Recently opened in the Apex Hotel City (near Tower Bridge) is The Lampery, an all-day British-inspired restaurant. The first thing you’ll notice upon entering the glass fronted building is the plentiful foliage hanging from the double height ceiling. Apparently they did have apples hanging last week but they’d since been declared a fire hazard. Spoil sports. Lack of apples aside, the interior was stunning.
We started by sinking into one of their deep blue velvet sofas and ordering a round of cocktails. The Trinity Flute is a good place to start – a tropical combo of rum, guava and coconut cream is added to champagne, making for an easy-drinking aperitif. We could have easily hung out here all day but our delightful waiter ushered us into the dining room. Again, it’s a really gorgeous space – think light marble, dark parquet flooring and rich blue booths – if this was a Pinterest board we’d have pinned it already.
The menu focuses on authentic British cuisine and locally-sourced produce, all beautifully presented. We started with excellent baked scallops, fashioned into a crescent shape and popped on top of truffled parsnip mash. If meat is more your thing, the ham hock terrain was perfectly seasoned and won’t disappoint. The menu features plenty of fish and meat options – the fish ‘pye’ (named after Samuel Pepys – Seething Lane’s most illustrious former residents’ favourite dish) was pure comfort food whilst our oven-roasted cod served with perfectly cooked mussels in leeks was lighter but no less delicious. There’s a whole grill section featuring fire roasted steaks and even a full mixed grill – maybe one for when we’re wearing our stretchy pants. The sides were really strong too, we wanted it all – cauliflower cheese, buttered spinach and festive chestnut-tossed sprouts being just some of the highlights. There’s also a great selection of wine by the glass, so you’re bound to find your favourite.
We managed to squeeze in dessert in the name of research and can highly recommend the rustic apple crumble. It’s topped with the most delicious lemon & thyme ice cream and comes with a pot of real vanilla custard for good measure.
Unfortunately on the Thursday night we visited, we had the place nearly to ourselves but with such an excellent team and top-notch food, we’re sure word will get out before long. Situated a short walk from the Tower of London and Tower Bridge they deserve to be heaving with both city boys, tourists and everyone in between. We’ll certainly be back when the sun’s shining to make use of the terrace area.
