit www.flybmi.com

Quadrato, Four Seasons Hotel London at Canary Wharf

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Canary Wharf is busy and corporate and yet in the lunchtime sunshine this architecturally angular area of London had an almost serene air. On the rare occasion of having my mum as my guest of honour, I was hopeful of a lovely lunch and couldn’t be more delighted when we arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel at Canary Wharf.

Greeted at the door, we wandered through the light and pristine entrance to the hotel’s restaurant, Quadrato. This upmarket establishment offers authentic Italian food in a simple and smart lounge overlooking the river. The service was thoughtful and discreet throughout our visit, we were immediately treated to a glass of the house champagne, which is always my mum’s drink of choice! I was impressed with the subtle attention to detail, every aspect of this restaurant is beautifully presented and maintained… from the layout and décor to the pretty display of breadsticks and salt!

Before we had time to glance at the menus, fresh focaccia bread arrived, flavoured with typical Mediterranean herbs, peppers and soft cheese. On the table our own china saucers of olive oil and balsamic were there for indulgent dipping. Next a plate of antipasti arrived, a glorious array of freshly sliced meats, marinated olives, cheese, and sun-blush tomatoes. I would happily enjoy a lunch of just this antipasti and a glass of champagne, but there was much more to come.

The menu offers all the traditional Italian courses: starters, pasta, meat, and desserts. I opted for starter and meat, my mum had pasta and meat despite my warning that it may be too much for her to manage. Overwhelmed by the choice, I eventually decided on a light Mediterranean salad of tomato, cucumber, avocado, mozzarella, olives and pesto. The ingredients were exceptionally fresh, crisp and crunchy, with a wonderfully fragrant green pesto. I perhaps would have exchanged some of the excess (but scrumptious) buffalo mozzarella for a few extra bits of avocado. This course also complimented the antipasti well and I continued picking at the board of remaining salami slices. A big fan of tortelloni, my mum chose the homemade buckwheat pasta filled with Tuscan pecorino, leeks and cherry tomato, a dish conveniently available in starter or main size. The fresh plump pasta arrived steaming in a divinely creamy leek and tomato sauce, the tortelloni tasted wholesome and comforting, and were cooked to perfection, soft but not sloppy.

The waitress recommended the beef fillet with thyme, smoked aubergine, shallot and mushroom ragout which I chose; my mum ordered the slow cooked baby chicken roasted potato and peperonata. The mains arrived after an ideal hiatus from the previous course. Huge colourful plates were placed in front of us, very generous, perhaps too generous portion sizes. The food at Quadrato isn’t fussy which suits Italian cuisine, instead dishes are stylishly served, doing the ingredients justice without messing around too much – I was appreciative of this as it allows you to relish the flavours more. The beef was a lovely cut, soft and juicy inside with a crisp edge. Our waiter kindly brought over a glass of deliciously rich Spanish Rioja (Marques de Murrieta Reserva 2005) to accompany my red meat. The chicken was tender and full of flavour, topped with sweet peperonata that was summery and light. The additional roasted potato wedges were perhaps a little unnecessary for our appetites.

The selection of desserts at Quadrato is very alluring, and after spying a nearby table’s choices, the list of homemade sorbets and ice creams became particularly appealing. My mum, rather full by this point, chose the Millefoglie di frutta Esotica – a delicate, layered fruity pudding. I had my favourite dessert, panna cotta, with orange and pistachio emulsion and couldn’t resist asking for a scoop of lychee sorbet on the side. The panna cotta itself was a bit bland, with a hint of orange but little sign of pistachio flavour aside from the smattering of crushed nuts. The lychee sorbet was absolutely incredible, so true to the real flavour of the fruit and the perfect consistency, refreshing and delicious. Not wanting the meal to end, we asked for two final cappuccinos before leaving.

If you don’t fancy getting back on the stuffy tube you can continue your blissful afternoon with a journey into town on the Thames Clipper ferry which stops on the doorstep of the Four Seasons Hotel. We enjoyed a refreshingly breezy trip along the river, chugging away from Canary Wharf towards London’s great riverside landmarks.

Visit the Four Seasons website to book here. More information on Quadrato here.