Northbank

As an Arsenal fan, I am hardly likely to come to a restaurant named after the famous old stand at Highbury with anything other than a warm fuzzy feeling. That they give sticks of old fashioned rock away at the reception can only be a good sign of what is to come.

And the food and location are certainly great: even on a miserable, wet March lunchtime, the view across the Thames to Bankside and the Globe is still a fine one. No, the thing that stops this being better is that, like a number of other restaurants (think L’Anima and Trishna), the noise seems to amplify down the room. It didn’t help that we were next to a table of penguin-suited Colonel Blimps complete with their home-counties, horse-faced wives and their headache inducing shout-talking, but harsh walls make for loud noises.

The restaurant itself is down by the no-longer-wobbly bridge, on a stretch of pavement where joggers jog (and, much to Mrs Horse-Face’s amusement, bend over and stretch, arse to the restaurant), right on the river. It has an outside area that, like almost every other terrace nowadays, would be great in the summer but for the fug of cigarette smoke. There is a bar area, a small corridor (where we were sat with the Blimps) and then a larger area, where the noise seems to dissipate. The walls are papered with the same design as the menus, and features scenes of the City: the skyline, a mugging and tramps on a bench, being but a sampler. A “talking point” as our waiter put it.

The food is proper comfort food, done properly well: smoked eel was excellently smoky and came with traditional horseradish and beetroot; confit duck rillettes was fatty and rich; and the celeriac pannacotta was one of the best celeriac dishes ever. Mains continued well, with a huge courgette croquette and super-comforting slow cooked pigs cheeks with trufffled puy lentils. In fact, the only dish that didn’t hit the exact spot was the cod, which was buried under too much tomato gloop.

Other than the Blimps, the lunchtime crowd is pretty much what you’d expect around here: suited and booted, traders on a long lunch and parties of PAs.

Service is fine, efficient without you getting the feeling that they are trying to push extras on you or push you out the door.

So go for the food, but don’t sit in the narrow corridor immediately to the right of the door, move further in, stick to the bar or sit outside and enjoy the smoke.

I think the enjoyment of a meal out for two largely depends on who you invited and what kind of day you’ve had. But when you have 42 friends for lunch, like we had last week, you’re totally in the hands of the restaurant’ staff. I can honestly say, Northbank far exceeded my expectations in every respect. The food was brilliant, as always, the sun was shining on their wonderful terrace (okay we were lucky there) and the staff were absolutely first rate. As host, I kept an occasionally eye out and saw how hard they worked – and always with a smile. These guys really know what they’re doing. Northbank with it’s wonderful riverside views is a happy mix of upmarket, quirky, stylish and friendly. The head chef’s wife, by the way, makes unbelievably good cakes for events.

Despite lunching alongside two very large parties during the festive season, we were very pleasantly surprised by the level and attentiveness of service. The food was excellent (I echo a previous review about the shoulder of beef – comfort food at its best!) although we could have used a wee bit of prompting from the staff regarding extra dishes with our main courses; both would have been even better with a vegetable dish or two. The only gripe I have is the usage of paper tablecloths (yuk!) which given the menu and the ambience of the restaurant, did not really sit that well at all. That will not prevent me from a return visit, nor from highly recommending it to others.

The chicken liver & fois gras parfait was magnificent (ordered extra toast!!) amongst an overall well presented menu. The service was very good, and the view at sunset was remarkable. I'd highly recommend this restaurant.

Was back again yesterday at this old favourite. I have been here too many times to mention, but this is the first time I have written a review. In my opinion this place is getting better!

The service is always excellent, Christian(owner) and his team are great, always on hand but never in your face. The food is always great, there are always keenly priced specials, but with the main menu being so keenly priced as well I always go á la carte.

Yesterday I had a great braised shoulder of beef with button onions, mushrooms and mash. Something to fill you up on a cold day. The meat was tender but not falling apart, the mash silky smooth and had a ton of herbs running through it, the gravy rich and velvety and packed with red wine and solid stock. It was exactly what I needed.

The restaurant itself has stayed very pretty since it opened, it has not aged and is a great place for drinks after work or a romantic dinner (get one of the booths) – I like it so much I even had my engagement party there!!

I had a glass of Rosé yesterday (suggested by Christian) which would not have been my first choice, but it was great – light, crispy and fruity. it cut through the rich beef and was the perfect partner. Chateau du Galoupet is from provence, and I have not found it anywhere else as yet.

I could go on all day about this restaurant (and generally do), but when you find a place you like that treats you like family I think you should rave about it. Oh and before I go – try the hogs pudding with apple (starter not desert) it is great!!!

We visited today for Mothers day. Service was relaxed but in a nice way and the staff charming. There was a three course meal on offer for £17.95 per head, I had fois gras and chicken liver parfait as a starter, with chutney and toasted bread, the portion was huge, but was tasty. My fellow diners had a salmon and prawn cocktail, which I was told was also good. For main, I had sausage and mash, struggled to pick my main course, as selection a little limited. Main was tasty and again big portion. For dessert I had strawbeery pavlova, which was the only thing that let the meal down.

Overall, great restaurant, I would be happy to recommend, not stupidly priced and felt like good value for the food, which was overall good quality, views all good also!

Absolutely fantastic food and the views are amazing! A hidden gem.