A grade-II listed building, this former bank contains a Michelin star restaurant run by head chef Herbert Berger.
Sounds posh, where is it? Well, there's a clue in the name …
Okay, smartypants, which city and how do you get there? Oh, I see. It's in the City (of London, that is), just by Bank Tube station. Couldn't be easier to find, so I walked straight past it and spent 10 minutes asking for directions. Handy if you find yourself in the Square Mile, or happen to be meeting a financial chap or, dare I say it, a lawyer.
Who eats there? Financial chaps and lawyers. So not much celebrity-spotting potential, but it is ideal for business lunches: the tables are spaced far enough apart for a confidential chat to remain that way; the place gets busy, but not too noisy; a central domed skylight above the circular bar in the centre keeps it bright and airy.
What's the food like? The menu is extensive, ranging from classic French coq au vin to oriental tuna salad to traditional bangers and mash. I played safe and was pleased with my choice of seared rare tuna with provencal vegetables followed by grilled maize-fed chicken with a sautee of wild mushrooms and lardons forestière. My colleague was more adventurous, opting for the warm salad of asparagus and smoked quail (perhaps slightly undercooked, or "saignant" as he put it) followed by the smoked Finnan haddock and poached egg with black pudding and bacon ("more of a breakfast than a lunch" – still, he is a bit picky).
And the wine list? Again, extensive.
Recommendations from the sommelier for white were: Chateau des Tourtes Prestige, Cotes de Blaye 2000 (£29.50), and Weingut Brundelmayer, Reisling Zobinger 1998 (£39.70); and for red: Domaine Haute Fontaine 2000 (£17.50), and Valduero Reserva, Ribero Del Duero, Spain 1995 (£56).
How about the service? Very attentive.
I was greeted at the door by six staff ready to take my coat and brolly. We asked for an extra place to be set at our table, which didn't fluster the maitre d' (who, by the way, is a dead ringer for the the actor Alun Armstrong).
How much is it going to cost me? About £45 per head for three courses, wine included. So not exactly cheap, but not an unreasonable price to get on the good side of an important client.
Other restaurants in the area? There's the Coq d'Argent at 1 Poultry, of course, with one of London's best roof gardens. The restaurant serves excellent French food and in the summer the bar, with its views of St Paul's, is so popular with after-work drinkers, you may have to queue to get in. Oh the indignity.
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