Restaurant review: New Street Grill, EC2
�The New Street Grill is a chic new eatiere in a converted warehouse, formerly used by the East India Company to store cigars and port.
And there is something of that archaic opulence about the restaurant – head chef David Philpot has conjured up a decadent selection of grilled meats and seafoods to tempt even jaded palates.
It’s the kind of place you can imagine suits splashing out on luxurious lunches for clients. But things were pretty relaxed when we popped in on a Saturday tea time, although it got busy as the night went on.The cocktail list was as long as you might expect, including one effort for an eye-popping �195, but we went for a James Bond-inspired vesper martini – crisp and to the point.
To start, we had a selection of native and rock oysters – served on an elegant platter of ice they were tangy little beauties when slipping down with the shallot sauce. Our lobster cocktail was full of muscular flesh and sweet dressing and the scallops were tender and served in coque st jacques shells.
After all those crustaceans, it was time for some meat. Our steaks were enormous seared fists of Black Angus beef that melted in the mouth and the b�arnaise and peppercorn sauces were piquant and tangy respectively.
My fillet was served with a half lobster – the ultimate surf and turf.
One gripe I had was that the slightly chilly temperature of the restaurant made the steak cool a bit quickly.
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Our sides came in the form of some of the smoothest and tastiest mashed potato I’ve ever had, and some slightly limp, disappointing cauliflower cheese.
No meal is complete without a sweet, as my nan used to say, and we had a scoop of light and sweet ice cream to finish.
Worthy of particular mention was the sommelier. This chap was top of the range and eager to please. He asked us if we wanted to “discover” something new – in this case Bobal, a Spanish grape that gave a full and savoury flavour and one which I hope to discover again.
The New Street Grill is impressive and tasty – not cheap, but somewhere you can be assured of a special meal.
