Boiler & Co

A rotating tasting menu residency and flights of whiskey cocktails - Boiler & Co is already an intriguing proposition before you get to the front door. Kerth Gumbs turned heads as the restaurant’s debut resident chef - his Caribbean-inspired tasting menu, alongside founder Adam Carr’s smart cocktail pairings, put Boiler & Co firmly on London’s restaurant radar.

Now it’s the turn of highly respected Jitin Joshi, whose illustrious career has taken him all over the world, from At.Mosphere at the top of the Burj Khalifa, to Michelin-starred turns at Gymkhana and Benares in London. At Boiler & Co he teams with Carr on a tasting menu that celebrates their worldly journeys, moving course-to-course through the flavours of Singapore, Dubai, Italy and more. The result is a series of dishes that feel a little disjointed, but still very tasty; there’s torched mackerel with marinated tomatoes, a smoky lamb chop with a drizzle of honey and the crunch of lettuce leaf, then we’re straight into whole deep-fried soft shell crab, and a carbonara arancini.

Those who don’t like whiskey be warned: Boiler and Co will likely change your mind. An English 75 - based on the French, but with the addition of King’s Ginger liqueur - instantly converted any doubters on the table. Pairings can often feel a bit superfluous, but at Boiler & Co they mostly came off, the highlight being a curry leaf daiquiri that mingled perfectly with the fiery Singapore crab.

We ate in Boiler & Co’s new upstairs bar area, which lifts you up above the buzzy atmosphere of the main bar and dining room. Upstairs is all cool blues, banquette seating and a dedicated bar (with a 5am license, no less); this area tends to be reserved as a bar and private events space, whilst downstairs is more of a traditional restaurant. Throw in a spacious outdoor terrace and Boiler & Co has all the ingredients to be a big success in Southwark.

Boiler & Co at Bankside is a gastro-centric restaurant and cocktail bar that focuses in equal measure on the craft of its mixologists and the skill of its kitchen team. The menu consists of small, eye-catching plates using contemporary cooking methods. The ingredients used are all deeply rooted in British soil, using local suppliers wherever it can, while the flavours and dishes take inspiration from across the world. Expect to sample dishes such as baked aubergine with red pepper and olive tapenade topped with basil pangritata and micro herbs, pork chops finished with apricot marmalade, pimento and sherry vinaigrette and grilled bass stuffed with orange and thyme, harissa pecan salsa and a shaved fennel salad - all of which are cooked over a robata grill. 

The a la carte menu includes options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so if you're visiting in the morning, you'll be able to order things like avocado on toast with a poached egg, chilli pecan crumble and sumac, and souffle style pancakes with honey, berries and mascarpone.

The story behind the drinks stems from founders Adam Carr and Cesar Breton’s love for caramel-coloured beverages and the boilers they were initially brewed in: think beer, whiskey and coffee. Wanting to showcase just how versatile these drinks really are, the beverage program features an array of house cocktails that hero locality, sustainability, and creativity. Many of the cocktails at Boiler & Co feature whiskey in place of the usual spirit, such as Margaritas, Martinis and Daiquiris. 

The name Boiler & Co draws inspiration from the steaming boilers found in boiler houses connection to the processes that happen in breweries, distilleries and coffee roasters. Boiler & Co also considers itself an advocate and practitioner of sustainable and ethical business initiatives, such as offering a London living wage certification, social initiatives and a hyper-local supply chain.