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London E14 4AL
Cooksister said
1802 - hidden gem in London docklands
1802 is the restaurant and bar (operated by the Searcy's group - but don't let that put you off!) attached to the Museum in Docklands and both are housed in the historic Gwilt sugar warehouses that line West India Quay in London's docklands. The name derives from the year that the warehouses were built, and the interior preserves the original brickwork and beautiful timber supports. The area is divided roughly into a bar area (with wonderful squishy leather sofas) and a dining area. The attractively backlit bar is very well stocked and very busy on weeknights. I suspect this rampant popularity as a drinking spot for off-duty or out of work!) Canary Wharf bankers is what makes people dismiss the restaurant: pop your head round the door on a Thursday night and it just looks like a hundred other packed docklands wine bars. But, as I have discovered, there is another side.
My first visit was in Spring, on a weekday lunchtime, with brother, sister-in-law and young nephew in tow. The menu is largely dictated by the fact that you are in the heart of a historic British area and sticks fairly closely to the Modern British idea. Seasonal produce treated carefully, reworked classics - you get the picture. But what sets it apart from many other places doing this, is the amount of love and care that has obviously gone into the sourcing of excellent ingredients, not messing with them too much, and the truly lovely plating of each dish. Here's what I had:
To start, I had the fantastic air-dried Cumbrian ham and truffled pecorino cheese on roasted cherry tomatoes and balsamic glazed baby onions. This dish knocked my socks off. Really. The ham could rival the best that Spain and Italy has to offer and was living proof that all is not lost for regional British specialities. My main was a beautiful seasonal dish pan-fried fillet of wild sea trout on crushed marjoram Jersey royals with a white asparagus veloute. The fish was cooked, but with a lovely crispy skin and the asparagus veloute tasted of spring without overpowering the fish.
My companions had the renowned 1802 lamb burger with tzatziki, lamby and flavourful and the tzatziki gives the whole thing a slightly Middle-Eastern twist. And we won't even start on the stacked chunky chips which were crisp outside, fluffy inside and as fresh as can be. For dessert, it had to be the chocolate creme brulee. I don't know whose evil mind thought this up, but bless their cotton socks. Eating this is like eating solid chocolate that has been thoughtfully pre-melted so as to soften it and spare your mouth the hard work.
My second visit was in the winter with a party of about 15 for a Saturday birthday brunch.
ll our friends turned up promptly at 12h30 and as soon as they identified themselves as part of our group our charming waitress Raphaele brought them a champagne cocktail each. Nick was extremely surprised to find them all there when we arrived 40 mins later, and the scene was set for a long and lazy afternoon of eating and drinking with good friends.
The menu over weekend is a brunch menu as opposed to the full a la carte available on weekdays, but there were still a good 5 or 6 starters and main courses to choose from. Best of all was the 2 or 3-course special price - a ridiculous £14 for 2 courses or £17 for three. At that price it would be churlish not to go the whole hog. Because it was a celebration, South African chef Gustav Leipoldt had prepared a little a pre-starter of Cape Malay prawn and chicken curry pictured below left. This was fantastic, and a voyage of discovery for the tastebuds of our friends who do not know South African cuisine that well. For my starter I ordered mushrooms on toast with a poached egg. The bread had all the sinful deliciousness of a giant crouton; the mushrooms were plentiful and drizzled liberally with truffle oil; and the poached egg was perfection personified.
For my main course I could not resist the lamb chop with a rosemary balsamic reduction, anchovy butter and lashings of garlic, with a giant portabello mushroom and spinach on the side. And I must say, seldom has so fabulous a piece of lamb graced a London plate. In effect, it was two conjoined lamb chops, thickly sliced so that it could remain demurely pink on the inside, while the outside could be grilled to perfection. The rosemary and balsamic reduction was spectacular, particularly as it mingled with the anchovy butter. And the mushroom was a meal in itself. Carnivore heaven. If I had one complaint it was the side order of chips that we ordered separately. These were soggy rather than crisp. For dessert I coould not tear myself away from the chocolate creme brulee, whch was as good as I remembered.
As I said, the brunch menu costs a ridiculous £17 for three courses, so if one of your criteria for a good restaurant is value for money, you will fall instantly in love with 1802. I, on the other hand, remain in love with the casually elegant room, the friendly and efficient service (our table of 15 all got our food at the same time, and hot, which seems to be an impossibility in some restaurants...), the excellent ingredients and the unfussy style of cooking. I maintain that it's the best kept value-for-money secret in the Docklands. But don't tell anybody. I'd hate the secret to get out ;-)
PS - I have also subsequently attended a canape party there and was very impressed with the quality of the East End themed canapes served.
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Cooksister
London, UK
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