Rating:★★★★☆

Address: 10 Bread Street London, EC4M 9AJ

Telephone: +44 (2)0 3030 4050

https://www.breadstreetkitchen.com/home

Having been caught up with work lately, I booked Bread Street Kitchen for a meal with P and M simply because it was a OpenTableUK top-rated restaurant, and I have not read up on the restaurant after making the booking.

Located in One New Change, Bread Street Kitchen perfectly embodies the East London chic, being housed in a large, elaborate warehouse-like space spanning two floors with a bar on the first floor and a restaurant on the second. The ambience was casual and upbeat, and the staff were energetic and friendly.

The menu was limited but creative dishes could be found, and the food was consistently delicious. One thing that struck me though, was how quickly this kitchen churned out dishes – I was thinking to myself that it seemed like others could now run restaurants as efficiently as Gordon Ramsay did!

Only later did I find out that Bread Street Kitchen was, in fact, yet another Ramsay establishment. I have mentioned before (see Pétrus (London) and Maze Grill (London)) that Ramsay’s restaurants are most usually not my favourite ones. Don’t get me wrong, his television shows are immensely entertaining and he is an incredibly accomplished businessman, but he does seem to have the ability to run fine-dining establishments like a fast food chain – food on the whole is accomplished and the service is accommodating, but always ruthlessly impersonal and commercial.

(1) We started off with the baked scallops with summer carrot purée and treacle bacon (£12). The scallops were wonderfully tender and juicy, and the carrot purée, which was buttery and soothing, worked brilliantly with the scallops.

(2) The roasted veal carpaccio with dill pickles, quail’s egg and tuna dressing (£12.50) was moreish. The quail’s egg was marvellously runny-yolked, and the pink-middled roasted veal carpaccio was sharp and tangy, and tasted absolutely delectable with the tuna dressing.

(3) The simple Caesar salad with pancetta and aged parmesan (£7.50) demonstrated the kitchen’s use of quality ingredients – they were perceptibly fresh, and their natural flavours made for a satisfying and refreshing salad.

(4) A salad with an innovative spark was the quinoa salad with pomegranate, cucumber, raisin, and radish (£12.50). The quinoa had a gorgeous crunch, and the pomegranate added some extra bite. The dressing, which was slightly sweet, was light and summery and the salad’s flavours were lifted by a hint of mint. I adored the salad’s symphony of beautiful colours.

(5) The steamed sea bass with braised leeks, razor clams, samphire and shellfish dressing (£18) was very well done. The sea bass was butter-soft and magnificently warm and juicy, and was lounged a bed of soft, creamy braised leeks. The shellfish dressing was infused with a remarkable rosemary taste, bringing the whole dish nicely together.

(6) On the side, I ordered a serving of macaroni cheese with garlic roasted crumbs (£4.50) as I simply could not resist this comfort food. Indulgently bathed in cheese, the macaroni was soft and fulfilling, with its deliciousness accentuated by some punchy garlic roasted crumbs.

With hearty food served in a down-to-earth, hip setting, Gordon Ramsay drew crowds to his latest haunt in St. Paul’s by ingeniously capturing the vogue of industrial chic. Bread Street Kitchen is not individualistic enough to become one of my favourite restaurants in London, but it is a fantastic place and I do give Ramsay credit for his business acumen!