LONDON
NEW STREET GRILL
D&D London has become synonymous with great service, exquisite dining, fine wine
and architecturally inspired restaurants since their buyout of Conran Restaurants a
decade ago. Headed by CEO Des Gunewardena and MD David Loewi (the D&D behind
the company title) the company now owns and operates over 30 restaurants in London,
Leeds, Paris, New York and Tokyo. It was fair to say that expectations were running
high as my guest and I arrived at the New Street Grill. by Samantha G
Situated between the City of London – a stone’s
throw from Liverpool Street – and hipster
Shoreditch, is the Old Bengal Warehouse,
London’s oldest surviving 18th Century
Warehouse built by the East India Trading
Company in 1771. It’s not only home to the New
Street Grill, but to the Fish Market Restaurant,
the New Street Wine Shop and the Old Bengal
Bar – a contemporary, chic cocktail bar.
Ascending the atmospherically lit stairs to
the restaurant, my guest and I were shown to
our window table which sits at a mezzanine level
overlooking the street below. We were at once
immersed in the character of the building; the
interior has been cleverly designed to offer cosy,
comfortable dining in two dining spaces as well
as al fresco dining on the walled terrace. They
have created their ‘rough-luxe’ feel by utilising
exposed brickwork, arched windows, rich warm
colours and leather finishes.
The modern British grill menu offers a
mouthwatering selection of oysters, seafood
starters, fresh fish and contemporary British mains
but is (quite rightly!) dominated by the Josper
Grill cooked Scottish Angus, Dexter and USDA
Black Angus beef. Just as we had solved our
‘what to order?’ dilemma, we were joined at our
table by Lukas Nikanorovas, head sommelier,
who advised that he would put together a tailored
wine pairing to match our menu choices and
who, rather than just retreating to do so, checked
our own wine experience and palate preferences.
Amazing!
And so to our starters. The London cured
smoked salmon for my guest (paired with his
choice of capers, boiled egg and crème
fraîche); and the hand dived Isle of Mull scallops
for me – neatly presented in the clam shell with
accompaniment de rigueur cauliflower and black
pudding – were even better with my crisp glass
of 1997 Domane Wachau, Gruner Veltliner.
Dishes devoured, we were more than ready
for our mains: the fillet steak with red wine sauce
for me, whilst my guest opted for the surf and
turf combo of Josper sirloin and jumbo charred
prawns with a classic Béarnaise sauce. The
delicious charred exterior and juiciness that the
Josper preserves, led to melt-in-the-mouth steak
heaven, completed by the hard to resist triplecooked chips and the fresh spring salad sides,
washed down with a tasty Rioja for me and a
delicious glass of Peyre Rose, Clos des Cistes,
Coteaux du Languedoc 2002, for my guest.
With barely any room left after devouring
every last beefy morsel we persevered and
decided to indulge in dessert – my guest plumping
for the creamed Madagascan vanilla rice pudding
which arrived with a rich berry compote and fresh
seasonal berries; whilst I chose the burnt
Cambridge cream – a smooth, sweet, vanilla
88
custard with a wonderful crisp sugar shell, moorish
shortcake biscuits and divine red berry compote
which offset the sweetness wonderfully.
Retiring to the soft sofas of the Old Bengal
Bar for coffee, my guest and I were able to once
more reflect on our meals and compliment the
team not only on the delicious dishes and great
wine pairings, but also on their lovely service and
great ambience.
With a well conceived British grill menu and
an extensive yet refined wine list, atten tive
professional yet friendly service, the New Street
Grill is reassuringly busy, from its midweek
business patrons to its weekend evening city
explorers, and of course foodies such as
ourselves.
Reservations are highly recommended and
we highly recommend this city-based gem!
New Street Grill
16 A New Street
London
EC2M 4TR
020 3503 0785
www.newstreetgrill.co.uk
/NewStreetGrill
@newstreetgrill