So what do we need to know about Anglo?
Billed as "accessible modern British fine dining" - think a laid-back dining room with no tablecloths and a set menu for dinner with multiple courses. In the kitchen is Mark Jarvis (previously head chef at the Bingham in Richmond and, before that, Blueprint Cafe, Zuma, Texture and Le Manoir) and Jack Cashmore (previously at Sat Baines & In De Wulf).
Where is it?
Just off Hatton Garden - your nearest tube station would be Farringdon
Who's it suitable for?
We popped in on a Tuesday night and found a combination of dating couples and business groups. It's not a wildly boisterous type of restaurant, more somewhere for a serious foodie.
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
Do as we did and pop into the Bleeding Heart for decent glass of wine or there's the Craft Beer Co on nearby Leather Lane.
Where should we sit?
Right now the dining room's pretty small - there are plans to open the downstairs room as a bar. But the tables aren't all on top of each other so anywhere you sit is going to be comfortable.
And the food?
We thought it quite remarkable value for £45 for seven courses (not including three teeny snacks to begin with). It's hard to tell at this stage how quickly the menu will change, but if you are there at lunchtime when some of these dishes may pop up as a la carte choices, you should order them for sure.
- Scallop tartare - draped with a dashi jelly and spring flowers
- Burnt leek tartlet - one mouthful, but what a mouthful!
- Yorkshire spring lamb with sprout hearts and wild garlic - both wilted and in puree form. Spring on a plate
- Lemon curd and fennel pre-dessert - very odd, but in an inspired way
- Cheese and onion on malt loaf
What about the wine?
You can choose a wine and beer match to go alongside your dinner for £25 (there's also a interesting beer list on offer). But we went on a lovely sunshiny evening which was a perfect match for the Cotes de Jura rose (£30) that we ordered.
Overall thoughts:
There wasn't a duff note in our multi-course dinner and plenty of dishes that almost a week later we're still remembering as startlingly good. Farringdon workers should embrace this new restaurant while the rest of us should flock to it.
Anglo is at 30 St Cross Street, London EC1N 8UH. Find out more about Anglo.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Anglo. Prices were correct at time of writing.
