Cruising Through Life
Hilton is wonderful whether en route (Heathrow London) or very much arrived (Waldorf Astoria Beijing) or on television (Kathy Hilton on Housewives of Beverly Hills). So an invitation to lunch at the five star Trafalgar St James Hotel, part of the Hilton Curio Collection, was an easy yes. Even better, the hotel’s Rockwell Bistro and Wine Bar is the chicest place to drink and dine on Trafalgar Square. Plus it’s a croissant’s throw from Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and the River Thames.
This eight storey 1920s corner stone building has historic links to travel. The offices of the Cunard Steamship Company once occupied this site. If the hotel looks a little bit French, that isn’t coincidental. Cunard House was designed by the Anglo French architectural firm Mewès and Davis in its trademark Beaux Arts oeuvre. And if the hotel looks a little bit familiar, that isn’t coincidental. The Ritz London, a flying croissant’s throw from Trafalgar St James, is another Mewès and Davis special.
In 1998 Westminster City Council granted planning permission for demolition of the building and its neighbour, except for façade retention, and change of use to a hotel. In 2025 DLSM reimagined the interiors of the 146 room hotel creating ocean liner luxury. “Today, Cunard is one of the oldest most historic shipping lines still in business,” write Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross in The Cunard Story (2011). “In 1901, Lucania was the first Cunard ship to be fitted with wireless technology.” Arthur Davis and Charles Frederic Mewès had exclusive interior design contracts with Cunard and Hapag. The style du jour? Louis XVI of course.
The 70 cover Rockwell looks over the busy Cockspur Street and the quiet Spring Gardens. The interior design and atmosphere are informal. Small plates are a good way to sample the food: a business people’s tasting menu. It’s only Wednesday, after all. Although Bordeaux Blanc Château Le Tuquet Graves 2023 adheres to the cruising through life theme. Fried cod cheeks, fermented chilli butter sauce, blue cheese, lemon, herb oil; zucchini fritti with grated pecorino; and peanut butter and banana mousse are a timely midweek epicurean highlight.
Rockwell Bistro and Wine Bar is one of several SupperClub Middle East venues in this part of ultra central London. The brainchild of entrepreneurs Mehreen Omar and Muna Mustafa, SupperClub is a platform that offers members access to luxurious experiences and addresses. Discretion, ease and accessibility are its foundations. “SupperClub was launched in November 2020,” says Mehreen. “Our aim was to break the mould and provide members with a single membership with no limitations. It gives access to luxury restaurants, hotels, spas, pools and much more, all at exceptional rates.”
Mehreen believes, “Social attitudes towards such a concept have shifted. We have been able to marry a shared social desire to save money with still enjoying high end restaurants and concepts. SupperClub members book five star experiences on our site. Once the member arrives at the venue, no coupon or voucher is required; the member can simply give their name and they will be expected and welcomed.”
“Another key feature of our platform,” she explains, “is that when a SupperClub member books for guests the discount applies to every person. Imagine a table of 10 with only one person being a SupperClub member yet the discount is given to the entire group. When the bill arrives, the SupperClub discounted price is automatically applied to the bill without a discussion, providing the smooth discreet experience our clients have been craving.” Lunch at Rockwell Bistro and Wine Bar is – as Mehreen foretells – a smooth discreet experience.
