Mrs LoM was interrogated upon arrival when she told the doorperson she was joining her husband and was asked for my name etc. before being allowed up to the Lobby. I thought this was pretty silly as the Lobby is a public area containing the bar and no access could be gained to rooms above the lobby level without a key card. I waited around like something of a spare part in the Lobby for a little while before she joined me and we went for a cocktail in the main bar (there appear to be 2 bars both with very different vibes).

We tried what I think was the W Bar (see pictures here http://www.flickr.com/photos/2848548...7626054521106/). I struggled to attract any attention from the roaming waiting staff and went to the bar to order a Champagne cocktail (Mr Winston) and a Watermelon and Tequila cocktail both of which were enjoyable but a little pricey I thought at almost £30 inclusive of the compulsory 12.5% service charge (even ordering at the bar) and they had the cheek to leave a tip box open in addition.

We then went back to the room to have a shower and change prior to Dinner. The design of the shower room arrangement irritated a little here. Given the shower is essentially in a large cupboard/wardrobe like structure within the room it may have been sensible to have a sliding door rather than a door which opens outwards as this renders it impossible to keep a shower mat/Towel in place outside the shower to avoid standing on relatively slippery tiled flooring.

In addition gaps in the shower enclosure also caused water to escape onto the flooring of the room. Whilst this wasn’t a huge amount of water it was noticeable and it was difficult to avoid treading in this as it was a part of the “living space”.

We then hit “Spice Market” which in my view is the high point of this property.. It is in many ways a very brave choice to open an oriental fusion restaurant on the edge of Chinatown with its many established restaurants (fusion and otherwise) covering a broad swathe of South-East Asian food. I was unimpressed by the initial seats offered as it was by the entrance to the restaurant both from the hotel side and from the street. We were moved upstairs to a better if not ideal table and as it became obvious that the restaurant was not fully booked I wondered why they hadn’t picked better tables to allocate in the first place

The menu is not currently available online (it seems the website is still in design) but is rather similar to the menu in New York (but by no means not identical).
We had:-

Poppadoms with curry dip (complimentary appetiser)
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Thai Slaw (very authentic according to Mrs LoM who know’s her Asian food)
Chinese Steak Tartare
Spiced Chicken Samosas
Salt & Pepper Squid
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Turbot Cha Ca La Vong
Beef Shortrib with Spicy Onion
Ginger Rice
Green Curry Vegetables
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Fruit Platter with Thai Spiced Lime Salt (complimentary I think due to a cock up as we didn’t order it)
Ovaltine Kulfi with Caramelised Banana and Chocolate Ganache

This was washed down initially with an awesome Ginger Margarita and an interesting Kumquat Mojito and later a bottle of Gruner Veitliner which perfectly complemented the food once it had warmed a little.

The food is served sharing style and the portions are huge. A quick peruse of the NYC menu suggests that US prices have been translated $ for £ to the UK. Service was pleasant but very slow which is a slight worry given that the place was around 50% full. A large contingent of suited men rushed around constantly looking important but seeming to actually do very little. The serving staff were charming and helpful.

We enjoyed most of the food although we left a lot as the portion sizes were more American sized than typical Asian sharing dishes. The Beef Tartare was lovely, the samosas were good if slightly soggy, the Salt and pepper Squid was OK but not unlike any other I have eaten. The starting poppadoms were nice and moreish and the accompanying curry dip was addictive.

The beef was much better than the fish being perfectly cooked, the Turbot was a little overcooked and dry for my taste. The contrast with the accompanying herbs was interesting and would have worked much better had the fish been less well cooked. The ginger rice was amazing and the green curry vegetables were good. Mrs LoM said the fruit platter reminded her of her childhood and we had probably eaten too much to enjoy the Ice Cream based dish as much as it deserved.

The final bill came again with a 12.5% service charge and open tip box (usually a major no no for me). I rounded the bill up to £190 and thought it good value overall. One very large negative however apart from the speed of service is the strong breeze blowing through the restaurant all night. I think this was a direct consequence of situating Spice Market between 2 separate entrance doors. I thought the dining area felt chilly and noticeably draughty all night.

We then went to bed. The limitations of the surroundings became clear when we were woken at 03:00 by noise from a group of people in the square “celebrating” enthusiastically. I found I didn’t like the bed either. It seems lower than a standard W bed with no divan underneath (presumably to make the room appear more spacious) but as a result was far less comfortable than a standard W bed. It was much too firm for my liking.

The following morning after showering and skating around the room on the resulting wet floor we checked out, this took some time as the person who dealt with it seemed to still be undertaking training.

My overall impressions were that this is a great place to visit for a meal or a drink but not to stay. The room resembled in my mind at least an upmarket take on a typical Holiday Inn Express room. Some parts felt cheap (why the Phillips iPod dock for instance rather than the better quality ones usually found in a W?). The worst was the room size and layout though, it just felt too small and claustrophobic and had serious design flaws.

Taking a Saturday night in late March the W costs £80 plus VAT more than the LM Piccadilly. At the LM there is a lounge as well as a reasonable chance of Platinum upgrades. At the W there is just a small room which is noisier than any I have had at the LM. At over £335 you can expect a better room than this in London (and indeed find many better options).