db Eats: The Corner Room

Last February, Portuguese-born chef Nuno Mendes upped sticks from his Michelin-starred mothership Viajante at the Town Hall Hotel to join hip hotelier André Balazs at his white hot new opening Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone.

To heal the wound, the hotel’s Singaporean owner Loh Lik Peng enlisted the help of Jason Atherton to oversee the launch of Viajante 2.0 – the Typing Room, run by Atherton’s flame-haired protégé Lee Westcott, and its more laid back little sister, the Corner Room, steered by John Christie of Hibiscus and El Celler de Can Roca fame.

The 30-cover restaurant is light and airy and has something of a classroom feel to it. Walls are white and polished floors wooden. Industrial lights hang nonchalantly from a rail at varying heights, lending the space an arty feel, while an open fireplace and flower displays add warmth to the room.

The lighting is perhaps a tad bright for a Tuesday night – a dimmer switch would have come in handy as it feels like we’re on display, but the atmosphere is convivial, the room full of thirty-something media types keen to impress their friends/girlfriends/Tinder dates.

Mackerel with smoked passionfruit

We begin with a sharpener at the super cool bar, Peg + Patriot, run by liquid wizard Matt Whiley. Perusing the crazy cocktail list, I notice that it’s changed dramatically since the bar opened last May, with only a select few of the originals remaining on its latest incarnation. I’m pleased to see it switched up, as Whiley thrives on change.

I kicked off with a sprightly Young Cuban, which blended Bacardi with Tio Pepe, orgeat, dill and lemon in a dazzling display of balance and brilliance, blending sweet, savoury, sour and tangy flavours in an aromatic, appetite-whetting drop that disappeared quickly from the glass.

Before heading upstairs, I squeezed in a cheeky twist on a Manhattan – the Super Soaker, which weaved watermelon, vermouth and bitters around a Woodford Reserve Bourbon base.

Anxious that the watermelon may overwhelm, my fears were assuaged at first sip, which delivered a bittersweet symphony of sophistication strong enough to send me into the night warm and replete, but there was dinner to be had.

Appetite fully whetted, my dining companion and I dived into generous hunks of sourdough and salted Jersey butter without a thought for the devastation it may wreak on both our appetites and our waistlines.

Beef tartare hiding behind a layer of lardo

The menu changes every three weeks depending on what’s in season, with main courses featuring at least one key ingredient sourced from the UK.

Like the Typing Room, the Corner Room has made good use of its smoker, and seems keen to fling anything that doesn’t move into the contraption. Intrigued by the sound of smoked passion fruit, I ordered the mackerel, which came with a sunshine yellow pool of the stuff.

One of the overriding themes at the Corner Room is the attention paid to texture, which elevates the dishes to a heightened realm of interest and complexity.

The was mackerel brought to life by crunchy baby radishes and chunks of cucumber. But while the fish was flappingly fresh, the passion fruit only provided a whispering hint of smoke rather than an enveloping shroud, making me wish that they’d shoved the mackerel into the smoker instead.

Curried monkfish

My companion’s steak tartare however, proved the highlight of the night, sending me into an emerald-eyed fit of envy to the point where I insisted that we go halves.

The curls of flesh-pink beef were folded with crunchy hazelnuts like treasures in an Easter egg hunt in an ensemble made all the more magnificent by a glistening coating of egg yolk.

There was an iodine urgency to the dish that spoke to a primal side of me. I’d happily return to devour a double-sized portion.

The Château Minuty “M de Minuty” 2013 Provençal rosé recommended by our indecently good looking, generously-inked, black-clad sommelier proved an inspired union, the creamy texture of the rosé amplifying the pleasure of the nut-flecked beef.

For the main event I chose the curried monkfish tail with carrots, coconut and kaffir lime leaves, which transported me somewhere warm and exotic on this bone-chilling January night. The spice was thoughtfully handled, providing heat and interest but never going further than suggestion, allowing the moist, meaty monkfish to shine.

Bramley apple with anise and salted caramel

Texture came into play in a big way, the discs of crunchy carrot breaking up the softness of the fish and creamy coconut.

Proving the restaurant is willing to take risks with its ambitiously curt wine list, my accompanying white, a 2013 dry Tokaji from Château Derezla, was rich, rounded and robust from time spent both on its lees and in barrel. The prickly pear and citrus notes it offered were complemented by a nutty finish in a zingy, zippy mouthful.

Keen for something sweet and soothing to finish, I was recommended the Corner Room’s signature dessert – Bramley apple with salted caramel and anise.

Theatrically served in a giant, hollowed out, frozen apple, the sorbet-like, aniseed-laced apply foam spewing forth from the top was a thing of wonder, made all the more moreish by ribbons of salted caramel weaved throughout, the impish interplay of sweet and sour a joy to the taste buds.

While the mackerel failed to light my fire, the Corner Room has much to recommend it. Dishes are daring and largely succeed in their mission to surprise and delight.

With three courses for just £23, I defy you to find a better value lunch offering in London for Michelin-quality dishes in a relaxed, informal environment. Take someone you’re keen to impress without having to push the proverbial boat out, and make sure you order the tartare.

The Corner Room at the Town Hall Hotel, Patriot Square, London E2 9NF; lunch: two courses £19, three courses £23.