Indigo at One Aldwych, Covent Garden

One Aldwych is a five star hotel in Covent Garden (London), that has two lovely restaurants, Axis and Indigo, which are fantastic for pre-theatre dining.

This review is of Indigo, the restaurant in the mezzanine area above the lobby bar, which I highly recommend for gluten free diners.  They have a gluten free menu and amazing gluten free bread – you do not feel left out dining here!    As it is a five star hotel, the environment and service reflect this, however the set menu options mean you can dine very reasonably.

The photo below does not give the room justice as it was an awkward angle from where I was sitting (there is a much nicer photo on their website).   They have amazing flower displays in the windows and also in the bar downstairs.  The restaurant has a nice vibe and the service is excellent.  The carpeted floor also means the restaurant absorbs sound well and you can have easy conversation.

There is a an a la carte gluten free menu, or the waiter will explain which options from the set menu are gluten free.   The gluten free menu is extensive and it is wonderful to feel normal having a full menu and not just a couple of options.

Nov 2015 update: Indigo’s menu is now entirely gluten free and dairy free – read more in this Evening Standard article.

The food is described as Modern European and you can see examples from my three visits in the photos below.

The gluten free bread is out of this world – I particularly love the dark bread, but not sure what it is made from.  You are provided with your own dish of olive oil for dipping, so no need to get in first before the normal bread goes into it!

My first meal there was from the summer set menu and was pork neck with courgette (zucchini) and aubergine (eggplant) with a garlic sauce, which was delicious.  Dessert was a refreshing strawberry soup over berries and ice cream.

The second time we visited we were not in a rush for the theatre (and outside the times for the set menu), so I chose from the a la carte menu.

My starter was smoked salmon and horseradish cream, which was beautifully presented as you can see below.

My main was a huge serve of thai beef salad and the combination of flavours from the mango, spring onion and mint were very refreshing.

My last visit was recent, and the winter menu is in place.  The menu was so new that the a la carte menu gluten free version had not yet been prepared, but the waiter was very knowledgeable about the gluten free options.

My choices below were from the set menu.   The mushroom soup with sweet potato crisps was lovely and creamy.  My main was Brixham pollock with paprika chickpeas and braised fennel, and I loved these flavours with the fish.   I visited Brixham in the summer and it is a lovely fishing village in Devon (you can read about the GF places to eat in Brixham here).

Tags: Aldwych, Gluten free, London, London theatres, pre-theatre, Somerset House