New Road in Whitechapel is home to a brand new, stylish boutique hotel called, New Road Hotel! Featuring a restaurant from Marco Pierre White – Mr White’s English Chophouse – and Cereal Grind for lovers of nostalgic childrens breakfast cereal, this former textiles factory is now a funky hangout for tourists, city workers and Londoners alike.
This four month old boutique spot utilises its space exceptionally well. Mr White’s English Chophouse is located past the reception area on the ground floor, at the back of the hotel. On the right is the super stylish bar area with mustard yellow and aqua furnishings that work well with the trippy, 70s-style wallpaper. Rather than trying to muscle their way in as the new kid on the block that triggers the gentrification snowball in the area, New Road Hotel actually sourced all of the furniture from local markets and sellers. They’ve also tried to stay true to the industrial roots of the building by leaving brickwork exposed and keeping original artefacts from the former factory including the eye-catching sign that says SERVICE, which hangs above the bar; a nod to the former residency that was called Service House.
Every floor has its own theme: a games room on the first floor with a pool table and arcade, a library on the second floor which is a good place to work, a third floor dedicated to ironing (random but a surprising hit with the city workers who stay in London during the week, it’s proven to be an ideal spot for networking), and the roof terrace on the fourth floor that provides both yoga classes and fantastic views of London.
The Hypnos Beds are the main feature of each of the 80 rooms with the sole purpose of providing a decent night’s sleep and believe me, you do get a bloody good night’s sleep! So much so, my partner and I found ourselves the following morning looking up how much we could get a Hypnos Bed for!
Mr White’s English Chophouse is the real draw here, such is the weight a certain Mr White’s name carries. The dishes are hearty and meaty, so arrive hungry. Signatures include the Roast Rump of Lamb and Marco’s Lobster Macaroni. I kept it simple, because sometimes simple is best. A fillet steak with a wild mushroom sauce. It was excellent, in a word. Mr White’s own beer, The Governor is pretty good too – well worth a go.
Whitechapel and Tower Hamlets might be areas of London undergoing a regeneration process, but New Road Hotel has proven they’re here to be a part of the community as well as being East London’s trendiest hotel opening this year.
For more information visit www.newroadhotel.co.uk