The House Lounge, located at London Heathrow Terminal 4, is a new lounge by Etihad Airways on partnership with No1 Lounges. It opened its doors on October 2018 and I was lucky enough to visit just a few months later. Complimentary access is provided to Etihad Airways Business Class and First Class passengers but you can also book at the No1 Lounges website.
The lounge is amazing - no other words could adequately describe how I felt when staying at the lounge. It's an exquisite haven where you can enjoy privacy and a la carte dining while waiting for your flight. The House offers the following amenities:
- full waiter service
- a la carte dining
- open bar
- showers
- unlimited wifi
- magazines and newspapers
- comfortable seats
- charging stations
- children's area
Please note that the dress code is smart casual. Let's take a look at the lounge...
The reception area was fairly straightforward, I just had to show my passport and boarding pass which clearly showed that I was in an Etihad Airways Business Class flight. It's quite spacious and please note that you don't have to take the stairs all the way down like I did - there was an elevator that takes you down to the lounge.
The House also has an open bar where you can enjoy some drinks. They have an extensive wine list and you can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea instead if you prefer.
Being a foodie, I quickly gravitated towards where I could find the food. The dining area is beautiful, with large glass windows letting in a lot of natural light. It feels like you are at a fine-dining restaurant.
You can enjoy the precooked food and snacks along this table. You don't get a lot in terms of variety but it had pasta, salad, and some fruit. I did like the taste of the food and it was definitely better than your regular 'lounge food' that has been sitting there for quite some time.
Here's a look at some of the dishes being served by The House lounge that day.
You can also enjoy a selection of pastries. I ate a lot of these delicious-looking macarons - they were really tasty!
The A la Carte Menu is what makes The House stand out from other lounges. You can order a variety of different dishes and you can eat as much as you want. I was ecstatic to find out that I can enjoy some freshly cooked food while waiting for my flight. You can do as I did and order (almost) everything from the menu.
It's a good thing I didn't eat breakfast that day!
I first started off with the soup of the day - which was quite rich and creamy. I honestly forgot what it was but I remember it was very good and you get restaurant quality soup. I just had to pair it with some wine.
I also had the Sauteed Wild Mushrooms on sourdough bread. It might seem very simple but I do love eating mushroom and this was delicious. I couldn't finish eating the bread because I had a lot more food coming up.
The Lamb Kofta with Citrus Yogurt looks and feels like a dish straight out of a fine-dining restaurant and I have to say it's very delicious. I finished all of it and it was very well-cooked. It's my favorite dish at The House lounge! Highly recommended.
The Pumpkin Tortelloni was also a great dish that had lots of flavor and was perfect when paired with the Lamb. The dish was well-seasoned and had all the qualities you would find in a restaurant-worth dish. It's also highly recommended.
I also had a Cheese Plate to finish off my meal with another glass of red wine. As mentioned before I helped myself to a fair amount of french macarons from the dessert station.
After my meal I went to stay at these premium seats while waiting for my flight. I had such a wonderful time that I am considering booking all my flights from London with Etihad so that I can enjoy The House over and over again. It's a perfect place to kick back and relax with some peace and quiet before a long-haul flight.
There were quite a number of people in the lounge with me as my flight approached, but it's not as hectic as some airport lounges where you can barely fight a good seat. There were a few seats occupied and by my estimate was probably around 15% full. I guess that's one benefit of the lounge being quite new.
Is it worth £40 per person? Well, if you can afford it, absolutely!
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Cheers,
Chef Jay
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