Tag Archives: Canary Wharf

Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte, Canary Wharf

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There is no menu to peruse at L’Entrecote… and yet customers return again and again to experience the magical French cuisine. Their secret? Magnificent steak frites… cooked to perfection, flavoured immaculately with divinely crispy skinny chips.

Canary Wharf is not an area of London I frequent – it is a maze of tall angular buildings. My friend and I didn’t manage to locate each other for twenty minutes, both confused by the unfamiliar surroundings. When we did finally unite, we got lost again trying to find this remote branch of L’Entrecote. The casual Parisian restaurant has a shabby charm, located just by the water with a view of the industrial skyline. The staff are, unsurprisingly, French and very accommodating and sweet.

Our waitress welcomed us with their set menu: Green Salad with Walnuts to start and Trimmed Entrecote Steak “Porte Maillot” with its famous sauce and frites for main. All that is left to do is decide on how you would like your steak cooked: medium for me, rare for my guest. They run a swift operation at L’Entrecote, speedy service and super efficient. The food was all delicious, high quality and minimum fuss. Our small salads arrived promptly, light and dressed in a lovely vinegary dressing, topped with a sprinkling of crunchy walnut pieces.

The steaks are brought in two rounds, to ensure all your food arrives and remains hot. The cut is quite thin so thankfully medium wasn’t too red for me and instead was perfectly tender with each mouthful full of flavour. The meat is coated in a delicious creamy sauce (a secret recipe) – it tasted like a spicier version of Bearnaise sauce… almost like a light curry sauce! The frites are divine, soft yet crispy, light and salty. I was a little disappointed to find mayonnaise wasn’t available, but I guess that compromises authenticity. The steak is served on small plates, and when we polished off our first helping, the next was already at our side ready to be devoured.

When the time came for dessert, we were accustomed to not having much choice, and I felt a little baffled by the long list of classic French puddings. After consulting our waitress we decided on Crème Brulee and Profiteroles to share. Both were made well by an in-house pastry chef… I particularly enjoyed the Crème Brulee which was creamy, light and sweet… the Profiteroles were scrumptious too, fluffy pastry piped full of whipped cream and covered in devilish dark chocolate sauce.

A must try for steak lovers… and I imagine this Canary Wharf branch of L’Entrecote is a life-saver for overworked bankers.

Visit the website here for more information and to book.

http://www.relaisdevenise.com/city/#

Obikà, Canary Wharf

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I never thought a mozzarella restaurant bar could be healthy… the very idea is enough to make you feel full, but Obikà offers a fresh and inspired Italian menu based around this versatile ingredient.

Obikà is a new restaurant concept focussing on the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, drawing inspiration from the research of Italian recipes and artisanal products. Gaining a following initially in Rome, this international chain now has branches all over the world. The London branch is located within the maze of Canary Wharf making it the ideal place for a rushed lunchbreak, I can imagine it is a popular eatery for busy city boys.

It is obvious on arriving that mozzarella is the star of the show, different varieties bob around in tanks of water ready to be devoured by hungry visitors. We were seated and offered drinks, our enthusiastic waiter was so eager to please that the drinks delivery went completely wrong, appalled by his mistake he sweetly offered to change it all. The menu offers a variety of dishes, most involve mozzarella in some way. Obikà propose three varieties: Bufala Classica (delicate), Bufala Affumicata (naturally smoked), and Burrata (deliciously creamy). The staff gave a very comprehensive explanation of the different varieties highlighting the obvious differences, the first two varieties are made from Buffalo milk, Burrata is interestingly made from cow’s milk.

After some ardent recommendations we felt obliged to choose the tasting platter to share. It was a delicious and varied dish, a huge plate with an array of cold meats, homemade red and green pesto, fresh spinach and cherry tomatoes, a sweet aubergine caponata… and of course mozzarella! Here we were given the chance to sample all three varieties and we had differing opinions. My favourite was the Bufala Classica, a simple but delicious cheese with a soft texture. I didn’t like the smoked variety at all, finding the taste harsh and bitter but my guest preferred this one! The Burrata was an all round success, so creamy and luxurious, it was impossible not to love it.

For main I ordered a Prosciutto Crudo pizza, which is apparently the best seller. This was exceptionally light with classic mozzarella, and a generous helping of prosciutto and peppery rocket. Though fresh and tasty, I thought it was a little bland and would have appreciated some chilli oil. My guest chose a Forman’s smoked salmon salad with lamb’s lettuce, rocket, tomatoes and avocado. This salad was wholesome and attractive in a large white bowl. The avocado looked impressively ripe… a notoriously difficult fruit to find perfect… and the salmon was a beautiful shade of coral.

To finish I was delighted to see miniature desserts listed alongside the full sized potions, a brilliant idea for diners wishing a small sugar kick at the end of their meal. We shared two Italian standards – a delectable creamy Tiramisu and a chocolate and almond torte. These sweet treats were followed shortly afterwards by the finest cappuccinos I have experienced in a restaurant for a while… smooth and roasted to create a lovely nutty taste.

This was my first outing to Canary Wharf, a part of London that I found very alien… judging by the environment, I can imagine Obikà to be a great asset to this area. Hopefully as word of mouth spreads about this fresh and healthy cuisine Obikà will develop the menu to offer even more inventive mozzarella dishes.

Visit the website here.