food + drink Mansion House

Best Restaurants, City of London

Beast London
By Beast London
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This City of London has a lot of great restaurants, but these are a cut above...

M restaurant city of london

M Restaurant, EC2

M is a modern steakhouse just a short walk from Bank station – perfect for an after work dinner, or a date night for meat lovers. With its comfortable interior and perfect mood lighting, stunning cuts of beef are displayed in an elegant glass case along the back wall of the restaurant. There’s also a chic bar upstairs with skilled bartenders ready to whip up your desired concoction. It’s great for breakfast, lunch and dinner here, but until the end of February the month of love set menu includes a welcome drink, along with four courses for £55pp. There’s also the option to add a full drink pairing with each course for an additional £25 per person. To start, a welcome drink followed by oysters in a creamy champagne sauce, adorned with caviar. Next, the wild-farmed black truffle tortellini, bathed in a combination of crème fraiche, ceps and chanterelles. The pièce de résistance was the beef, cooked to perfection, juicy and flavourful. The beef comes served with a stack of wagyu beef chips, topped with grated Parmesan and served with a side of seasonal greens. Dessert is a hot baked apple cake with apple caramel, flambé-ed before your eyes.
2 & 3 Threadneedle Walk, 60 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8HP
mrestaurants.co.uk

City social bar and restaurant

City Social, EC2

Just a hop and a skip from Liverpool Street station and five minutes walk from Moorgate, you’ll find the entrance to City Social restaurant, hidden to the right-hand side of Tower 42. Located on the 24th floor you’ll be blown away by incredible views of some of London’s most iconic and historic buildings. The place feels special with an old school charm you’d expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant. City Social’s modern British menu is equally compelling, created by chef Jason Atherton. To start, the delicately roasted Orkney scallop served with confit red pepper, barbecued corn, yuzu and a roe butter sauce was just bursting with flavour. And a large ravioli filled bountifully with king prawn and lobster, served with smoked hay butter, courgette, basil and a shellfish bisque. For mains, the line caught sea bass served with shellfish ragu, Datterinin tomatoes, baby courgette and crispy squid with a basil vinaigrette – paired with a glass of L’Esprit de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan blanc, served from a Coravin (what a great way to try some very exquisite wines without having to buy a bottle) The beautifully-cooked Newlyn cod with violet artichokes, Scottish girolles with lemon mash and an artichoke velouté poured at the table and paired with the house white Chenin. It’s a great place for a special occasion or simply drinks at the bar. You won’t find these panoramic views across the Thames from other nearby high-rise city restaurants and while it isn’t the highest place, there’s something incredible about being engulfed by the city at this spot. City Social does have some magic about it – it’s for people who don’t follow the crowd and want to enjoy a calm, culinary experience, off the less beaten track.
Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1HQ
citysociallondon.com

 

High Timber, EC4

From its unusual name (after the street on which it resides) to the walk-in cheese room and the striking artwork on its walls, High Timber is not what you’d expect from a city eatery – and it’s all the better for it. Perhaps that has something to do with its South African heritage, with the owners who also happen to run a vineyard, so hence the restaurant’s strong emphasis on fine wines. The menu selection and wine pairing that couldn’t be faulted. The homemade biltong was tender and delicious, while the croquettes were melt-in-the-mouth perfection. A gazpacho packed a powerful flavour punch, while the crab salad was delicate and delectable. The following course of ribeye steak was devoured by my dining companion with unbridled gusto, as was my five-spiced duck breast. A selection of cheeses tipped us over the edge, but we shared a slice of malva pudding, after which all we could do was sit and stare out of the plate-glass window at the stunning views of the river.
8 High Timber Street, London EC4V 3PA
hightimber.com

 

Piazza Italiana city of london

Piazza Italiano, EC@

Every Friday and Saturday from 6pm onwards the bottomless Prosecco, beer and Bellinis flow steadily at Piazza Italiana, a real hidden gem on Threadneedle Street in the City of London. Once home to the British Linen Bank, now a little slice of Italy. With its stunning Edwardian architecture and interior – it feels like a special occasion as soon as you arrive. The staff are so attentive, from the moment you walk through the doors, right up until you walk out of them. It’s relaxed, yet sophisticated and great for a date night, or any occasion. Sip away as you look through the menu, crafted by culinary guru Remo Mazzucato. Each dish sounds mouthwatering, it’s hard to choose. The Salmone Alla Barbabietola antipasti is a little plate of heaven – delicate beetroot-cured slices of salmon with crab-lemon crème fraiche, candied beets, wine-pickled cucumber and trout caviar. We loved-loved the lobster linguine – it’s a must-try and one of the most popular dishes – with crab meat and a beautiful creamy tomato sauce that really did the lobster justice. Last but not least, a fine tiramisu washed down with a glass of Quinta do Noval 20 year old port.
38 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AY
piazzaitaliana.co.uk

Drink at Mber

Mber

Tucked downstairs on a corner of Pudding Lane, this restaurant is that rare thing, with a City bar that’s cool, calm and collected, a brilliant ambience, helped in no small part by a fabulous interior design. Named after the Great Fire of London, which is believed to have started on the very spot, Ember not only serves serious cocktails and wines by a knowledgeable sommelier, it also offers the most divine pan-Asian food. On our visit, on an early mid-week evening, most tables were occupied and there was even a wine tasting going on in the private dining room at the back. Despite being busy, our waiter couldn’t have been more attentive, bringing us a glass of Champagne and a delicious amuse bouche while we perused the menu. For starters we opted for prawn and coconut ceviche and confit of duck leg and orange blossom labneh (like a Greek yoghurt), both of which packed powerful flavour punches. Similarly, with our mains of weeping tiger fillet beef and Thai green curry the clever use of herbs and spices made both dishes stand out.
1a Pudding Lane, London EC3R 8AB
ember.london

 

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