London calling - two restaurants in the capital that are highly recommended.
City social
Located on level 24 of Tower 42, just a few minutes walk from both Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street stations, is City Social.
Boasting magnificent views across the city (once you get past the airport-style bag scanner at the entrance that is!) there's a Michelin star restaurant serving a beautiful modern-British menu created by Jason Atherton. City Social also houses a relaxed bar, Social 24, offering cocktails inspired by the famous London landmarks that can be spotted from the panoramic view.
Then there's the private dining room of 18 seated on one table or 30 guests on smaller round tables, a Private Dining Suite, with a capacity of 22 seated guests. And the Chefs Table room, capacity 11, where the table has great views of the chefs through a glass wall.
Our favourite dishes include roasted Orkney scallop, confit Jerusalem artichokes, caramelised apple, truffle velouté, and the dry-aged Hereford fillet. The triple cooked chips were quite possibly the best chips I've ever tasted. And the Araguani 72% dark chocolate and hazelnut delice, with salted caramel ice cream for dessert was a work of art as well as a treat for the tastebuds.
Address: 25 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HQ
citysociallondon.com/
The Devonshire
Devonshire restaurant, in central London has been receiving rave reviews since it opened at the end of November. Charlie Carroll, founder of the well-known Flat Iron steak restaurants, is behind the venture with business partner Oisin Rogers.
Scotch Beef cooked over charcoal, emulating the Old England cooking style, is one of the eatery's signature dishes. The beef is sourced from Scotland butchery, AK Stoddart and comes from outstanding Scottish farmers, including neighbours Jim Fowlie and Gavin Ross from Strichen in Aberdeenshire.
Co-founder is ex-Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. George Donnelly is head butcher and a key member of the crew, storing the meat in an on-site ageing chamber.
'The truly exceptional taste of the beef comes from a combination of things including the farmers’ husbandry, the climate and the grass,' says Charlie. 'It is no exaggeration to say the Scotch Beef we are serving stands toe-to-toe with the finest from anywhere in the world.'
Most of the beef served is Aberdeen Angus, with the inspiration for the open grill cooking coming from Old England.
'Characters like Henry VIII didn’t eat their meat from an oven - it came off the roast, bringing out the traditional taste,' says Charlie, who adds that he has visited lots of abattoirs over the years but finds 'something rather special' with the way the process is dealt with at AK Stoddart’s.
Address: The Devonshire, 17 Denman Street, Soho, W1D 7HW
devonshiresoho.co.uk
