Just by the Millennium Bridge facing the Tate Modern and Shakespeare Globe Theatre, the Northbank Restaurant has some of the nicest views of the Thames of any restaurant on that side of the river. It is a casual bar and restaurant for those wanting an alternative to nearby City boozers or the impossibly busy bars and pubs of the Southbank.
Head chef Peter Woods had an impressive career before joining Northbank in 2007, working for the likes of Marco Pierre White and Pierre Koffmann. His menu at Northbank is described as modern British with a Cornish influence, and looking at the various options I can vouch for his seasonal choice of ingredients and was pleased to see that many had their British provenance clearly stated.
To start, I opted for "Whole Dressed Dorset Crab with Celeriac Remoulade" @ £13.50. The crab was tiny, but tasted creamy and fresh and went well with the celeriac remoulade.
Dr G's "Dressed British Asparagus with Baked Ricotta and Wild Rocket Salad" @ £8.50, however, was disappointing. It lacked an adequately flavoursome dressing and the baked ricotta (of which there wasn't much) was an underwhelming choice of cheese.
For the main course, I went for the “Devon Red Rib Eye Steak with Chips, Confit Tomatoes and Béarnaise” @ £22. The meat was flavoursome and cooked medium rare as requested. The “confit” tomatoes were inoffensive enough but I would have expected them to be better seasoned (garlic, thyme, olive oil) and cooked a little longer (as only hours of oven drying can impart).
Dr G had “Sautéed Calves Liver with Puy Lentils, Smoked Bacon and Onion Sauce” @ £18. Despite ordering it rare, the calves’ liver was seriously overcooked and consequently hard and chewy. It was an unfortunate oversight in our opinion and a waste of some excellent quality meat.
The puddings, on the other hand, were excellent. The “Rice Pudding with Strawberry Jam and Cornish Clotted Cream” @ £6.50 was perfectly cooked and deliciously creamy, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
Our other choice of “Fresh Strawberries with Vanilla Cream and Crushed Almonds” @ £6.50 was beautifully presented and tasted vibrant and fresh.
To accompany our food, we had 4 glasses of different wines (two whites, two reds). The wine list is comprehensive with many New and Old World choices. It is also surprisingly expensive, with only one choice of red and white house wines at £16, with the next least expensive options priced at £23 and £24. One of the wines we tried was the “2008 Bourgogne-Aligoté by Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils” – this wine retails for about £6.30 but at the Northbank, you will pay £31 for a bottle. This 5 fold mark up is not unique to Northbank, but I feel it is excessive.
Cost: The London Foodie was a guest of the Northbank Restaurant. I estimate that a 3-course meal would cost around £35 per person (excl. drinks).
Likes: great river Thames views, good spot for outdoor drinking particularly if you work in the City, casual but trendy décor.
Dislikes: patchy cooking and expensive wine list.
Verdict: I enjoyed the restaurant location, the great views and friendly service at Northbank Restaurant but felt that the cooking was patchy and the wine list expensive. I would love to return one day and give it anoter go but with so many other dining options in London
