Farm to table dining
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| Grilled Octopus Salad |
When Sea Containers opened back in 2014, all the press were interested in the name of the restaurant and the hotel that "contained" the restaurant. I am a much more simpler guy, I am only interested in the quality of the cooking, the cost and the service level in a restaurant, everything else are secondary. Sea Containers is head up by Gus Crosby (Ex Launceston Place and Gordon Ramsay), and the restaurant champion local ingredients to provide modern British cuisine in a luxury setting, overlooking the river Thames. The menu is pretty straight forward, from salads, burger to grills, but don't just think this is another fancy bar and grill restaurant.
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| Warm Goat’s Cheese & Beetroot Salad |
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| Bream, brill, prawns ceviche |
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| Raw scallop, ginger and sesame |
The warm goat’s cheese & beetroot salad was a simple but clever dish, the charred cheese added a lovely smoked and creamy texture which paired well with the lightness of the beetroot. I was a fan of the raw scallops, finely sliced in a ginger and sesame dressing, the nutty and spicy tone blended in nicely with the sweetness of the scallops. The lemon sole was cooked to the perfect level, it was moist and finely seasoned with black pepper and capers. The braised short ribs were also excellent, tender and bold in taste, worked like a treat with the crisp taste of the Jerusalem artichokes. The only real low point was the triple cooked chips, as it was very dry and lacking the crispy texture and made me suspect the chips were reheated.
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| Lemon Sole |
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| Braised Short Ribs |
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| Carrot cake |
While our waiter suggested the menu was designed to be shared with the whole table, like tapas, I actually think the dishes would have worked better in a classic 3 course style. The price plus the portion of the dishes seemed more appropriate for such format. My dinner at Sea Containers turned out to be better than I expected, the quality of the cooking was generally at a pretty high standard, good ingredients and great favourite execution. My only issue would be the cost, with a special 50% off offer, my meal still costed me over £30 just for food and I guess that we were also paying for the hotel mark up, as well as the view of the River Thames.
Food 3/5
What I paid:
£43pp with a cocktail
Average cost without drinks and services:
£40pp
20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PD, UK
http://www.seacontainersrestaurant.com/
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