22/10/21 - updated with the opening date and launch info
What: Hawksmoor Wood Wharf
In a nutshell: A floating steak emporium
Summing it all up: The Hawksmoor empire is expanding as they get ready to open their seventh restaurant, this time in Canary Wharf. Their latest place will actually be floating in the water. Expect steaks, cocktails, lots of outside seating and one of their biggest bars to date.
The low-down
They've been one of the shining lights of London's various lockdowns, delivering some excellent DIY steak dinner boxes and cocktails. Those are all continuing, but Hawksmoor is also very much back in restaurant mode. They're adding a seventh London location - this time it's a floating restaurant in Canary Wharf.
The new restaurant sounds like something very new for the Hawksmoor team, set on an eco-friendly floating pavilion in the docks of Wood Wharf. It's also huge - a three-level affair that will seat 160, while there's space for a further 120 in the bar (more about that in a bit) as well two riverside terraces.
The green credentials of the restaurant include sustainably sourced timber decking, aluminium extracted from hydro sources and it'll have a green roof planted with wildflowers and grasses. It'll also take its power from Canary Wharf’s Combined Heat and Power network.
As for the food, you can expect the same excellent steaks, cocktails and much more that have placed them firmly among Londoners' favourite restaurants (it was our readers' first choice of restaurants they wanted to visit after the first lockdown). They'll also be showcasing some of the new dishes created for the New York Hawksmoor. Those include three different oyster dishes (natural, dressed with Scotch bonnet mignonette, and charcoal-roasted with bone marrow), South-West coast halibut with porcini and bone marrow sauce and veal chop with fried oysters and tartar sauce.
As for that bar, it's going to be called The Lowback. Taking the on-the-river theme forwards, they say that's "literally built to push the boat out". There will be a brand new cocktail list there, that they've spent the last two years developing, with cocktails like a pink Bellini Moscato (peach, Campari, Moscato).
However, it's the Ultimate Champagne Cocktails that have really caught our eye, including a Mandarin Paloma (Dangerous Don Mezcal, El Tequileno Tequila, mandarin, passion fruit, Champagne). Those are apparently bottled, with extra fizz and served in ice-cold 750ml Champagne bottles. So that will look very impressive indeed - we can see that going down well with the City folk.
Here's what they have to say about the opening:
It marks a turning point for all of us at Hawksmoor, as well as our farmers, producers and suppliers. An exciting space that floats on the water, it will include our most ambitious bar to date - Huw Gott, Co-Founder
A silver lining for Covid was that it viscerally reminded us how much Hawksmoor matters to us: the people, the restaurants, the suppliers. It reminded us about how much meaning we feel in our lives working at Hawksmoor, trying to build a company with real integrity. However, some of the other things we cared so much about suffered greatly, including the hospitality industry and many city centres, especially London. As well as doubling down on Hawksmoor, we want to make sure we play our part in helping hospitality and London build back better - Will Beckett, Co-Founder
More about Hawksmoor Wood Wharf
Where is it? 1 Water Street, London E14
When does it open? 25 November 2021
How to book: Head to their website (and sign up for soft launch info)
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @hawksmoorrestaurants.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
