our review
THE LOWDOWN: Ed and Tom Martin (The Gun, The Botanist, amongst others) have opened a modern British restaurant and bar on the former site of the Whitbread Brewery. Situated close to the Barbican Centre where there is little competition on the food front, the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms have been buzzing since they opened their doors earlier this month. It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a bar menu and afternoon tea to plug the gaps in between. Tea fans can opt for the classic Champagne affair, a Gentleman's version and a healthy Tea-Tox, complete with crudites, smoked salmon and bran muffins. The restaurant is also part of the new Montcalm London City Hotel so if you get lost on your way back from the toilets (as we did), you may find yourself in a conference room or passing some rather plush bedrooms.
THE LOOK: From the smart dark green frontage to the light and airy dining rooms, it's all very slick, very City, but rather nice. The first room is dominated by a handsome chestnut-topped bar and has the same buzz as the Martin brothers' Chelsea eatery, only with less Sloanes and more suits. Like The Botanist, the new venue suffers from some acoustic issues with diners struggling to hear each other over the din. (An unfortunate side effect of all those hard surfaces and a busy bar full of rowdy after-work drinkers).
The wood-panelled dining rooms are reminiscent of a modern day drawing room, complete with pale green tub chairs, inoffensive artworks and spiky little plants on each table. Thanks to large windows and an understated colour palette of greens, cream and gold, it feels bright and relaxed - ideal for lunch or early suppers. It feels plush but not pretentious and the service is suitably slick, with attentive and neatly attired waiters moving unnoticed between the tables. We were particularly impressed by our waiter, Alex, who knew the menu inside out, never let a glass sit empty and bid us a cheerful farewell at the end of the evening.
THE FOOD: Head chef Richard O'Connell (ex-One Aldwych, The Groucho Club) has put together an appealing, if safe, menu of modern British dishes. It's heavy on luxury ingredients like foie gras and fresh seafood but there's nothing that will shock the business lunch crowd. After demolishing the warm miniature loaf they serve in place of a bread basket, we shared the potted ham hock and king scallops. The former - coarsely shredded pork and gherkins packed into a cutesy kilner jar - was good (and mercifully served at room temp), but not as impressive as the plump and perfectly caramelised scallops served with asparagus-like samphire and a rich creamy sauce infused with lemon thyme. Had we not been in polite company, we would have happily licked the shells clean.
Mains range from elegant fish dishes and seasonal salads to man-sized platefuls of pork, steak and West Devon lamb. Don't miss the signature dish of stuffed Middlewhite pork loin served with roasted Braeburn apple, cabbage and Clonakilty black and white pudding. This is a great dish for two to share and the only complaint from my companion was that he would have liked a little more of the excellent jus. My Scottish lobster and prawn risotto was flawless, given colour and flavour by (I assume) a first class bisque and studded with morsels of sweet lobster meat. It's a generous portion, perhaps too rich for some, but seafood risotto fans will love this decadent dish.
Save room for desserts like tart tatin for two; a wonderfully light and moist sticky toffee pudding; or a rich Valrhona chocolate tart. There are summery coupes and sundaes, if you're feeling a bit retro, and the cheeseboards heading for the bar looked impressive and generously stocked. At the end of our meal, we had only minor complaints - more sauce with the pork, more creme fraiche with the tart - but overall we couldn't fault any of it. The dishes are well-executed and tasteful - like the decor - but also hearty and full of flavour.
THE DRINKS: We've never been disappointed by an ETM wine list and the leather-bound bottle bible at Chiswell Street was no exception. Spread over 15 pages, there's something to suit most tastes and budgets, including lunch-friendly half bottles and some excellent by-the-glass options starting at 4.10. The house wines, which are produced in the Languedoc region under the watchful eye of Ed and Tom, are particularly good. In a nod to the building's heritage, there are top quality British beers on offer, like Dark Star Sunburst and St Austell Clouded Yellow. Cocktails, priced around the 8 pound mark, have a distinctly British flavour thanks to ingredients like homemade sloe gin, rhubarb liqueur and apple brandy. We liked the gin-based Clover Club, flushed pink with their homemade raspberry syrup, and the surprisingly good Pomona Fizz mocktail - a refreshing mix of pomegranate, pear, honey, lime and tonic.
THE VERDICT: The Chiswell Street Dining Rooms are a welcome addition to what was previously a gastronomic wasteland between Old Street and Moorgate. Whether you're entertaining clients or just treating yourself to breakfast, you're guaranteed to be impressed by the elegant rooms, the flawless food and the friendly, clued-up staff. In the City, you rarely find all three of these things in one venue so it's worth betting that both restaurant and bar will be very popular with the locals. Of course, it's loud and not exactly cheap but if you're happy to pay a bit extra for quality, you won't be disappointed. We'll definitely be back to try out the bar menu.
KP - July 2011
what the critics say
City AM
John Walsh - 9/15
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
We held a concert aftershow party in the dining rooms on Sunday night, and were extremely pleased - good food, nice atmosphere and delicious drinks.
The staff , both Gemma & Brigita in the run up to the event, and the bar staff on the night, were very professional and friendly. They even created our own cocktails for us that chimed with the marketing of our event!
Budget allowing, I would definitely consider using this venue again for a similar thing, and would reccomend it others.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
I have organised a corporate function for 12 at Chiswell Street Dining Rooms 2 days ago. The evening went very well. Kate, the event coordinator was extremely helpful ,available and really made her best to accomodate all our requests.
The venue is gorgeous and the food is lovely.
I will definitely recommend this place to friends and colleagues.
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Johanna . C
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 21, 2013
We had a get together dinner for 13 in the upstairs private room, Grubb St. This is the second time we've used this venue and it lived up to our expectations once again. Food, service and atmosphere were all spot on. The bar was lively (on a Friday) and was a great place to meet up before hand. Thoroughly recommended.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Held a small birthday party in the private room which was ideal for us! 12 people with great food (loved the Game specials) and lovely wine recommended by our delightful waiter Adel.
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Alan Finlay
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
We held our annual Christmas party here and were very impressed by the high level of service we received not to mention the quality of the food.
The venue was perfect for our event accomodating a lovely champagne reception, followed by a delicious three course meal in an atmospheric setting.
The staff handled our party with complete professionialism, meeting our every need.
I would certainly reccomend Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, and am looking forward to visiting them again in the not too distant future.
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JPayne
- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
We held our Christmas party here during December 2012. The staff were excellent on the night and the food was top quality. Whilst the set menu was on the more expensive side of the restaurants on our shortlist, we could not have made a better decision. The food on our set menu was delicious soup, lamb and christmas pudding.
Despite it only being a few days before Christmas (and we were therefore presumably one of the last in a series of parties), the professionalism of the staff, ambience and food were superb. Thanks in particular to Gemma Brown who helped organise the night and assisted with all of the last minute changes to seating plans etc. We hope to be back again.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, January 04, 2013
My management team and I organised a Chrismas dinner with our respective other halfs in December 2012. We found Chiswell Street Dining rooms to be the perfect place for the occasion. We had drinks and cocktails before and after dinner which were excellent, I'm a stickler for a decent Mojito and have to say they were faultless.
The dinner itself although not cheap was top notch. I shared the chateaubriand which was cooked to perfection and everyone else in my party thoroughly enjoyed both the atmosphere and the food.
I would definitely recommend Chiswell Street Dining Rooms to anyone else looking to go for a decent meal out with friends and/or colleagues. 10/10
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James Hunt
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, December 28, 2012
Great restaurant, lovely food and v good service. Definitely one of the best places in the City.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
A lovely restaurant with great private dining facilities. The service was fantastic, our waiter was polite, attentive and good fun. The food was wonderful as was the wine and a really good night was had by all. I thoroughly recommend it for small groups or large parties.
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Laura
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
We booked a private Christmas dinner party for seventeen people in the Worsely Room. Right from the beginning Gemma Brown, the Event Manager, was incredibly responsive - emails were answered quickly and questions relating to vegetarian options, rooms decorations and of course the wine list were all handled in a timely fashion.
On the night, the room was beautifully decorated with a Christmas tree, candelabra, tealights and poinsettas along the table. We were looked after by Joana and Diogo who were brilliant throughout the evening. The wine list has been carefully put together and there was definitely a wine to cater for all tastes. The food was excellent - we did not all have to have the same menu! We will definitely return as we were made to feel very special. Thank you.
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Eve Murray
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, December 17, 2012
Barrio Bars to open a new site in Shoreditch next month (via Caterer) - 
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