New St Grill Liverpool St
16a New St, London EC2M 4TR
www.newstreetgrill.co.uk/020 3503 0785
www.newstreetgrill.co.uk/020 3503 0785
The last restaurant in the D&D group that I reviewed was The Angler in the South Place Hotel complex; it was excellent and went on to gain a Michelin star. So when Fiona and I were invited to review the New St Grill in the Old Bengal Warehouse just off Bishopsgate in an alley throbbing with the energy of young city suits letting off steam, my interest was piqued.
Fiona and I kicked the evening off at the neighbouring Old Bengal Bar. As well as serving well-blended cocktails they were running a swing dance class which was a lot of fun. The head barman is a bit of a star and should be watched. We then sauntered into the adjoining New St Grill; it’s a stripped-down take on a classic grill room such as the Savoy Grill with unvarnished wood-panelling giving a warm feel to the room.
We started with a shared portion of Dressed Cornish Crab (£13); it was fresh and prepared just like they do at Billingsgate but no worse for that. The sommelier suggested that we had a glass of Cotes de Gascon Cuvée Jean-Paul, Payes de Cotes de Gascogne, 2013. (£5.50) 175ml. The wine was acidic and for me undrinkable.
My pan-fried 400g Dover Sole (£36) was meaty with a good taste-an example of what a grill room really needs to be able to deliver well. The accompanying Béarnaise sauce was recently made and suitably rich but with enough acidity from the vinegar and flavour from the tarragon and chervil to cut through.
However Fiona’s 35 dry aged Belted Galloway Sirloin (£30) looked more like a ribeye and was both fattier than a sirloin should be and tough.
Triple Cooked Chips were crisp if not as floury on the inside as I like (£3.50) but the Garden Salad (£4.25) was fine.
A shared portion of White Chocolate Mousse, watermelon granita, Madeleine (£7) was an excellent dessert. The white chocolate mousse was rich without being too sweet and given a cool summer’s lift by the granita. The manager brought us each a glass of Monbazillac Domaine de Grange Neuve {500ml £22} was lovely with notes of ripe apricots. With a couple of mistakes made with our orders the quality of both service and food at The New St Grill could be more consistent and probably needs to at this price point which sits a little below its top-end competitors. With a bit of tweaking and generosity of spirit it might be possible.