The main dining room at Lasdun
What can you tell us about Lasdun?
It's the new restaurant from The Marksman team of Jon Rotheram and Tom Harris who have been joined by John Ogier (previously at Flor and Lyle's) for this opening. It's only their second restaurant since opening the hugely popular Hackney pub and sees them taking on a space that's very different - the main restaurant at The National Theatre.
If you're coming from inside the National Theatre building itself, this is what you're looking for.
Where is it?
Once you've found your way to The National Theatre, there are actually two ways into the restaurant itself. Facing the theatre building from the river, you'll see some steps leading up to a side entrance to Lasdun on the left. Ideally, however, you'll really want to use the main entrance inside the building. Head through the main theatre entrance and you'll see Lasdun one floor up in front of you.
Where's good for a drink first?
Lasdun will eventually be a bar as well as a restaurant, but that's coming later (more of that in a bit). For now, we recommend stopping for a quick drink in the Kerb bar downstairs, The Understudy. The South Bank isn't blessed with the best bars (with the notable exception of Lyaness, a 10-minute walk away) but The Understudy had a warm vibe and some decent beer and wine on offer. It's definitely worth a look.
The other side of the room - where you'll also find the bar
Onto Lasdun itself - where should we sit?
First of all - they've really done a very nice job of the room. making good use of all that Brutalist architecture, particularly notable in the ceiling. They've created a lovely-looking dining room that wouldn't be out of place in the middle of Mayfair. It's a particularly impressive job when you consider that a listed building like this has a lot of constraints on what you can and can't do. Ultimately, it feels like a place you'd happily travel to, whether you were there to watch a play or not.
As for seating - if you're solo dining (and theatre-watching), the counter dining here would be a good bet. If you're in a larger group, there are some very nice larger booths alongside the inner wall which look perfect to spend a long dinner at.
And what's on the menu?
There are a few Marksman favourites on the menu - the beef and barley bun for one - but you'll also find a host of new dishes too, as well as some larger sharing dishes. Here's a taster - based on what we tried during a preview dinner:
One of the Marksman classics makes an appearance - the beef and barley bun with horseradish cream on the side (£7). It's as great as ever and a perfect snack if you're just popping in for a quick drink.
Guinea Fowl and Tamworth Terrine with burnt pear (£14) - an excellent terrine.
Cornish crab, salt, lemon - that's soft brown crab meat custard, white meat dressed in lemon oil & sea purslane (which comes with a saffron bun on the side)
One of the larger sharing dishes - Hereford sirloin with ox tongue and tropea onions (£85, to share). It's worth noting here that the chips on the side are really very good indeed.
A special mention for these peas. An earlier menu had them with mint but this dish swapped that out for lovage - a massive improvement. If the lovage version is on - you must order these (£8).
Is there a pie?
The Marksman is known for its excellent pies so it's not surprising to find that they make an appearance n the menu at Lasdun. If you're vegetarian, there is a pie for you - on our visit, it was a celeriac, leek and Wigmore Pie (£23). But the main event is the sharing pie for two (pictured below) and it did not disappoint. Either pie is an absolute must, particularly if you've never tried one from The Marksman.
This is the chicken, wild garlic and leek pie (£50, to share). A truly great pie.
Anything else worth mentioning?
There's also the option of oysters from the oyster bar (Lindisfarne or Carlingford on our visit, six for £25). But the one thing that sticks out quite a bit on the menu is the Exmoor Caviar section. If you're really going for it, you can choose 30g of Exmore caviar (£125) or 30g of Imperial Oscietra (£175). Those both come with buckwheat pancake, chopped egg and creme fraiche. It sounds lovely - but punchy.
And dessert?
The dish to aim for here, and a new version of their hit dessert from the Hackney pub, is the brown butter and honey tart (£11). That said, and this is from experience, we'd strongly recommend pre-ordering this when you order your starters and mains. We forgot to do this - and it had already run out by the time we'd got to dessert. Learn from our rookie mistake and order upfront as it's the one thing that's a must-have on the dessert menu.
That said - this was pretty great too:
Dark chocolate set cream, buckwheat parfait, sherry caramel with buckwheat and chocolate crumb (£11)
And what about the pre-theatre menu?
Obviously, given its location, there has to be a pre-theatre menu on offer and theirs represents a pretty good deal, particularly for this level of cooking. It's two courses for £32 and three for £38 (excluding sides), while you can add on the pie for a £10 supplement. You can get that menu from 12-1.30pm and 5-6.30pm. They're also aiming to launch a post-theatre menu in the near future.
What about drinks?
The wine list is well worth a look at. It starts at £29 a bottle (a Granges Des Rocs, Picpoul De Pinet), which is a very good deal for this part of town, and you'll find plenty in the £30s to early £50s to choose from. If you're splashing out, the upper end is a 2019 Olek Bondino, Barbaresco ‘Starderi’ from Piedmont for £127. The list focuses on European wines.
A full cocktail menu is planned later on, but you will find some classics, like the ever-present Negroni, on the list right now.
Overall thoughts?
When we visited Lasdun, it was during a preview period and there were the odd kinks to iron out in an operation that's so much bigger than The Marksman. That said, it was already clear that the restaurant has huge potential. From the design to the food itself, there's something quite special here that goes far beyond what you might expect from a restaurant inside the National Theatre and it's immediately become one of the best places to eat on the South Bank.
We'll have to go back for that tart...
More about Lasdun
Where is it? National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @lasdunrestaurant.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Lasdun. Prices are correct at the time of publication.
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