The Oxo Tower Restaurant
Oxo Tower Wharf
Barge House Street
South Bank
London SE1
Tel: 020 7803 3888
There are not many restaurants
where you can sit with a bird’s-eye
view of the capital and marvel
at it in all its glory; however
The Oxo Tower is definitely one
of them. On the eight floor of
a striking modern building, the
and vast interior is flooded with
natural light. Tables are well-spaced,
with highly polished tall stemmed
glasses, gleaming cutlery and comfy
modern blue leather bucket-style
chairs, all adding to the overall
impression which is one of an impressive
setting. Floor to ceiling plate
glass windows dominate the room
offering wonderful vistas over
The Thames and the City of London.
Attentive staff are very much in
evidence and were totally professional
in their approach. If you are a
smoker, you will be pleased to
know there is a large terrace where
you can nip in and out for a quick
fix.
The three course set lunch is
priced at a reasonable £33.00.
There is a choice of six starters
and seven main courses, (including
a vegetarian option per course)
and a choice of eight puddings.
I began with a plate of deep-fried,
melt in the mouth Cornish oysters,
served with a crème fraiche
sauce. The oysters tasted incredibly
fresh, with something of a perfumed
taste of the sea about them and
was a wonderful combination. My
guest’s smoked haddock vichyssoise
came served simply in a glass,
with essences of asparagus and
spring onions and was pleasingly
piquant in its intensity.
To follow, I had a plate of succulent
calves liver served with black
cabbage, bacon, capers and a port
gravy. This sat on a bed of textured
crushed new potatoes and was again
memorable. My guest then tried
one of the signature dishes of
the restaurant, a roast fillet
of beef. Served on a curved plate
it was presented to the table like
a work of art; with a cone of horseradish
mousse and an oxtail bon bon (oxtail
and truffle cream wrapped cleverly
in a potato string ball). The beef,
medium rare, was deemed wonderful
and full of flavour.
To conclude, we could only manage
to share a trio of sorbets, (elderflower,
blackberry and apricot). Again
the presentation was immaculate,
served on a triangular plate with
tuille biscuits , the sorbets having
a combination of subtle and lush
flavours.
The wine list is substantial and
includes a helpful Sommelier’s
selection. There is also a wonderful
Champagne trolley which is wheeled
to the table, offering a tempting
and perfectly chilled variety of
bubbles. Throughout our
lunch we tried a selection of wines
served
by the glass including the House
White, a crisp and flinty French
Sauvignon Blanc at £5.00
through to a pleasingly mature
and rich on the palate Chateaux
Neuf-du-Pape 2004 at £15.50.
The Oxo Tower is celebrating its
12thBirthday this month and to
commemorate the occasion is launching
a special 12-course tasting menu.
This will feature some of the most
popular dishes with Chefs past
and present contributing a dish
for every year. Head Chef Jeremy
Bloor will be overseeing proceedings
and if your not feeling the credit
crunch too badly it sounds like
it will be a memorable event.
The tasting menu is available
at lunchtime with 24 hours notice
from Friday 12th September to October
31st at £120.00 per person.
Louise Elgin. September 2008.
House wines from £18 a bottle.
