Weekly Review: Roe
Destination dining in Canary Wharf. Don't scoff. It's true. My best lunch since Brooklands in March.
Quick hit: Innovative, creative, and delicious, it’s the leading light in Canary Wharf’s dining scene and a reason head east on the Lizzie Line.
Details: Booking essential. Canary Wharf. £££.
Restaurant website. More on Instagram.
Find it on Google Maps. 5 Park Dr, E14 9GG.
Canary Wharf is cool.
Can I say that out loud?
Want evidence? London on the Inside wonders whether Canary Wharf is “London’s Hottest Dining Destination.” Hot Dinners has a whole list of the best places to eat in Canary Wharf. And there is serious buzz about more destination restaurants opening soon. Places like Kricket and “grand brasserie” Marceline opening in August.
So Canary Wharf is cool. A place to go to eat.
And Roe is a big reason why.
Roe was developed by the team who created Fallow in St. James, and to understand Roe, we need to spend a minute on Fallow.
Fallow is incredibly hip. There is heaving, thumping music. They serve beef from retired dairy cows to minimise environmental impact. They create dishes like “Corn Ribs.” And they are famous on YouTube. But Fallow is a bit limited by its space.
Roe isn’t. Roe is massive. There’s a huge, long food counter where you can sit and watch the chefs. There’s an American-sized bar. There’s a gigantic outdoor terrace with picturesque views of dock and cityscape. And there’s a tremendous indoor, hydroponic garden overlooking everything, from which the kitchen draws a wide range of ingredients.
And yet, you don’t really notice or mind the bigness. The space is intelligently arranged. Tables are comfortable. There’s plenty of room and notable 3D printed modern art on the walls. There is music, but the volume allows for a professional conversation.
Service could not have been friendlier. The Sommelier, Victoria, spent time talking us through how they developed the wine list. After lunch, our waiter Mario took us on a tour of the hydroponic garden.
And the food. The food. It’s, well, wow.
Roe is the best and most interesting lunch that I’ve had since Brooklands. If a place like Camille wins by elevating the French countryside, Roe surpasses it by just doing everything with more creativity, inspiration, and innovation.
Everything about Roe is clever. But not obnoxious or showy. Clever… and pleasant.
For lunch, Roe offers an “Express Sharing Menu.” There’s an assortment of little plates for everyone to share, then one larger plate per person which you can hoard yourself or share around the table.
The highlight of the starter plates was a flatbread with “mussels, octopus, bacon butter, parsley.” It was basically seafood pizza, but executed at a Michelin star level.
The breaded mushrooms with combo and garlic mayonnaise were another stand-out. Tiny bites, juicy and perfect.
Then there was the “cuttlefish fried toast, pork skin, sesame.” I don’t know where to begin with this. The technique to create the “toast” from some sort of sesame product is beyond my ability to understand. But it was utterly delicious.
For plates, we had “flamed sriracha mussels,” which were another brilliant discovery. Steak with homemade mustard and mushroom XO sauce was likewise stellar. Even the sides were winners. Tomato salad and kombu cabbage with garlic were both stunners.
Dessert was “Eton mess soft serve.” I mean, come on. Really? Eton mess is a favourite. And this was the perfect lunch time dessert. A right-sized (smallish) portion, with some amazing ice cream, bursting with fresh strawberries.
Roe will have a Michelin star. Its innovation and execution demand it. And thanks to its location in Canary Wharf, it has the space to stretch beyond the limits that constrain Fallow, both physically and metaphorically.
And for me, it’s the perfect spot for a Professional Lunch. An atmosphere that promotes conversation. Great food to spur the conversation on. An outstanding wine selection and cocktails if it requires a bit of lubrication.
One last thing: If you don’t live in Canary Wharf, you may think it’s a bit a schlep to get there. It isn’t. Thanks to the Elizabeth Line, the trip from the west end to the Wharf takes about 10 minutes. Once you get there, the restaurant is a very pleasant 5 minute walk from the station. I am convinced that round trip, including ordering and eating, you could get there and back in 90 minutes.
But why would you want to? Once you arrive, you’ll want to stay. And when you’re finally done with lunch, you might want to head next door, to the floating Hawksmoor, and start your evening with a cocktail.
What a perfect day that would be.
As ever, thanks for reading. I hope you get a chance to go and try Fallow. It’s worth the effort. Please subscribe if you haven’t already and share Professional Lunch with friends and colleagues.