MyVegas Hippodrome Casino London - Heckuva MyVegas Deal!

There is a previous thread about this casino, both about the gambling and the food. I've started this one to focus on the MyVegas rewards offered for the property (I'll let Sonya/mods decide if they should be merged).

Knowing we would be spending a couple of nights in London en route to South Africa, months ago I decided to spend 300k LP's for their "steak dinner" package. Looking into 'terms and conditions', I discovered that we cold each purchase two rewards within a 24 hour period. In all, I bought the dinner and a 'cocktail'; S bought the cocktail and a beer (other than the dinner, all under 20k).

I had emailed the concierge quite awhile ago to 'book' the dinner. Although it stipulated somewhere that it was good Monday to Friday, we had no problem getting a reservation for a Sunday night.

Knowing we had to enroll in their Rewards program, we arrive about 6:00 pm for a 7:00 pm reservation. After some initial confusion about the confirmation numbers I provided (and minor language difficulties), they began the process. All in all, it took the better part of half an hour to complete both the registration and issuing of certificates for the drinks.

We proceeded to a bar to obtain S's beer. I purchased a Stella for GBP 4.45 (about $6 usd/$7.30 cdn). Supposedly, my new rewards card gave me 10% off.

After watching players on machines whilst drinking the beers, we proceeded to the restaurant to inquire about the dinner (Note - I'll post a separate review about the gambling part of the property).

Since we each had a 'cocktail' certificate, I asked at the attached bar if we could obtain a glass of wine rather than a cocktail (to carry into dinner). After some discussion, the manager allowed us to have some 'house' wine. We both chose the red which was quite decent. Looking at the 'cocktail' menu, I'm sure many people would rather use it for that purpose; for us, the cost of wine in the restaurant was fairly prohibitive (note - if you are there on a Monday, bottles of wine are half price).

From the outset, we were impressed by the service and decor of the restaurant. The maitre seated us on a small balcony overlooking the casino (the whole property looks to be a converted playhouse, with the casino on what would have been the floor, and the various restaurants and bars on what would have been balcony sections). The server was gracious and obviously well trained.

The dinner 'package' included 2 glasses of 'champagne' (actually, probably Spanish cava), a three course dinner and 25 GBP each of gambling chips (not cashable and good ony on tables; more on that later).

The server brought us our bubbly and took our order. Here are the drinks and the "MyVegas" menu:



Although there was some initial confusion, it turned out we could order one item from each section (and mix and match 2 items from the "Extras" and "Sides" areas.

I ordered the ceviche while S had the salad. Both very good:





We both chose the ribeye (which also turned out to be the server's recommendation). You'll also notice it's the largest of the steaks. As with any ribeye, it includes more fat than fillets which we both enjoy. I ordered mine medium rare, while S wanted hers rare. Both were cooked exactly as ordered.



You will notice in the photo the partial remnants of a lobster tail (my 'extra') and a small bowl of 'sauce' (pepper). The lobster was the only disappointing part of the meal. As Canadians we're used to fresh Atlantic lobster - not sure what/where this was. It was butterflied and somewhat hard to get out of the shell. Without any clarified butter, quite dry to eat. The pepper sauce was too 'peppery' for me.

However, the steak was very good, albeit almost too large (we're both mid 60s and don't have the appetite from younger years ...

From the dessert menu, I chose the Chocolate Parfait and S had the Baked Alasks (apologies - I just realised the dessert choices aren't shown on the photo). Both were devoured enjoyably, despite our formerly alleged "being full" ...



Along with our glass of wine (from the bar), we also had a bottle of still water (which we weren't charged for). We left a generous tip for the hard working server.

Perusing the regular menu afterwards, I calculated the cost of the above at more than 60 GBP if we had purchased the items a la carte - a tremendous value!

Part of the package included 25 GBP in non cashable table 'chips':



Suffice it to say, I turned our 'free' 50 GBP chips into 60 GBP of 'real' money on the blackjack table. It was a ten pound minimum with a bunch of side bets. The actual playing of the game was nothing like we'd seen before, although the 'blackjack' rules were somewhat favourable (3:2, dealer only dealt one card initially so no "peeking", etc. I'll try to post the gambling portion of the evening in another, more appropriate thread.

So, after an evening of pre-dinner drink, a glass of wine each, and a very good dinner (all for 5 pounds plus S lost 10 on a machine after), we were very pleased with our MyVegas purchases totalling less than 350k LP's. Plus, we walked out of there with a profit of 50 GBP after the gambling!

GG

 

We used that reward 4-6 months ago and agree also. It was good value - especially with the choice in the UK being limited.

Food was great

 

The food looks good. Sounds like a good deal.

 

I live in London and am a big fan of the hippodrome for occupying that middle ground between budget and luxury. Also yes the best place in town to redeem your myvegas rewards!

 

Sounds like a great visit!

 

Sounds like a great visit!