restaurant Canary Wharf

The Pearson Room is a fabulous new addition to Canary Wharf’s Canada Square, bringing the style of a private member’s club with a lighter atmosphere.

Appropriately named after the Canadian Nobel Prize winning Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson, the restaurant and bar is packed neatly on the second floor of 16-19 Canada Square, between Plateau and the enormous Waitrose.

The Pearson Room is a slick operation, managed by a front of house team who arrived from Shoreditch House, Cecconi’s and The Swan at Chapel Down.

Bar Manager Victor Matos runs the bar in collaboration with the team behind Purl and Worship Street Whistling Shop and fine wines are selected and recommended by Sunaina Sethi, award-winning former sommelier at Trisha. B3 Designers (Bubbledogs, Le Gavroche, Aubaine and ROKA) are behind the cool foundry and 1950s Hitchcock-inspired design.

The main dining room has a casual-luxury bistro feel with wooden tables, classic bentwood chairs, leather banquettes, distressed mirrors, low-hanging lighting, a dark timber floor and pressed tin ceiling tiles. There is also a chic zinc bar with high stools and a communal table tucked away close to the window, which can be used for semi-private dining. The interior design of The Pearson Room is certainly a striking contrast to the modern glass and metal structure of the building.

We sat at a table close to the window that offered lots of natural light, sunset views and plenty of people-watching opportunities. Head Chef Vagner Matos’ all-day dining menu has a modern European feel with some innovative bistro dishes and comforting British (and American) classics.

Our charming Italian waiter Antero made some great menu recommendations and swiftly brought us some freshly-baked bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Staff at The Pearson Room strike the perfect balance between professional and friendly and their knowledge of the dishes – how they are cooked and where the ingredients are sourced from – is impressive.

We started with a few cocktails from the extensive list of classics and Pearson signature cocktails. I tried The Drink That Satisfies – Bombay Sapphire, muddled blueberries, lavender syrup and lychee juice (£8). Served in a Champagne coupe with a sprig of lavender, the dainty cocktail had a delicate, fragrant taste and was a pretty shade of dusky pink.

Steven’s Whisky Sour (£8) came in a crystal-cut glass and had an attractive cloudy orange colour from the egg white. It was more subtle and well-rounded than the classic version and was very easy to drink.

To start, I ordered the Diver Scallops with Nduja, Jerusalem artichoke puree and gremolata (£9). The two diver scallops were plump, soft and nicely seared on the outside. They were covered in a crunchy gremolata breadcrumb crust and served on a smooth and creamy puree of Jerusalem artichoke. The oily, intensely hot njuda had a fiery kick and perfectly complimented the fresh taste of the scallops.

Steven’s Adobo Chicken Wings (£8.50) were extremely good – literally the best we’ve ever tasted. The Portuguese-style wings were marinated for hours in chilli, soy and spices so that they had a deliciously rich, seasoned taste all the way through. They were garnished Japanese style with pickled ginger, sesame seeds, grilled spring onions and plenty of fresh coriander.

The meat was juicy and tender while the skin was blackened and crispy. I highly recommend ordering the Adobo Chicken Wings as a starter or to share, as you really don’t want to miss out on those incredible flavours.

For my main course, I’d set my heart on the Lobster Club Sandwich, but when I spotted the Pearson Cheese Burger (£15) delivered to another table, I was instantly swayed. A deluxe take on the American classic (and not too posh for its own good), The Pearson Cheese Burger is seriously moreish and addictive.

The superior flame-grilled patty is made purely from freshly-ground rib-eye steak sourced from Kent. It is packed into a lightly toasted sesame bun with a gooey American slice, baby gem lettuce, beef tomato, flavoursome smoked bacon, tangy burger sauce and thinly-sliced gherkin.

My burger was cooked perfectly medium as requested and it was juicy without being sloppy. I loved that the burger was served with salty french fries, as tradition dictates, and the addition of the crispy tobacco onions was a real triumph. I would go so far as to say that this is the best, most joyful burger being served in London right now.

The selection of dipping sauces is an extra treat and as there were so many to choose from, our waiter brought three little pots of tasty tamarind ketchup, chipotle aioli and smoked chilli sauce.

Steven went for the Dingley Dell pork belly with braised puy lentils, caramelised baby onions and port jus (£19.75). The slice of pork belly was enormous and beautifully-cooked with tender, juicy meat, a layer of melt-in-the-mouth fat and crunchy crackling.

The puy lentils were slow-cooked and absorbed the flavours of the rich port jus while the caramelised baby onions added a sweet, perky flavour.

As expected, my Hot Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with peanut butter ice cream (£6) was perfect – a soft cake filled with oozing, molten chocolate of the finest quality. It was accompanied by a smooth dulce de leche, creamy and grainy peanut butter ice cream and the most delicious candied peanuts.

Steven’s tried the summery Kirsch Cherry Sundae – kirsch cherry, vanilla and cherry ice cream (£6). The large sundae glass was filled with layers of vanilla ice cream, refreshing cherry sorbet, cherry compote and juicy whole cherries soaked in kirsch, finished with a flaky pastry twist.

We finished our meal with a Negroni Antica Formula (£8) and a Canadian Maple Leaf (£8.50). The Negroni was expertly-mixed and the Canadian Maple Leaf was a mouth-watering blend of Canadian Club, maple syrup and an orange slice.

Both drinks were garnished with orange slices that have been soaked in Campari and dried, giving a fragrant touch to the drinks. We were invited to finish our drinks on the leather sofas in the cool, retro lounge area, which was a nice touch.

The Pearson Room is a real treat for the Canary Wharf crowd to have on their doorstep and it’s definitely worth travelling east for. Not only are the food and cocktails exceptionally good, but the relaxed atmosphere and wonderful staff make it perfect for a sociable night out.

For more information and booking, visit: www.thepearsonroom.co.uk

Chérie City was a guest of The Pearson Room

Photos by Chérie City

The best things about the summer have to be barbecues and outdoor drinks, but what to do if you have no garden or roof terrace? The Aussies in London Fields are always well-prepared with their pimped up monster grills that could flame a burger in at twenty paces, but if you haven’t invested in serious barbecue apparatus, you might like to cheat and visit Portuguese outdoor grill restaurant A Grelha at The Gun.

A Grelha (the Portuguese word for ‘grill’) is entirely al fresco and features meat and whole fresh fish grilled on the charcoal BBQ and traditional Algarvian dishes such as seafood Cataplana. It boasts a wonderful view along the Thames where you can watch canoeists and rowing teams on their gruelling journeys while chomping down grilled meat.

With the posh wooden seats and white picket fence, it felt like we could have been in the Hamptons, however the excellent views of the o2 arena placed us firmly back in London. Even if the sun isn’t out, A Grelha still brings the summer vibes with a cool soundtrack of kitsch Portuguese songs and jazzy lounge music.

We visited A Grelha in between two days of torrential rain, so the weather was temperate but not of the calibre where an evening of sitting outside would seem like a good idea. However, after a summer of erratic elements, the staff at A Grelha were well-prepared and wheeled over an outdoor heater and offered us lovely bright fleecy blankets to keep us toasty.

We were instantly offered a carafe of tap water and a basket of crusty sliced farmhouse bread lightly toasted on the barbecue grill. We ordered cocktails that were named after cities in Portugal. Steven tried the Porto (£7.50) – a long cocktail made with cherries, ruby port and white rum served with crushed ice and fresh mint. I went for the Lisbon (£7.50) – a short cocktail made with brandy, apple, ginger beer, pineapple juice, lemon and tarragon.

I was looking forward to trying tarragon in a cocktail, but the Lisbon was just a bit weak on the alcohol and tasted mostly of ginger beer and apple – it was pretty small too, as there was a lot of ice in the glass. Steven’s Porto cocktail was much better, as it had a strong rum flavour and delicious slithers of cherry mixed in.

The starters are perfect for sharing, as many come in two pieces, so we both tried the Chorizo flaming in Medronho (£7.50) and Portuguese Salt Cod Croquettes with Aioli (£6.50). Both the chorizo and the croquettes were nice and chunky and came piping hot on silver serving plates.

The croquettes were densely packed with smooth mashed potato mixed in with flaky salt cod and the breadcrumb coating was ultra-fine and crispy. The juicy, high quality chorizo was packed with flavour and tasted even better with a bit of barbecue smokiness.

For the main course, I ordered Chicken Piri Piri served with chips (£15) and Steven tried the Lamb Espetada (£16). The half chicken arrived readily-cut into four pieces and had a golden, crispy skin coated in spices and herbs. The piri-piri spice was very tame, with no kick to it, but the flavours complimented the chicken, which was tender and cooked to perfection.

The Lamb Espetada was beautifully presented on a skewer with colourful peppers and grilled lemon. It was cooked medium and was juicy, succulent and full of flavour.

The chicken came with a huge silver bowl of slim, crispy fries (enough for at least two people) and the lamb was served with a giant tomato, onion and oregano mixed leaf salad and new potatoes dressed in delicious olive oil, garlic and oregano.

For dessert, they’d run out of my favourite Pastel de Nata (£2.50), so the clear choice was Chocolate Mousse (£4.50), as the other three options including a cheeseboard and ice cream didn’t really excite.

I’m never usually interested in chocolate mousse but this one was superb. The mousse was made of high quality chocolate and had a dense, velvety and almost set consistency. It was garnished with half a strawberry, but would have gone perfectly with some Biscotti Portoghesi for dipping.

I finished with a pot of Fresh Peppermint Tea, which was simple and delightful, although I had to drink up quick, due to the plummeting temperature.

A Grelha at The Gun is perfect place to spend a long summer evening and even though Docklands may be a trek for those anywhere but east London, the views and copious amounts of delicious food will be enough to lure you towards the Thames.

A Grelha is closing for the season on Monday 29th August, so if you’re stuck for last-minute bank holiday weekend plans, get in there quick (although call them to double check). A Grelha will be open again from early Summer 2012, but in the meantime, try one of the famous Sunday Roasts at The Gun and report back!

Chérie City was a guest of A Grelha at The Gun

All photos by Chérie City.

The Pearson Room – Canary Wharf, London

A Grelha at The Gun, Docklands