Finally managed to try Jamie Oliver’s much hyped new place at Canary Wharf. I have to admit, I was very dubious due to the mixed review I have read, so of course I had to see for myself. Fortunately, I had a rather enjoyable meal, so will be back again at some time to test it again, to see if it’s a one-off experience.
Food
The menu reads like Jamie Oliver speak, and I take no responsibility for any description herein. There are some quite appealing things on the menu, but unfortunately I couldn’t eat about a third of what’s proposed. It was also nice to see they have a few specials on as well (which sounded great but I couldn’t eat it). We skipped starters (yes, bread is extra, but you do get a big basket if you order) in favour of the mains. There were a few pasta dishes, but I was feeling hungry and felt like having a bit of meat, so I opted for the made famous from his series Chicken Cooked Under a Brick (£12.50) - A lovely free-range “Devonshire red” bird from the West Country, halved, boned, marinated and chargrilled with a warm tomato, chilli and caper salsa, which was surprisingly well done. The chicken had crispy skin (with a lot of chargrilled marks for something cooked “under a brick”), the flesh was lovely and juicy, the salsa was strong enough to add punch and some rocket, which wilted soon, added a bitter note. Crispy Polenta Chips with Rosemary Salt and Parmesan (£2.95) - these sounded very interesting and intriguing, but in fact, they were just polenta, shaped in the form of chips. The added rosemary salt and Parmesan did nothing to add to the flavour. I ended up using them like bread to soak up the juices from my dish, which worked quite well…. but if you were expecting a chip, I would skip these.
I skipped dessert after filling myself up on the polenta chip, but I got reports that the special of Lucy’s Orange Mousse served with Almond Biscotti lacked orange taste, although the biscotti was well done.
Rating - 7
Atmosphere
The place is basically built above a shopping centre, so you can see the shoppers below. There are lots of glass though so you can see to the buildings outside, and also an outside area (which no one was using today because of the crap weather).
I really like the décor, there are huge hams hanging around, a display of his books and wines, as well as a huge back section displaying their breads and produce. The thing I need to moan about is even with such a big space, the tables are so close together, you get very intimate with your neighbours.
Rating - 2
Service
There is a no booking policy for parties below 10, so we arrived very early, before 12pm, to ensure we got a table. The restaurant soon filled up not long after, very impressive for a Monday lunch. I love how they keep things relaxed, and serve the big platters stacked on top of tomato cans. Our charming waiter was very nice (but she was from NZ, we enquired due to her strange accent). Towards the end, the service started to slip, due to the sheer number of people I presume, but our food did arrive quite promptly. So I would advise trying to arrive early or avoid the really busy lunch hours to get the best enjoyment. Also, they don’t do obligatory service charge, so you can tip what you like. I think that’s the reason why the service seems to be a notch above your average too.
Rating - 3.5
C-factor
Definitely not a cheap place for lunch, (ours came to just over £22 p.p after tips), more like a special occasion meal (unless your boss is treating of course). However, I would definitely pick this over Pizza Express or Carluccios any day.
Rating - 1
Brownie Points - 13.5
Info
2 Churchill Place
London
E14 5RB
Phone +44 (0) 20 3002 5252
Website
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