30th April 2008
City Treasure?
In the heart of the city, in a converted Bank (what else would you expect in this area) is the crisp, modern and rather stylish Mercer. I don't often stray into the city but I was woo'd by the prospect of a tasty meal. I was with a notable food critic, so was probably spoilt rotten by the very friendly staff at The Mercer (thank you!) and am not entirely able to give an entirely unbiased review.
The first thing to mention is that this is one of the few restaurants in London to have a wine preserving machine, called an Enomatic, which allows the restaurant to have an inordinate choice of wine's by the glass. Refreshing and, apparently, the future - I'd agree.
The food was tasty and the menu full of things I wanted to try. I had Mackerel Pate, which was tasty - capers were a good touch, otherwise could have been a touch dull. Then for main course I had a punchy Monkfish with a curried sauce, which I enjoyed a lot. I was a touch envious of my fellow diners giant ravioli, which looked rather novel (pictured).
All in all, most enjoyable and a recommended spot within the city, a bit of turf I am not very familiar with. I was there for dinner and it was a relaxing ambiance but I understand that lunchtime is its busiest time and I can imagine it is a bustlingly popular place.