A Dog-friendly Dinner at Flora Terrace Sofitel London St James.

Although the interior of Sofitel London St James is not dog-friendly, in the summer months dogs are welcome on their Flora Terrace. Keen to take Frank out as much as possible with me instead of leaving him at home or with the dog-sitter, I decided to take him along so he could enjoy an evening out as well! He’s a very sociable little pup and adores people, so I knew he would absolutely love it!

Now, as well as Frank I also took someone else very special along to Flora Terrace: my long-lost cousin from America! He flew over from the US to meet us, and spent a weekend with me in London and then a few days with my parents down in Devon.

So, ready to find out what I loved about Flora Terrace?! Let’s go!

Taking inspiration from the Royal Parks’ flora and fauna, London’s newest outdoor dining experience has opened in the heart of the capital at five-star hotel Sofitel St James! I tried their indoor fine dining restaurant, Wild Honey, just before Christmas last year, so I was super excited to test out Flora.

The menu at Flora Terrace focuses on seafood, champagne, and flora-inspired cocktails, and was the perfect choice to take my American cousin to as it gave a very ‘British’ food experience. The specially curated menu has been designed in collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Anthony Demetre.

In terms of drinks, the new menu marks the hotel’s new collaboration with Möet & Chandon and Atopia, both of which are on offer in the newly designed drinks menu. I however, decided to go for a classic Pimm’s as I was trying to get my cousin to try one and he wouldn’t unless I had one too! I was driving, so could only have one drink.

Doggy Treats & Water

Quite often restaurants and bars claim they’re ‘dog-friendly’, but then don’t even offer a water bowl. The staff at Sofitel London St James kindly gave us a lovely big water bowl for Frank, and a few little treats as well! They also all gave him a big fuss which he loved.

I do wish they would allow them indoors as well though, as when the terrace is closed there won’t be any dog-friendly dining options at the hotel.

The Food at Flora Terrace

We had enjoyed a humungous pub lunch in Windsor with my brother earlier in the day, so we weren’t hungry enough for starters. Instead, we decided to go for mains and desserts (because let’s face it, we all have a separate dessert stomach).

For food, I chose the Scottish Lobster Brioche Roll, which was really delicious, albeit very expensive (£30) for what it was and quite mayonnaise-heavy.

My cousin went for the Spring falafel burger with harissa mayonnaise, pickles, and chips (£16).

Dessert was really the stand-out for us – I opted for the Chocolate and salted caramel ice cream sundae which was incredible and very decadent, but definitely not worth £12, and the cousin went for the Mini scones served with cornish clotted cream and homemade jam (£15) – it was his very first experience of scones and clotted cream and he absolutely loved it!!

Final Thoughts

Overall we really enjoyed Flora Terrace, but I do think it’s a little overpriced for what it is. As en example, I’ve had better lobster rolls for around £20-£25. I think £30 is just too much really, and the price of the desserts was extorionate. I’ve had desserts at Michelin-starred restaurants that cost less.

However, if you’re looking for a special lunch or dinner and don’t mind the prices, absolutely make a booking and go!

 

*Our meal was complimentary in return for Instagram content. I have chosen to share our experience on my blog as well.