Northbank Restaurant
and Bar, One Paul's Walk, London
EC4V 3QH
One of the welcome developments
in London's contemporary restaurant
scene has been the burgeoning of
new riverside restaurants. Northbank
is situated in pole position at
the north end of the Millennium
Footbridge, which links the South
Bank arts centres with the city.
For tourists, the bridge provides
an easy way to get from the Tate
Modern and other South Bank attractions
to St Paul's Cathedral in the City.
Northbank Restaurant has wonderful
views over the river towards Southwark,
its cathedral, the Globe Theatre
and the Tate Modern gallery. My
guest (who is the organist of Southwark
Cathedral) was very chuffed to
be able to see his charming early
Georgian riverside townhouse from
the table where we were seated.
It was a cold winter's evening
when we arrived, but we couldn't
fail to notice the attractive outside
dining area, covered by a large
umbrella. Even the array of infrared
heaters would not have tempted
anyone on that particular evening,
but it will be a great attraction
when spring finally arrives. We
were only too glad to get inside,
entering straight into the cosy
bar area which was busy with people
enjoying an after work cocktail.
The head chef is Peter Woods (previously
at Allium under Anton Edelman)
and the owner/restaurant manager
is Christian Butler, both of whom
have roots in the West Country.
I was excited to read in the PR
blurb that they are keen to source
as many of the principal ingredients
of their new Modern British Menu
from that region. Another welcome
sight was the presence on the wine
list of a number of English beverages
including ciders, wines and apple
brandy. We kicked off with a very
tasty glass of sparkling wine from
the Chapel Down vineyard in Kent.
From the seven or so starters
there was hog’s pudding,
a sort of English version of the
French boudin blanc, served with
honey roasted apples. Fusions of
British and continental cuisine
could be found in dishes such as
an oxtail raviolo with truffled
leeks, or a West Country game and
foie gras terrine. My guest had
the special of the day, a perfectly
made lobster raviolo in a rich
bisque that overpowered the white
meat in the pasta somewhat - but
isn’t that always the case?
I considered the Duchy of Cornwall
oysters, but decided to give the
kitchen more of a test with their
Falmouth crab tart. Delicious crabby
flavours positively polevaulted
out of the pastry case.
For our meaty main courses, we
switched wines to a red, again
from Chapel Down in Tenterden,
made from the early ripening Rondo
hybrid. This grape takes advantage
of England’s long growing
season. Early ripening it may be,
but relatively late picked it almost
certainly was, displaying rich
berry fruit flavours and a silky
mouth feel.
I was surprised to find neither
pheasant, partridge nor wildfowl
given that we were still in the
game season, but there was loin
of venison. Perversely, I chose
the rib-eye steak which was done
just as I had requested. It was
juicy, tender and packed a big
punch of chargrilled flavour. Bearnaise
Sauce, fat chips and roast baby
tomatoes came on the side. Subtly
spiced belly of pork from Gloucester
Old Spot pigs was really soft and
unctuous. Personally, I find garnishes
like clams and chorizo a bit of
a distraction, but my guest seemed
to enjoy it all. Every restaurant
you go to, especially Gastro pubs,
is serving slow cooked belly of
pork. Makes you wonder where the
rest of the animal has ended up
now that belly of pork is the new
lamb shank. Thinks: perhaps lamb
shanks have returned to their normal
price? But somehow I doubt it.
Puddings are sensibly few and
reassuringly British. My apple
and blackberry crumble was just
like grandma's, except for the
custard which was a bit pale and
poncey. Grandma’s crumble
was great, by the way! And her
Bird’s custard was beacon
yellow and comfortingly thick.
Baked bananas with custard ice
cream sounded interesting, but
next time I come it'll have to
be the treacle tart with clotted
cream.
The service at Northbank was both
friendly and professional, as one
would expect given that the boss
is running the front of house!
The only glitch came when we were
about to leave. The cloakroom area
needs more light - the sight of
the waiting staff and myself blundering
around trying to find my coat in
near darkness was almost enough
to bring smiles to the faces of
some nearby hedge fund managers
who were bravely trying to console
themselves after a difficult day
at the screens (mostly red).
If the current financial market ‘correction’ is
only a relative blip, I'm sure
Northbank will do well, it certainly
deserves to.
The cost of your meal.
Starters: £5.0 to £8.50;
mains £13.50 to £17.50;
puddings £5.00
Set lunch menu - also pre-theatre
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday
- two courses £13.50, three
courses £17.50 Lunch only
available on Sundays.
Northbank Restaurant and Bar,
One Paul's Walk, London EC4V 3QH
Reservations on; 0207 329 9299
www.northbankrestaurant.com
Cliffford Mould February 2008
