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Lunch near Tower Hill?


sandra

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Hi Gavin,

my friend just moved offices to East Smithfield and I was looking for something to take her to - so far she has found nothing...other than the Thistle! So anything, really, other than a BK or McD!

thanks

www.nutropical.com

~Borojo~

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The Tower Thistle is deeply grim - don't do it.

Between E Smithfield and the TT there are a couple of places. Aquarium, at the end of a row of twee shops in St Katherine's Dock is an OK, albeit expensive, fish restaurant. Don't bother with the bar upstairs. Had some good food here in the past.

There is also a lightship (called, I think, Lightship 10) moored in the dock at the back of the TT. I've only been once but again the food was pretty good.

There are a number of other places but these are the closest to East Smithfield.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Has The Vestry shut?

Gavin

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Gavin, I can't figure out The Vestry's opening times. Smollensky's in Wapping High St is better than just OK. Very pleasant space, good views and very passable hamburgers and steaks. On the road that runs alongside the tower Bridge approach is a Davey's Wine Bar which does passable lunchtime fare.

There's a Chez Gerrard on Trinity Square and a Foxtrot Oscar further along that parade whidh are both OK for a City type lunch, but no more.

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I lived just off Tower Hill until eight months ago, so these recommendations might be a bit out of date. The Vestry can be good, is always weird. Lighthouse 10 is good but only acceptable value-wise if you stick to the set menu (which is fine), as the a la carte is overpriced. Haven't tried Acquarium myself but hear good reports. That's about it in the immediate area unless you cross Tower Bridge.

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Forgot about Cafe Spice Namaste which is a short walk away in Prescott St. I haven't been there for a couple of years and whenever I did go I found it wildly variable with some marvellous dishes and some absolute duds.

Its probably the most interesting restaurant in the vicinity (I haven't been to Aquarium or Lighthouse 10).

Edited by Tonyfinch (log)
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Thanks very much for all the responses - today we ended up having a "liquid" lunch at The Mint - which is across the street from her - but we walked around and checked out the other choices - clearly, we must try them all....

www.nutropical.com

~Borojo~

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Just came back from a family trip to London and were stumped for a place to eat lunch after our morning visit to the Tower. There didn't seem to many choices around that would please everybody -- then we remembered reading about the cafe at the Tate modern so we took the tube to Blackfriars and walked across the Millenium Bridge, which itself was worth the minor schlep. We had a lovely lunch at the Tate cafe, looking out the windows toward St. Paul's.

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If you don't hate Conran, you can walk over Tower Bridge to his Gastrodome...several restaurants of varying quality. My favourite is the Blueprint Cafe - fabulous views!

Gav

"A man tired of London..should move to Essex!"

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That was also an option (I don't hate Conran, though I don't love him, either) but we wanted to visit the Globe theater anyway so it worked out well. Lunch at the Tate was one of our best lunches and they even have a reasonably priced kids' menu, that includes a beverage and dessert, for something like 5.75 gbp.

In general we found lunch to be the toughest meal to plan for. One day we ate at Cafe in the Crypt, after getting tickets at Leicester Sq and visiting the Nat'l Portrait Gallery. Three of us thought it was great, two of us thought it was mediocre. After lunch the kids had a great time working on brass rubbings.

By far our best lunch was on our last day -- Beccofino.

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  • 4 weeks later...

More than decent dinner at Aquarium last night. The pretty setting in St. Katherine Dock makes up for the fairly basic interior. This is a fish restaurant run by a Swedish couple, with a Latino bandido as greeter and a very Gallic server from Alsace who has worked at Le Gavroche.

This place proclaims its Green credentials-tuna from Oman, not the Med; using pollock instead of cod; no warm water or dredger caught prawns; and generally using fish in ample supply- pollock, zander, Swedish perch. Arctic char, wild salmon only from Alaska etc.

A blip in service saw our main courses bought one minute after our starter plates had been cleared and before our second bottle of Alsace Gerwurz, which came up too warm and had to chill for 10 minutes in the ice bucket before it could be drunk. It was only a genuinely felt apology from our chap from Colmar which prevented me from deducting at least some of the included "non-obligatory" 12.5% service charge.

That, and the fact that the food was very nice. A starter of Ballotine of Gravad Lax with Dill Salad and Smoked Cod's Roe was artfully presented on a rectangular plate. The home cured lax came in a round chunk and was subtle and refined and paired well with the salty tang of the roe.

Another starter of Roast Scallops (4 scallops in an indented plate divided into four compartments) came with Celeriac Puree and Cachel Blue (an Irish cheese) and Port Reduction. Four lovely little mouthfuls.

Main courses of Roast Pollock with Prawn and Thyme Mash and Sauce Bois Boudrin (a kind of ketchup/mustard/vinegar jobbie-nicer than it sounds) and Roast Zander with Truffle Potatoes Oyster Sauce and Braised Salsifies both had lovely melt in your mouth fish but were a little tentative on the seasoning. I couldn't taste any trace of truffle, or oyster in the cream sauce (although two fried oysters sat atop the fish), and the prawn and thyme mash, though creamy and yummy, showed a very light hand with the thyme. Maybe its that I eat so much assertively seasoned food that I now find light touch stuff bordering on the bland.

Place was half full on a Friday night. It would definitely be worth going in hot weather to eat outside on the terrace (though I'm not sure if you can in the evenings because of noise restrictions-the server said you could but when we tried to eat here last Summer we were told you could only eat outside at lunchtimes-maybe they changed it)

Two pre starters ( a sightly salty coffeee cup of lobster soup) two starters, two mains , two bottles-£101 inc. service.

Edited by Tonyfinch (log)
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