Last Updated on February 21, 2024
The Best of British at Chiswell Street Dining Rooms
The Brewery in Chiswell Street, home to some stellar restaurants, bars and events spaces including Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, is a Grade II listed venue on the site of the former Whitbread Brewery which closed in 1976 after 225 years of operation. We love visiting – Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is a real favourite, with its comfy bar area and with a cosy and friendly panelled restaurant serving what I’d describe as contemporary European food with a British heritage twist. The Dining Rooms were closed for refurbishment for a while and when they reopened, we had planned to visit until an unexpected issue forced another short closure. Now though, they are back up to speed and we were delighted to have the chance to return and try their seasonal menu. The warm green panelled interior is the perfect foil for tasteful Christmas decorations and the Dining Rooms had an almost Dickensian, though with contemporary wood tables and leather upholstered chairs bringing everything into the 21st Century.
The bar was packed when we arrived with guests getting ready for an event at the main Brewery next door, so we went straight through to the Dining Room area. If I have one regret it’s not trying the anchovy toast, which is offered as a snack, along with things like lovage pesto and sourdough or artichoke dip with breadsticks. And of course, oysters. I do like menus where there’s a snack offering in addition to a full starter. It’s perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to overindulge, but can’t bear sitting and watching everyone else eating! Or, if you are just waiting for someone in the party who has been delayed.
As it was, it didn’t take us long to pick our food from the menu and order. We both opted for fish starters, but my companion chose lamb for her main course. We wanted to share a bottle of wine so asked for help picking a white wine that would be robust enough to work with all our food.
The Broglia, La Meirana Gavi di Gavi, 2020 was a great choice from the bar manager – a well-rounded white that worked equally well with our fish dishes and was robust enough to pair with my companion’s lamb.
Her treacle-cured Scottish salmon came with an accompaniment of honey and ginger and with lightly pickled heritage beets and radish. Thick cut and full of flavour, the treacle cure added a distinctive tang to the dish.
I love scallops and don’t order them nearly enough. My seared Cornish scallops (there were three in the shell) came with a delicious, light celeriac puree and morsels of fresh apple to provide textural interest, while the burnt apple puree to the side added a sweet richness. I greatly preferred the delicate and light celeriac puree to the more traditional pea version.
The ‘slow cooked Scottish Black Face lamb shoulder’ with parsnip mash, heritage carrots and red wine jus was the star dish – a melting steak of lamb that fell apart under the fork but still had a wonderful caramelised finish and a real depth of flavour.
The ‘Chiswell bouillabaisse’ was spot on for me, with a rich shellfish broth and generous helpings of hake, prawns, mussels and more. The trick with bouillabaisse is to find a way to make a rich broth without overcooking the fish and this one certainly hit the spot.
We were both quite full by now, but the lure of the dessert menu was too much to resist. With most of the desserts priced at £9.50 (just the Hackney Gelato is cheaper), your only considerations are going to be what tempts you most and (if you are trying to manage your calories) which is likely to be the least likely to offer a month or more on the hips! Well, gentle reader, we abandoned all worries about calories and went for the very tempting Damson Bakewell and ‘Glenn’s sticky toffee pudding’. The later was a delicious and lighter version, with small ‘sticky toffee puddings’ accompanied by fabulous Chantilly cream, a sticky toffee butterscotch sauce a few slices of caramelised orange and some shards of peel with some nutty morsels of pumpkin granola to add textural interest. Given we were sharing desserts, I loved the presentation of this dish – and the lighter version was welcome.
Damsons are a type of heritage plum. Sharper than many varieties, they are a good foil for the sweet almond crumble of a Bakewell tart. With a scoop of delicious vanilla ice cream, this was another winning pudding, perfect for a late autumn dinner.
We finished the meal with coffee before heading home with full bellies and a good dose of Christmas cheer. I’m a big fan of Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, for the food and the ambience and for the exemplary service. It’s a restaurant where you can enjoy food at reasonable prices (starters are all under £15 and mains are mostly between £20 and £30. The kitchen produces some excellent offerings that make you remember why you’ve opted to explore. We love the use of predominantly British seasonal produce in ways that reflect contemporary European cooking – a great place for a date, a work dinner or just to meet up with friends.
Chiswell Street Dining Rooms
56 Chiswell St,
Barbican
London EC1Y 4SA
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