Comfort Food

A love letter to hotel room service and the in-room dining heroes that offer the ultimate comfort away from home By Coco Marett

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You’re a few days into your holiday—days that have been busy with sightseeing, ticking items off your bucket list and eating at the restaurants you booked months in advance. It’s been exhilarating and exciting— but also exhausting. Then, your travel companion turns to you and asks, somewhat sheepishly, "What if we just stay in and order room service tonight?" Relief washes over you, like waves lapping on the shore at your resort's private beach. A feeling of giddiness arises-akin to when your parents took you to Blockbuster on a Friday night as a kid (or let you take over Netflix, depending which generation you're from), knowing what lies ahead is an evening of sitting in your pyjamas with pizza, movies and not a care in the world.

There's something about room service that evokes a feeling of comfort and familiarity-a welcome moment of nothing in the midst of everything you’re trying to pack into a few days. Because whether you’re in Paris, Tokyo or Los Angeles, there comes a time on every trip where you hit a wall and all you want, and need, is to get tucked into your big hotel bed and eat a club sandwich.

And although many hotels around the world are upping the ante when it comes to dining, with restaurants helmed by world-renowned chefs, there’s a kind of unexplainable and unconditional love many travellers share for a hotel’s least celebrated menu: the in-room dining menu.

But this isn’t just a love letter to room service. It’s a look into the phenomenon of certain “hero” dishes that always manage to hit differently when eaten in the comfort of a hotel room.