St Martin's Lane London hotel near Leicester Square: Review

St Martin’s Lane hotel can be found next door to London Coliseum and as soon as you step through the door you can tell the hotel is cool and plush.

Before checking into our room, we headed to afternoon tea in a room called The Den.

The atmosphere in this room was really unique, there were paintings on the walls that had been cut in half or smashed giving it an eccentric feel.

St Martin's Lane Hotel afternoon tea (Image: Emma Fradgley)

One of my favourites was a picture of a person playing cricket, but it was smashed to make it appear that the ball had broken through the glass.

There is a wide range of black-based teas on offer to try, but as a self-proclaimed coffee addict I chose to enjoy a cup of coffee instead.

Something I really appreciated about this afternoon tea was that the sandwiches and cakes paid tribute to the hotel.

St Martin's Lane Hotel afternoon tea (Image: Emma Fradgley)

For example, the restaurant has columns lined with books, so one of the pastries was shaped to look like a book.

And one of the cakes was shaped like a cricket ball because of the picture in The Den.

Hotel staff were so helpful in taking us through the tea and pointing out all of the links to the hotel and making sure we had everything we wanted.

My favourite of the sandwiches were the miniature croque monsieur’s which were absolutely delicious.

St Martin's Lane Hotel (Image: Emma Fradgley)

But, it was the scones that stole the show. They arrived at the table warm, and they were so soft and fluffy.

We were brought the classic cream and jam to enjoy them with, as well as lemon curd.

While lemon curd isn’t quite as scrumptious as jam and cream in my opinion, it was really tasty and something I wouldn’t have thought to try myself.

One of the cakes was a lemon sponge which was also brilliant. It was light, zesty and sweet.

Another interesting touch was that the cakes and sandwiches arrived in an open bird cage, making at a highly Instagrammable experience.

Once we were stuffed with all the cakes we could dream of, we checked in and headed up to our room.

St Martin's Lane Hotel (Image: Emma Fradgley)

The room was beautiful, my favourite feature being the huge floor-to-ceiling windows making it feel extremely light and airy.

There was a huge, comfy sofa to lounge on, a massive desk and an enormous bed.

The bathroom was incredible with two big mirrors, a bath of dreams and a separate shower as well.

St Martin's Lane Hotel (Image: Emma Fradgley)

While I was full from the afternoon tea, I flopped onto the bed for some rest and was thrilled by how soft it was, I just melted into it.

Before long it was time to head back down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

To start, I had the smoked octopus which came with potato fondue and chorizo dust.

St Martin's Lane Hotel restaurant (Image: Emma Fradgley)

I was astounded when the dish came out with a dome lid filled with smoke and the waiter pulled it off in front of me – they really did mean smoked octopus.

My octopus was perfectly cooked and full of flavour and the potato was creamy and rich.

I then had the monkfish which came with a fennel puree, clam ratatouille and hassle back potatoes.

St Martin's Lane Hotel restaurant (Image: Emma Fradgley)

The fish was meaty and tender with a creamy sauce on top which was perfectly complemented by the sweetness and acidity of the ratatouille - another great plate.

For dessert, I was intrigued by the smoked chocolate and pink peppercorn fondant.

It might sound strange but our waitress assured me that the flavour combination really worked, so I decided to trust her and give it a go.

St Martin's Lane Hotel restaurant (Image: Emma Fradgley)

I have to say, she was right. The peppery flavour was really interesting with the richness of the chocolate.

It came with cherry yoghurt ice cream which brought a sweetness to cut through the richness of the chocolate and the pepper.

We also both had a cocktail which was delicious before heading to bed for a wonderful night of sleep.

The next morning, we headed back to the restaurant where an impressive breakfast spread was waiting for us.

St Martin's Lane Hotel breakfast (Image: Emma Fradgley)

There are pastries, cereals, meats, cheeses, fruit, bread and yogurt on offer for guests to help themselves, or you can order a hot breakfast from the menu.

The shakshuka caught my eye and I was very pleased with my choice.

The eggs were perfect and the sauce was sweet, smoky and spicy.

I was sad to leave St Martin’s Lane Hotel, the staff were friendly, my food was delicious and the afternoon tea was like nothing I have ever tried before.