Bread Street Kitchen, London EC4M

Bread Street Kitchen is the latest Gordon Ramsay venture. Much awaited and talked about, I did have my reservations, aren't there already enough restaurants bearing his name? Located in One New Change, I see it almost daily walking past. I almost made up my mind about it even before I went there. Reading about the extremely slow service on the opening night a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking that this is typical. I already went through the menu. British cuisine in the majority with starters around the £10 mark and mains typically over £16, to £29.50 for the rib-eye, my thoughts were, overpriced for average food and unspectacular decor that I would not recommend.

I arrived to be greeted by the smiling hostess who directed me up the stairs. I went up to find a huge warehouse area which was quite stunning in a very industrial way, with the pixar-like desk lamps giving the place a very playful feel. I was told that my friends were at the bar at the far end. The far end was very far. The bar area quite welcoming despite the large and airy feel to the place. There is plenty of space, from sofas where you can look out of the floor to ceiling windows to cool seats at the bar area.

The cocktail menu is extensive and inspired. These are probably some of the nicest cocktails I've had in recent times. The perfect start to any meal, at which we were led to our table.

The food menu I found strange with three sections. Raw bar, Hot Kitchen and Wood Stone. The food wasn't bad but didn't overexcite me either. My starter of the thinly sliced beef with quails eggs, was under-seasoned. My burger, not only substantial but also rich in taste, can be overwhelming for some. Sides have to be ordered separately. Try the macaroni cheese which is lovely.

Macaroni cheese

Oysters also feature on the menu

Although with a smile, the service was slow. The starters took longer than expected and to compensate we were offered more bread. We declined the offer! After finishing our first bottle of wine, we were waiting too long for the second bottle.


Burger

 After a shared cheese plate to finish, we headed back to the bar for more cocktails. You just have to.

To be fair, I was too judgemental. I liked Bread Street more than I thought and I loved the warehouse feel. Go there for drinks. And if you feel like a bite to eat, although not cheap, you can do worse than a meal here.

Expect to pay around £40 for pp for two courses, incl service excl wine

Bread Street Kitchen, 10 Bread Street, London, EC4M 9AB Tel: 020 3030 4050 Open from 7am http://www.breadstreetkitchen.com/