THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
5 Park Drive, Wood Wharf, London E14 9GG
Everything about Roe is interesting!
Occupying the ground floor of a circular high rise in Canary Wharf, it avoids being yet another anonymous cavern through ingenious design and attention to detail. The huge space has been cleverly divided into more manageable areas and there’s lots to look at - starting with the aeroponic garden which supplies the herbs for the kitchen. And among the stretches of dark wood and bare concrete are some wild decor touches. We, for example, had a lively conversation about whether we were sitting under a large mushroom or in a coral reef!
The menu is bold, playful and slightly reckless. Who else would offer a plate of baked potato, cheese sauce, fries and kombu ketchup? We avoided this because it seemed like too big a commitment. But after sampling other dishes, I would love to find out what alchemy they use on such humble ingredients.
Rather than the usual menu compartments, Roe offers snacks, small and large plates, flatbreads, skewers and grills. But it’s the way they partner ingredients to create taste surprises that makes the menu so attractive. The stuffed chicken wings with szechuan salt and tarragon (a snack for £11) were crispy parcels of juicy, salty and sweet meatiness. The refreshing elegance of a small plate of crab, zucchini, almond, kaffir lime and horseradish (£22) was a perfect counterpoint to the fluffy, crunchy combination of tastes in cuttlefish fried toast, pork skin and sesame (£12).
The blooming onion (£12) was the size, shape and appearance of a large chrysanthemum. This is food for fun. Crispy battered onion florets, best detached with fingers, can be dipped in the dollop of garlic mayonnaise that sits in the center of the flower. As lovers of Chinese food, we chose the Char Sui pork skewer. Partnered with pickled lemon and sesame, this was smoky and tender, and rather more refined than the sweetly spiced Chinatown version.
Our large plate was the Hen of the Wood burger (£16). We occasionally go on autumn mycological adventures, but have never found a hen of the wood mushroom. This substantial burger was a chunky pillow of melt-in-the mouth umami. The side of pink fir potatoes and smoked garlic (£6) was not strictly necessary, but another example of clever taste combinations.
Although very full, we felt obliged to try at least one dessert. I’ll say nothing more than the caramelized banana parfait was a piece of trompe l’oeil heaven.
While the food is a deliberate mix of classy and common (albeit carefully prepared), the wine list is definitely upmarket. It’s a bit pricey – anything with French provenance is likely to hit three figures – but the rest of the world is more reasonable. We had a very nice Portuguese red for £65.
In any decent restaurant you expect the staff to be friendly and professional. Here they are also knowledgeable and able to explain how the complex dishes are created.
In short, if you need a reason go to Canary Wharf, Roe is a very good one.
