The back room at M, with an amazing view of the city (which looks particularly good at sunset)
What can you tell us about M Canary Wharf?
It's the latest M Restaurant in London, following on from their previous openings in the City and in Victoria. It's all headed up by Martin Williams (who's also CEO of Gaucho) with a menu created by their Executive Chef Michael Reid (who previously worked with Gordon Ramsay, Michel Roux Jr and more).
And it's primarily a steak restaurant?
Yes and no. While steak, and particularly wagyu cuts, are at the heart of the menu here, there's also a lot more to the restaurant. Each of the M Restaurants has a specific identity - so the City version has a focus on Japanese food while the Victoria restaurant has extra British dishes on the menu. Here in Canary Wharf, the specialities are Provencal food.
The main dining room at M.
Where is it?
it's housed in the brand new Newfoundland building, on the western side of Canary Wharf. So if you're coming into either the main Canary Wharf station or via the Elizabeth Line to Crossrail Place, it's about a 5-10 minute walk to the building.
From the main station, head down Bank Street, keep right and you'll find the main entrance (which is on the east side of the building). From Crossrail Place, it's a little more complicated as you have to go around the water, but you'll eventually find some steps that lead down to the building. We'll admit to getting a little turned around there - so bear that in mind.
And where's good to meet for a drink first?
On this side of Canary Wharf, we'd definitely say it's best to come here first. The outside terrace is perfect for a drink overlooking the river (on a decent day) or alternatively grab a seat in the bar with the same view. The cocktails are impressive too.
Two from the cocktail menu and created for the new restaurant. There's the Rosé Negroni (Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin, Campari I Italicus, Belsazar, Rose Vermouth - £13) and the Melonade (Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin, Melonade, St Germain, Prosecco Double Dutch Watermelon & Cucumber Tonic - £12)
So what's the layout?
In addition to a small terrace space outside, they've taken over one of the lower floors of the building. That comprises the bar, two big sections of the restaurant (one of which has a panoramic 180-degree view) as well as two private areas for members. They have a hidden bar, dining room and a listening room too.
The private dining room with a pretty spectacular London vista
Onto the food - what can we expect?
As mentioned above, it's a mix of steaks, Provencal dishes and more besides. It's split into snacks, small and large plates as well as a hefty steak section. You'll see some of their signature dishes from their other restaurants like the M fried chicken with kaffir lime mayonnaise (£12.50) or the miso mushroom with added mushroom ketchup (£10).
As for the Provencal specials, they include burrata de grasse with confit tomatoes, tomato gel, lavendar, perfume of Provence (£13.50) a sharing plate of salt-baked seabass with "Crate to Plate" Salad, Salmoriglio and Lemon (£65.00) as well as duck & watermelon which is duck breast, duck beignet, compressed vodka watermelon, duck & watermelon jus (£28.50). As you can tell from some of those descriptions, there's a fair bit of work put into the dishes.
We were strongly tempted by the idea of compressed vodka watermelon, but here's what we went for on our visit:
Cobia tartare - with St Ewe egg, onion, crispy caper, smoked citrus olive oil dressing (£18). You'll see the huge cobia hanging in the curing cupboard by the entrance and this is a fantastic dish, a welcome change from tuna tartare.
Wagyu scotch egg with smoked ketchup (£12.00) - one of the M Restaurant mainstays.
‘Crate to Plate’ salad - homegrown lettuce, yoghurt dressing, pickled shallots, cured egg yolk (£6.50). As readers will know, we're very impressed with Crate to Plate, and this salad really does justice to their amazing produce.
15-hour wagyu parmesan chips - a thousand-layer fat chip, finished with parmesan table side (£8). Yes there's the Jenga-style layout, but these chips are actually sliced confit potatoes and we're always in favour of those.
So what about the steaks?
They come under the headline of "Sustainable Steaks" as there's an effort to reduce the group's carbon footprint and achieve net zero through a range of projects. The usual suspects are all on the menu - rump, fillet, sirloin and ribeye on or off the bone. But the special attraction is definitely the wagyu beef. You're not going to get as much for your buck - the cheapest is Blackmore Wagyu Grade 9++ Inside Skirt at £45 for 200g, but it's all about the taste with wagyu, of course.
You can go up to the Kobe grade 10+/A5, the highest grade available in town at £150 for 100g - but we ended up going for their most premium wagyu...
The is the beeswax wagyu - so called because it's covered in beeswax to slow down the salt curing. M is one of very few restaurants in Europe to have this particular wagyu on the menu.
The Beeswax wagyu after cooking (you'll want it done exactly as the chef wants - it's definitely in need of a light touch). It's Grade 9++ Sirloin and 150g will set you back £115. Take this slow and savour it - the steak really does melt as you eat it.
And something more standard on the steak front - the 35-day dry-aged ribeye on the bone from Ashdale Farm in Somerset England (800G for £75).
In addition to all of this, there's the "steak roulette" for £68. That involves spinning a wheel to see if you can actually manage to get a wagyu steak or something else high-end if the wheel lands in the right space (but you'll get a decent steak regardless).
And dessert?
The idea of finishing with a dessert cocktail was extremely appealing, but we ended up going more traditional in the end. If you fancy ending on a boozy note, there's the Strawberry Cheesecake which has Ciroc vodka, Digestive biscuit, coconut milk strawberry, reconstructed lemon juice and gomme (£11.50).
This is the Snickers - chocolate, milk biscuit, nougat, dulce ice cream (£10.50) - we're not actually fans of the real Snickers bar, but loved this.
What about drinks?
The cocktails are great, but the wine list is really where it's at with a list put together by sommelier Zack Charilaou. And yes, you will find a fair few Provencal wines on that. There are also a lot of wines by the glass - over 50 by our count and all broken down by region. It's definitely one of the most impressive by-the-glass lists we've seen in a restaurant recently.
Bottles start at £32.50, which is not bad at all for a high-end steak restaurant. If you're willing to move your budget up to the £50-£75 piece point, you'll find a lot more choices though. There is, of course, the opportunity to really splash out here. Fancy a Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon? That'll set you back £6000. A 2003 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, La Tache will be £7000.
In between the two dining rooms is the wine room/alcove. They'll be hosting tastings here.
Overall thoughts?
M seems like a perfect fit for Canary Wharf - we think the wagyu steaks will go down very well and the locals will put the wine list to the test for sure. But alongside the steaks, those new Provencal-style dishes certainly impress and there's a lot to love about the room(s) here. We think it'll be a big hit.
More about M Canary Wharf
Where is it? 10 Newfoundland Place, London E14 4BH
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @mrestaurants.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of M Restaurants. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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