Westminster – in the strict sense of the area around the Abbey – has traditionally been home to the back offices of church and state, plus a surprisingly large number of flats for what used to be called the working classes. It doesn’t sound like fertile restaurant-territory, and it isn’t. The past few years, though, have seen a housing boom – or, rather pieds-Ã -terre boom – which is transforming the area’s demographics.
Until recently, the restaurant scene had failed to reflect these developments, with Quirinale and the Cinnamon Club the only places of any note at all. Both of these are too pricey, though, to be considered natural ‘drop-ins’, even for the area’s relatively affluent newcomers.
Today’s restaurant already looks like a canny move by an investor who, as it turns out, is based in Hong Kong. Occupying a corner site on the major development centred on the new Home Office, it’s a surprisingly elegant affair, which would look quite at home in Knightsbridge. The biggest surprise, though, was that – just three weeks after opening, on a Monday night in August – it was already pretty busy.
The place’s instant popularity may in part be attributed to its filling a gaping hole in the market, but our food was pretty good. Chef Sousa Tam hails from Macau, and aims to put a slightly European spin on the presentation of what is essentially a Japanese menu (including pretty good sushi and sashimi). There were two ‘signature’ dishes we particularly enjoyed: crispy prawn nest with roast pineapple, and marble beef with hot oil, chives and ponzu, both notably elegantly presented.
A decent list of cocktails and wines completes what already looks set to be a winning package, in a part of town where further favourable developments seem very much on the cards.
