I'd never heard of this restaurant before my friend suggested it for a weeknight dinner in the City. It's tucked into a little alley right by Cannon Street station. Apparently it's one of those classic restaurants that have stood the test of time. Both the bar area on the ground floor and the bistro we were seated in downstairs were pretty full, which is fairly impressive given that it was a Tuesday. The place has a chill vibe, nothing flashy, but with pretty well spaced tables and a partially open kitchen that you can look into.
I had the truffle macaroni and cheese to start, while my friend had the octopus salad. Both were great, but I was particularly impressed by the octopus salad because I couldn't have guessed it would be so good given the description "French beans, new potatoes, salsa verde." It was a garden salad with large portions of octopus (whole tentacles and not just slices), tossed with potatoes and I guess everything else. The macaroni and cheese was a sizeable portion with a beautiful cheese gratin on top.
For mains we got the rib eye steak with béarnaise and the pappardelle with roasted aubergine. The steak hit the spot, served with Portobello mushroom on top of it and chips in a metal cup (that's always a nice touch). The pappardelle was reportedly very good, though the idea of having it with feta cheese kinda weirds me out. Overall, I don't think this is a foodie destination by any means, but if you are in the area, it's a decent choice for a bite. read more