A client dinner has one job. It gives a few people time together with nobody interrupting, and everything else about it (the food, the wine, the room) is there to make that easier. Good food helps. Food that needs explaining every ten minutes gets in the way.
That’s the thinking behind The Cellar. Two private rooms on the lower ground floor at Royal Maritime House, each with one long table, a view into the wine cellar and a door that closes.
Why a room of your own
You can talk properly. In a busy restaurant the table next to you hears half your conversation and you hear half of theirs, which is fine for a birthday and less fine when you’re discussing next year’s contract. Downstairs, the only people listening are the ones you invited.
It also takes the pressure off the host. Nobody is waving for the bill, the team knows who you are, and the evening can run at the pace of the conversation.
Which room
The 1982 is the chef’s table. It seats eight to sixteen, and one wall has a window onto the kitchen, so your guests can watch their dinner being cooked. For a table where not everyone knows each other, that window does a lot of the ice-breaking for you.
The 1945 is the larger room, for ten to twenty, with its own bar and double sliding doors. If you want drinks standing up before anyone sits down, this is the one.
Fewer than eight? The rooms have minimum numbers, so a smaller group is better off at a table in the restaurant upstairs. Ring us on 01983 526118 and we’ll suggest the quietest one.
Lunch is underrated
Lunch bookings have the room from noon until 5pm. For clients coming over from the mainland that’s often the better choice: they arrive mid-morning, you have the afternoon, and nobody is watching the clock for the last boat. Dinner bookings have the room from 6pm until midnight, with everyone away by 12.30am, if the evening is the point.
The menu
Menus are planned with you and Robert’s kitchen. We need everyone’s choices five days before the booking, and if you send them by then we’ll print a name card for each guest with their order on it. It looks thoughtful and it means the team never has to ask who had the fish.
A tip from the other side of the pass: ask about dietary requirements in the invitation itself. Finding out about an allergy the night before is stressful for everybody, the guest included.
The wine
The list runs to around 260 bins, and working through it on the night is not what you’re there for. Tell us the budget and the kind of evening, and we’ll suggest bottles before you arrive. If you’d like to see what’s on it first, our guide to the wine list is a good place to start.
The bill
There’s no room hire fee and no minimum spend. A £10 per guest deposit confirms the booking, and it isn’t refundable.
On the night, bills can be split up to two ways unless the booking is paid in advance. For a client dinner we’d suggest paying in advance. Your guests never see a bill, and you never have that small moment at the end of the evening.
The details people forget
- Music: both rooms have a Sonos system. A quiet playlist, or none at all, is usually right for business.
- Getting here: the FastCat from Portsmouth Harbour takes 22 minutes to Ryde Pier Head, and it’s a short walk to us from there. The hovercraft from Southsea lands on the Esplanade.
- Access: the rooms are on the lower ground floor and there’s no step-free access. If anyone in your party needs help, talk to us before you book so we can plan for it.
- Parking: none on site, but there are two public car parks within two minutes’ walk, one directly opposite.
How to book
- Send us the planThe date, how many, lunch or dinner, and which room you have in mind. The enquiry form on The Cellar page takes two minutes.
- We come back to youThe events team confirms the room and date and talks through the menu.
- Choices, five days aheadSend the pre-orders and any dietary notes, and we’ll print the name cards.
- The deposit£10 a guest holds the room.
Questions we get asked
Is there a room hire fee for business dinners in The Cellar?+
No. There is no hire fee and no minimum spend for either room, only minimum numbers: eight guests in The 1982 and ten in The 1945.
How many people can The Cellar take?+
The 1982 seats up to 16 and The 1945 up to 20, each at one long table.
Can the host pay for everyone in advance?+
Yes. Bills can be split up to two ways on the night unless the booking is paid in advance, so paying ahead keeps the bill away from the table.
Is The Cellar accessible?+
The rooms are on the lower ground floor and there is no step-free access. Talk to us before booking so we can plan for your party.