Neighbouring Fenchurch Street station, a bright new Turkish/Mediterranean brasserie; it is obviously handy for travellers, but makes a good place for an informal City lunch too.
Right by Fenchurch Street station, this shiny new brasserie sells itself as a ‘Mediterranean Grill & Bar’, which is rather odd as its menu is essentially Turkish. Nothing wrong with that: if you’re looking for light and tasty food at good-value prices, Turkish is as good as any. It may not aspire to being great gastronomy, but if you’re looking for a quick lunch before the 15.00 to Shoeburyness, that’s hardly a major consideration.
Our own quick lunch here suggested that the food can rival such benchmark establishments as the Pimlico-and-City Kazans, and we inferred some sort of blessing from the presence on a nearby table of a City-boy friend of ours who happens to be Turkish. Prices are reasonable. Baking – be it of flatbreads or pastries – seemed something of a highlight.
Downsides? The service could be sharpened up, although this may just have been a feature of early-days. An issue that’s unlikely to go away, though, is the hard-edged and tightly-packed interior, which makes for a rapidly-escalating noise level as the place fills up.
So it’s for ‘off-peak’ lunching and dining that the place can most safely be recommended.
