Emma McAlpine finds the food at new ETM opening thoughtfully executed and tasty, if not mind-blowing.
With its forest green exterior and old-fashioned outdoor lamps, Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is a welcome beacon of warmth on Chiswell Street, a rather charmless area of Moorgate, home to the imposing glass towers of JP Morgan, Slaughter and May and more randomly, PC World.
The latest opening from gastro pub virtuosos Ed and Tom Martin (who also own The Botanist in Sloane Square), is ironically in an area once populated by my fellow people (impoverished journalists). Now it's the work place of the city slicker. It should come as no suprise then that the place is full of them and I can't help but feel decidedly casual in jeans and a t-shirt. "Would you like a drink at the bar?", shouts the helpful front of house, struggling to make himself heard over the din of braying suits. "Um, I think we'll just go straight to the table thanks, it looks a bit busy!", I yell back.
Once seated in the dining area – thankfully a much calmer space, with cream wood-panelled walls and comfy leather seats – my friend and I relax and kick off with some excellent cocktails, including a refreshing 'Prudence' martini, made with Sipsmith Gin, elderflower liqueur, cucumber and thyme. The all-day menu is very similar to The Botanist's; ticking every possible hunger box from breakfast to brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, pre/post theatre and supper. "It screams 'Pride of Britain'", my friend muses, as almost every ingredient is prefixed by an English location from 'Preston Hall bramley apple and celeriac soup' to 'Nutbourne Farm tomato and red onion salad'. I can't quite decide if it's overkill or helpful sourcing details but either way most things sound delicious.
I opt for the crisp pig’s head, ham hock and Lincolnshire smoked eel salad to start (£8), an unexpectedly intricate and gloriously textured dish. The 'salad' was in fact creamy spoonfuls of smoked eel and celeriac, served with little pressed rounds of ham hock, minute cubes of savoury jelly and crispy balls of brawn that had been coated in breadcrumbs. I definitely have the better salad starter, as my friend's poached purple artichokes with soft-boiled quail’s eggs, endive and mustard aioli (£7.50), is disappointingly bland; with artichoke hearts so overcooked they taste like they're tinned.
Our main courses are more consistent. I have the (native Scottish) lobster and king prawn risotto (£19), which is rich, buttery and perfectly al dente, with a pleasing orangey colour indicating a good quality shellfish stock, and topped with sweet, succulent meat. My friend has the 35 day-aged Aberdeen Angus rib-eye steak. She is recommended to have this 'medium rare' which I find slightly vexing, as how you have your steak is a personal choice and one I'd like to make myself, at the princely sum of £27. She obliges however, and it is juicy, tender and full of flavour. Her chips are a bit bog standard (I think the triple-cooked fad might have spoiled me) but it's a small glitch in an otherwise happy course.
We're very tempted to have the tarte tartin for two to finish, but – to get a better scope of the desserts – we end up ordering both a summer and sticky toffee pudding (£6.50 each). My friend again draws the short straw with an overly tart summer pudding, which instead of being a lovely crimson colour throughout, contains lumps of white bread, bereft of the essential berry juice to soak it up. Luckily we're sharing, as my sticky toffee pud is a gooey, caramely delight and the salted peanut ice cream is so good I think it might have knocked pistachio off my 'top nut-flavoured ice cream' spot.
I expect if I worked in the city (and had the salary to match), I'd be very content heading to Chiswell Dining Rooms for a business lunch or long post-work drink. It's buzzy to say the least, there's an impressive wine list, terrific cocktails and the food – courtesy of former Groucho head chef Richard O'Connell – is, on the whole, thoughtfully executed and tasty. But, for the more cash-strapped and adventurous of heart, it's not quite enough to go out of your way for.
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