Manhattan Grill Steakhouse, West India Quay

Name: Manhattan Grill West India Quay

Where: The ground floor of the Marriott Hotel, West India Quay, 22 Hertsmere Road, London E14 4ED, http://manhattangrill.co.uk/

Cost: Average spend is around £50 per person (not including drinks). There are 6 appetisers, priced from £6.50 to £15. Steaks are £24 to £34, with non-steak main courses costing £8 to £15, and side dishes at £4-8.   

About: The Manhattan Grill is a steakhouse in Canary Wharf, specializing in wet-aged USDA prime Black Angus from Creekstone Kansas, and dry-aged Scottish cuts from Inverurie – the birthplace of Aberdeen Angus steak.

Situated on the ground floor of the Marriot Hotel, right next door to the station, it overlooks the waterfront of West India Quay. The Manhattan Grill is an elegant restaurant, if a tad corporate in feel.

The dining room is long and spacious, with comfortable cream leather chairs, and an impressive open-plan kitchen.  There are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the quay, and if the weather is fine, there are outdoor tables too.

What We Ate: We started with the seared black pearl scallops (£15). With a delectable pea puree and bacon grilled until crisp, the scallops were meaty, of great quality and well cooked.

Equally good was the baked blue swimmer crab cake, presented with soft flakes of fresh crab and a dressed green salad, served with a tartar sauce (£12).

For the main course, we shared two of their signature steaks: the Creekstone Kansas USDA Black Angus Rib Eye (bone in) 16oz (£34) and the Scottish Aberdeen Angus T-bone 20oz steak which was a whopper (£32.50).

Creekstone Kansas USDA Black Angus Rib Eye (bone in) 16oz at £34

The steaks were both delicious, and cooked medium rare as requested. They were evenly marbled and well-flavoured, generously encrusted in salt. The steaks were served with a selection of sauces, including horseradish, chimichurri and béarnaise. I am not one to leave food on my plate, but I must admit that in the end, we were sadly defeated by the enormity of those steaks!

Scottish Aberdeen Angus T-bone, 20oz at £32.50

The restaurant claims to feature a Montague grill that heats up to 650°C, a grill oven that is similar in concept to a Josper grill. The steaks though deliciouls could have done with a little more caramelisation in my opinion so the benefits of a Montague grill are still to be seen.

Meat comes from Russell Hume in Chelsea, who supplies to most of the Marriot group, while the USDA steaks come from Freedom Foods.

To accompany our steaks, we chose the sides of mac'n cheese (£4) and chips (£4). The mac'n cheese was cheesy and creamy, a perfect example of a long-time favourite. The chips were deliciously chunky with a crispy outer layer while fluffy and very soft inside just as I like them.

The JW Steakhouse is another American-style steakhouse located at the JW Marriott Hotel on Park Lane, London (reviewed here). JW Steakhouse serves some of the best cheesecake I have ever tried (allegedly the best cheesecake on this side of the pond), so I was sad not to see it as a dessert option on the menu at Manhattan Grill. I had no space left at this stage of the meal, but I could have been tempted by that cheesecake!

What We Drank: We started with a couple of cocktails from the G & Tea bar next door (they are all priced at £10.50) - the Londinium 75 (with Hayman's sloe and dry, lime, champagne and passion fruit syrup), and the Red Spy (with Hayman's Royal Dock, Southern Comfort, peach and raspberry puree, lime juice), both well made and strong.

The restaurant has an Enomatic machine, and diners are invited to sample wines between their starters and steak, to decide which wine to pair with their meat choices.

For the rib eye, the restaurant's recommendation is a Chateau des Laurets 2011, from Puisseguin Saint-Emillion. The restaurant has a special relationship with the Rothschild family, and claims to have the largest variety of Rothschild wines in Canary Wharf.

We were offered 4 tasting samples of powerful wines, but opted for the Chateau des Laurets (£62) - a classic Bordeaux. This was excellent  - still youthful and slightly purple in colour, it had plenty of black berry fruit, well-integrated oak and firm but supple tannins. It was a pleasure to drink by itself, but better still with the steak.

Likes: The restaurant has a small menu, but what they serve (judging from our visit) was of great quality and expertly cooked. The sommelier-led wine tasting with the restaurant's Enomatic machine is a good option I have not seen in any other London restaurant. I enjoyed sitting by the open-plan kitchen and watching the chefs preparing the steaks. The mac'n cheese was creamy, with a crispy cheese top, and well made. The service was efficient, friendly and well-informed.

Dislikes: The restaurant has a slightly corporate, hotel-chain feel to it.  Annoyingly, there is no free car-parking available at the hotel or in the surrounding area even at night, although there is a multi-story car-park available over the road for a fee (£4.60 for 2 hours or £6.20 for up to 4 hours), but you can ask for a small discount at the hotel reception before you leave.  

Verdict: Manhattan Grill is a local American steakhouse serving top quality beef and well-made seafood dishes. The menu is focused, well executed and priced. It is a good option for lunch or dinner if you find yourself in London's Canary Wharf. Recommended.

London Restaurant Reviews - Camino @ Puerto del Canario

Tapas aboard the Ferry Sherry and Camino @ Puerto del Canario

Being so obsessed with food, I enjoy the variety of flavours and textures and whenever I find myself eating out, I tend to order a lot of dishes. I find that tapas, dim sum, mezze or zakuski are the perfect meals where I can taste all the variety I want without ordering a silly amount of food. So when Krista Booker invited me aboard the "Sherry Ferry" heading towards Camino's newly opened branch at Puerto del Canario (aka Canary Wharf) with a bunch of other food bloggers, I did not have to think too hard.

We boarded the ferry (Thames Clipper - £4.80 for a single journey using an Oyster Card) at London Bridge by the Hayward Gallery, making our way through the scenic Thames route to the restaurant in less than 15 minutes. On disembarking, Camino was right in front of us - I cannot think of a more hassle free or enjoyable way to get around London.

Following the success of the original King's Cross location, the new Camino at Canary Wharf, opened in September 2010 with stunning river views. The decor is casual but stylish with exposed Victorian brickwork, reclaimed oak and pine floorboards, and patterned Andalucian tiles.

On our visit, head chef Nacho del Campo had put together a tasting to show some of the highlights from his menu. Commendably, all meats are free range and the fish and seafood are from sustainable sources with the provenance clearly declared on their website.

We were served a selection of tapas dishes including "Anchoas con Pimientos" @ £5.25 - anchovies and piquillo peppers with sherry reduction - these had a nice balance between the saltiness of the fish and the sweetness of the peppers and sherry sauce.

"Higos con jamon" @ £5.50 - grilled stuffed fig with Mahon cheese, wrapped in ham with rocket and sherry reduction - this was another delicious dish with a sophisticated combination of flavours and textures (definitely a dish I would like to replicate at home).

"Chipirones a la andaluza" @ £5.75 - crispy fried baby squid with alioli and lemon - one of my favourite tapas, the baby squid was very tender with a crisp batter and went well with the citric/garlic flavours of the alioli.

"Pulpo a la parrilla" @ £9.75 - octopus tentacle with olive oil, mash and paprika - the grilled octopus was surprisingly tender with a delicious char-grilled flavour from the "parrilla". I loved the abundance of sweet, smokey paprika which seasoned both the meat and the mash.

"Arroz negro" @ £6.50 - black rice made with cuttlefish, squid ink and Calasparra rice, with baby squid and alioli - a Valencian dish, this was in my opinion one of the best tapas of the evening and one I will certainly order again. The rice, blackened by the squid ink, was creamy and tasted of the sea.

"Croquetas de jamon" @ £4.75 - Serrano ham croquettes - lovely and crisp on the outside with a generous filling of cured serrano ham.

"Pinchitos de pollo" @ £5 - herb marinated free-range chicken skewers - I can't think of a better accompaniment to a chilled glass of beer.

"Presa Iberica" @ £9.50 - Iberian black pork shoulder cooked medium rare - another seriously good dish, this was one of my top three tapas of the evening. Iberian black pigs are raised semi-wild in Spain; they eat large quantities of acorns which gives them their unique flavour. The ham from this animal is highly prized, and is aged for 30 months. It is beautifully marbled and can cost four to five times more than other hams like Serrano. It is the daddy of all hams.

"Chuleton a la parrilla" @ £9 - Scottish 'Mathers Black Gold' rib eye steak, matured for 28 days and served basque style - all beef at Camino's is sourced from free range cattle from Tanner Farm in Somerset. The steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned simply with sea salt. I really enjoyed this and at £9, I thought it was well priced.

To accompany the meat dishes we had "Papas arrugadas" @ £3.75 - sautéed potatoes with 'mojo picon' and "Pimientos de padron" @ £4.50 - sautéed little green peppers with sea salt. These were both adequate if slightly unexciting.

I enjoyed the "08 Pinot Noir from Vinas del Vero" @ £24.50, it had some subtle red fruit characters, and despite its youth, showed some complexity and hints of vanilla from the 10 months maturation in French oak.

For dessert, we had a medley of some of their signature desserts including "Tarta de Santiago" @ £5 - almond tart from Galicia with warm vanilla ice cream, "Bombita de Crema" - mini doughnut filled with custard, and "Helado con Pedro Ximenez Sherry" (ice-cream with PX) @ £5.50.

To accompany our desserts, a delicious 75 ml glass of chilled "Moscatel from Vall de Xalo" @ £3.50 was served. This was highly aromatic with honey and orange peel on the palate and great acidity.

The wine list is exclusively Spanish and has a comprehensive representation of 22 regions throughout the country from Jerez and Galicia to Priorat and Ribera del Duero. There are many choices of both red and white wines below £20 per bottle and I note that the mark up on most bottles is little more than double the retail price. This is commendable considering that the standard mark up in UK restaurants is now a whopping 4 to 5 fold.

For the deeper pocket, there is also a special selection of "Los Canones Grandes" or "Big Guns". These are iconic Spanish wines like the "07 Naiades Naia Vina Sila" @ £45 which won the Decanter Magazine best white wine, or the "99 Vega Sicilia Unico" priced at £290.

Cost: The London Foodie was a guest of Camino but I have indicated prices of all the dishes I tried. I estimate that a meal for one person including 4 tapas dishes would cost around £25 (excluding drinks and service).

Likes: excellent quality ingredients and cooking at reasonable prices. My top three recommendations are "Chipirones a la andaluza" @ £5.75 - crispy fried baby squid with alioli and lemon, "Arroz negro" @ £6.50 - black rice made with cuttlefish & squid ink and "Presa Iberica" @ £9.50 - Iberian black pork shoulder cooked medium rare.

Dislikes: the lack of a clear separation between the bar and restaurant areas may not make for a very relaxing dining experience (if that is what you are looking for).

Verdict: I enjoyed the excellent, authentic tapas at Camino, and was impressed by the comprehensive and well priced wine list. The crisp baby squid, black ink squid rice and Iberian black pork shoulder steaks were truly delicious and I cannot wait to have them again. Highly Recommended.

If you fancy a free bottle of Platinum Brut Cava with your meal from either Camino Kings Cross or Canary Wharf, click here.