Bishopsgate’s All Bar One

All Bar One is a bit of an institution – you can usually rest assured that the food will be good, the place ambient and the service will be of a decent standard. It was quite a pleasant surprise to hear recently, therefore, that they were opening a new one – and apparently the first in 10 years.

Bishopsgate was chosen to be the lucky area, and it seemed like a rather odd choice. Who were the intended clientele? The people making the mad dash through Liverpool Street Station? City workers who could be persuaded to range out of their usual lunchtime territory? Or would they be relying on repeat custom from other All Bar Ones?  Perhaps a mixture of all of the above.

The restaurant in decked out beautifully, in typical light-and-bright, elegant style, with a wine rack that takes up the entire wall and staircase, which I am now determined to have in my own house one day. But the decor is nothing if the food is mediocre, so how was it?

Actually, it was generally delicious. We went for the chicken tempura and tiger prawn and chorizo starters. The chicken was slightly disappointing – it was merely lightly battered chicken which relied on the accompanying dip, which in turn relied on the wasabi and was otherwise a bit too delicately flavoured. But the tiger prawn and chorizo was really wonderful – made more so by the surprise of it. I’m not sure what I was envisaging, but when our waitress put down a spoon next to my cutlery, I was confused. I hadn’t ordered soup, had I?  But when the dish came, lo and behold, I was presented with a dish of said prawns and sausage – floating in a bowl of, well, fat; delicious, buttery fat, with bread for dipping. Not one for dieters, this; but absolutely amazing.

The mains were fantastic, too. The pork belly with honey and ginger accompanied with Asian noodles was perfection, and so was the ribeye steak – always nice to find places that will do you a superb steak. The dessert list looked pretty appealing – quite a bit of chocolate, but also a lime and lemongrass cheesecake which would have been very tempting had they not run out.

So, the new All Bar One is ticking the boxes: food, tick; ambience, tick. The only problem was the service. Don’t get me wrong – it was friendly and attentive and nice. Just incredibly slow. No one should have to wait 15 minutes for drinks and half an hour for a starter. The fact is, the staff were new and they’re settling into the routine, which is fine, and they will get quicker, but if you only have an hour for lunch, the speed will stress you out no end. Since this place is really nice, I’d say give them a few weeks and then have a visit. Or perhaps go after work, when you’re not on a clock.

All Bar One
175 Bishopsgate
The City
EC2M 3YD

Tel: 020 7256 9450