On an unexpectedly sunny day I was lucky to get a same day table for lunch at the OXO Tower Brasserie (you’ll appreciate how scarce outdoor tables are in London on days like these). I have dined here perhaps three times, although not for over a year, and was intrigued to find out if the food was as consistently good as I remember. Hands respectfully sanitised, we took the lift to the 8th floor, where all indoor tables were abandoned, in favor of their al fresco counterparts. The outdoor atmosphere could do with some work (music would be nice) but the view is spectacular, an uninterrupted skyline, the river before you and St Pauls in the distance.
We were both very hungry, so moderation went out the window – as it should for a Sunday lunch, and we enjoyed four plates and eight cocktails between ourselves for lunch, all of great quality. They were:
Caesar salad, creamed chicken croquette, smoked anchovies, caper berries. A genius idea, and a combination of two of my favourite things: Croquettes, and Caesar dressing. A salad in the loosest sense of the word, more an artfully plated set of ingredients, with an enticing combination both flavours and textures, some of which happen to be vegetables. The smoked anchovies were a delicious touch, as were the caperberries. Ultimately though, it was the giant croquette that was the star of the show. Crisp, soft, and generous in size, for what on paper could easily be an unremarkable starter, this “chicken Caesar” did not disappoint.
Josper roasted home cured duck breast and rillette, watercress salad. I love fatty meats with fruit, and the duck was cut beautifully with the sweetness and acidity of sharp green apple. This was another pretty, well thought out plate, packed with flavour and texture. The apple was an inspired touch – adding enough sweetness and acidity to both cut and compliment the fat. The rillette (one of my many favourite things) was perfectly seasoned, with my only criticism being the whole thing desperately needed a hunk of bread to go with it.
(Four cocktails later…)
Roasted salmon, Violetta potato and olive oil mash, slow cooked tomato with grilled asparagus, salsa. Easy on the eye and even better on the palate – a plate full of crowd pleasers a pop of (purple) mash potato, a perfectly cooked salmon fillet, buttery rosemary grilled asparagus, and a satisfying mound of salsa Verde. Okay, salmon, potato, and asparagus aren’t going to win points for originality, but you can taste the quality of the ingredients and the skill of the hand that cooked them.
Grilled prawns, pickled shitake mushroom mayonnaise, compressed wasabi pickled cucumber. Packed with lime, chilli, peppers and wasabi, a bright, fresh, exotic plate with a generous portion of big juicy prawns. Think a carnival on a plate and a feast for the eyes – reds and greens punctuated with dollops of creamy mushroom mayonnaise and cripsy shards of lotus root.
(No dessert, just more cocktails…)
I’ve never had a bad meal at OXO tower. The food is consistent, faultless, and delicious without being pretentious. On a sunny day and in good company, could do worse than be seated on the 8th floor of the OXO, enjoying their eclectic menu and the fantastic view. Will I return? Absolutely, and I’ll be sure to do so whilst the good weather lasts.
Sabrina Goodlife.