Angler
Moorgate, London
The South Place at Moorgate is a contemporary City hotel on which no expense has been begrudged. For views of London's skyline and its recognisable, gasp-inducing landmarks you need to be able to ascend higher than the seventh (top) floor, where Angler awaits; the outlook is to office buildings and the sky. The spacious L-shaped restaurant doesn't feel like a hotel dining room: natural light streams in from big plate glass windows, there’s a glass-covered terrace at one end and a private dining room at the other. The overall effect is calming and tasteful, helped by muted colour schemes. As the name indicates, seafood is chef Gary Foulkes' first love, and the level of achievement is impressively high: ‘as good as always,’ one reader attests; ‘remarkable fish cookery,’ declares another. There are four choices per course on the main carte, perhaps starting with lobster ravioli partnered by an Orkney scallop in orange and basil, ahead of Cornish monkfish with surf clams, asparagus and hand-rolled rigatoni. Seasonings and textures work in striking harmony, seen again in a pairing of turbot with squid-ink noodles in bonito dashi, a clutch of Japanese mushrooms upping the umami quotient. There is the odd meat dish for those not in the mood for fish, and desserts are definitely worth hanging around for, especially when PBC (peanut, banana, chocolate, of course) or a bouquet of sorbets might come your way. Wines by the glass (from £9) could do with a little more varietal scope, but the main list is full of plutocratic authority.
Dining Information:
Accommodation, Separate bar, Wheelchair access
South Place Hotel, 3 South Place, Moorgate EC2M 2AF
020 3215 1260
