By: Nicole Denby
My visit to the cities newest 5 star establishment The Bishops Gate Hotel.
We had the pleasure of staying at this gorgeous hotel last night. This beautiful listed building was formerly a gentleman's club & RAF social building. It has retained the old world charm & sophistication of the 1930's with the consideration given to this building in the refurbishment. Thankfully, the new owner refurbished the building utilising the majority of the original features (High corniced ceilings, original revolving door entry, original magnificent fireplaces, original balustrade and stair casing preserved to perfection & wooden wall panelling around the interior.
The muted tones of the decor complimented the dimmed lighting and soft furnishings beautifully. There is a legal theme throughout the hotel with several fine paintings of former Judges due to the close proximity of Bishop St Courthouse & indeed the menus also reflect this in their titles with the selection of fine cuisine from either the wig or gown menu. I would imagine this will be a big draw to local solicitors & Barristers. There are a lot of wee nooks and crannies & snugs in the seating throughout, so it is quite intimate if you fancy just reading a paper away from the restaurant or bar area.
We had the pleasure of staying at this gorgeous hotel last night. This beautiful listed building was formerly a gentleman's club & RAF social building. It has retained the old world charm & sophistication of the 1930's with the consideration given to this building in the refurbishment. Thankfully, the new owner refurbished the building utilising the majority of the original features (High corniced ceilings, original revolving door entry, original magnificent fireplaces, original balustrade and stair casing preserved to perfection & wooden wall panelling around the interior.
The muted tones of the decor complimented the dimmed lighting and soft furnishings beautifully. There is a legal theme throughout the hotel with several fine paintings of former Judges due to the close proximity of Bishop St Courthouse & indeed the menus also reflect this in their titles with the selection of fine cuisine from either the wig or gown menu. I would imagine this will be a big draw to local solicitors & Barristers. There are a lot of wee nooks and crannies & snugs in the seating throughout, so it is quite intimate if you fancy just reading a paper away from the restaurant or bar area.
We were greeted by the friendly manager Ciaran o Neill and our bags were brought to our room for us by a staff member. We were given a tour of the building also. All of the staff were impeccably turned out in their immaculate smart uniforms and so friendly & welcoming.
Nothing was too much trouble for any of them and they really went out of their way to ensure everything was just right.
Nothing was too much trouble for any of them and they really went out of their way to ensure everything was just right.
The Wig Champagne bar is wonderfully charming and homely with a lit fire and comfortable seating. There is a well stocked bar with a fantastic selection of fine wines & champagnes in addition to local craft beers and the usual brand names.
We ate from The Gown menu which was 3 courses priced at £23.95 (supplement with steak). There was a good choice in all of the three courses. We had the Crispy Duck Aranchi and it was very tasty, piping hot and just enough as a starter. For the main course, we had the 8oz fillet steak which was melt in the mouth tastebud paradise served with chunky chips and a green peppercorn sauce. Dessert was a lemon pie with raspberry sorbet, again the flavours were crisp, sharp and delicious.
The food was presented beautifully and looked a work of art and tasted heavenly. At the end of the meal we were just stuffed and unfortunately hadn't enough room for the various coffees on offer.
The food was presented beautifully and looked a work of art and tasted heavenly. At the end of the meal we were just stuffed and unfortunately hadn't enough room for the various coffees on offer.
Our room was 603 which was the top of the building facing out onto Bishop Street within. The bedroom had a huge comfortable king sized bed with 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and beautiful soft pillows (Pillow menu also being introduced) probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in.
There was a buttoned leather end of bed chateau, a built in wardrobe with hairdryer, ironing table & iron and was beautifully decorated with complimentary Belgian chocolates, tea, coffee & Belgian chocolate. The angled ceiling and bay window in the room reminded me of a hotel I stayed in years ago in the Gard du Nord area of Paris, just looking out over the rooftops with this beautiful feature and again part of the original fixtures with the single glazed window.
I was concerned about the potential noise emanating from the street as our room was facing out onto Bishop street but I needn't have worried as we didn't hear a peep coming from the street. The bathroom was very spacious & the walk in monsoon shower was just fantastic. Loved the big white fluffy towels too, so comfy and snug.
There was a buttoned leather end of bed chateau, a built in wardrobe with hairdryer, ironing table & iron and was beautifully decorated with complimentary Belgian chocolates, tea, coffee & Belgian chocolate. The angled ceiling and bay window in the room reminded me of a hotel I stayed in years ago in the Gard du Nord area of Paris, just looking out over the rooftops with this beautiful feature and again part of the original fixtures with the single glazed window.
I was concerned about the potential noise emanating from the street as our room was facing out onto Bishop street but I needn't have worried as we didn't hear a peep coming from the street. The bathroom was very spacious & the walk in monsoon shower was just fantastic. Loved the big white fluffy towels too, so comfy and snug.
The breakfast was also a delight in the selection of food available. There was a continental breakfast which consisted of fresh fruit skewers, health shots, (fruit & vegetable smoothies) juices, cheeses, freshly baked breads & pastries, cereals, cheeses & meats, fresh juices.
The cooked breakfast menu had a very varied choice also which all looked so very tasty. We opted for the full counties fried breakfast which was piping hot and so very tasty. Everything is made from scratch and this enhances the flavour of the beautiful food.
The cooked breakfast menu had a very varied choice also which all looked so very tasty. We opted for the full counties fried breakfast which was piping hot and so very tasty. Everything is made from scratch and this enhances the flavour of the beautiful food.
Could not recommend this hotel enough for a meal or special night away. It is a fantastic new addition to the city centre with all of the bars within a short 5 minute walking distance. Everything is spotless clean & fresh.
Thank you Ciaran, Paula & Amanda & Benjamin for making us feel so welcome. We can't wait for our next visit!!
Thank you Ciaran, Paula & Amanda & Benjamin for making us feel so welcome. We can't wait for our next visit!!