The City of London is a very strange place. I’ve been coming to this part of town for as long as I can remember, but only recently have I started working here and I just can’t get over how different its dining scene is compared to the rest of London. Diners in this part of town are of course mainly city workers, most restaurants don’t even open on the weekends, local shops and take-outs close at the strike of 6pm and if you visit just about any other retail outlet after 3pm you’ll find it’s only one thing – dead. During the week however when the clock does strike 6pm – the city comes out to play and by god do they like to drink. One Friday evening we set our sites upon one of the city’s newest arrivals, One Sixty City.
One Sixty City is the brainchild of Michelin Restaurateur, David Moore – the man behind Pied a Terre and L’Autre Pied, both of which I love. His newest venture however is very different to the Michelin starred experiences and if I’m honest I can’t see what he’s trying to get out of it. With so many smokehouses, BBQ restaurants and casual-eating bars, One Sixty City feels a little lost within the abyss of the London restaurant scene. We had no idea what to expect before arriving, but walking into the place it immediately feels like a posh sports bar – loud, busy and mainly full of people drinking. Food wise the menus pretty straight forward, full of smoky, meaty goodness. We ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir which our lovely waitress recommenced – juicy and incredibly quaffable – she knows her drink. Alongside the bottle we ordered a small plate from the snacks section of the menu. Pigs cheek scrumpets – essentially pulled pork contained in golden crispy crumb. They were actually rather good – full of sweet, flavoursome and very well seasoned meat.
For the past four weeks or so I’ve been on a diet, sort of. Strictly no eating during the day but by the time dinner comes – I turn into a full on carnivore. Over these last few diet weeks I’ve developed an insatiable appetite for steak, the plump, juicy, medium-rare kind – nothing was going to stop me ordering the grilled 28-day mature rib-eye here at One Sixty City. A plump offering, nicely cooked and with a good flavour, though not exceptional. The meat had been cooked over a grill but strangely enough hadn’t taken much of the smoky flavours with it, despite the meats charred markings. A little bit of smokiness and this rib-eye could have been so much more. Slaw was simple, chips were fine but actually the real star of this dish was that juicy gravy seeping out into the tray. I’ve no idea if it simply came off the meat or was added separately but the depth of flavour was really fantastic.
A full rack of ribs was served in a rustic white and blue rimmed tray, not too dissimilar the ones you take on a camping trip. I get the idea of it all being served very casual and rustic – but I still prefer a real plate. These 8-hour smoked pork ribs were every bit as smoky as promised, large, juicy and full of meat which was falling off the bone even before my lips got anywhere near them. The quantity of BBQ sauce perhaps made it a little on the dry side, but what was smothered on those ribs was lip-lickingly good. If you visit One Sixty City make sure these slow cooked ribs are on the top of your to-eat list.
One Sixty City doesn’t do desserts and actually given the venue, you probably wouldn’t want one anyway and instead move onto something more indulgent, in the way of alcohol. One Sixty City was by no means a bad restaurant but in a city going crazy about food, it felt like I was dining in a restaurant which opened maybe three years ago – yet it’s brand new. The focus here is half on food and half on drink and while the food they serve is very nice, I really can’t see why you’d pick here over some of the other top steak and smokehouses across London. A night on the town with some simple food – I’d start my night here happily. But if you’re looking for a gastronomic experience, then you may need to look elsewhere.
6.5/10
