17-20 Ironmonger Lane,
The City,
London,
EC2V 8EP
(020) 7600 0300
The ViewLondon Review
On busy nights you might feel like you’re eating in a nightclub rather than a restaurant at this swish City bar-restaurant. But there's one clear feeling you're left with after your meal - the food’s the real star.
The Venue
Just round the corner from the grandiose Bank of England building, on a relatively quiet connecting road (Ironmonger Lane), Harrys is a smart bar-restaurant split over two floors. The ground floor is brighter, thanks to the natural light, and popular with daytime drinkers, whilst downstairs the mood is artificially controlled with the help of a luminescent in-house lighting system that alternates between hot pink, neon blue and light-sabre green. Aside from the futuristic lighting system, the room is discreetly shadowy, making it conducive to late night shenanigans.
On one side of the room, there are tables flanked by comfortable chocolate colour denim-textured banquettes. Seating for dining is limited, so tables are at a premium. The rest of the room revolves around an in-demand bar, an impromptu dance floor, and a door to one of the venue’s biggest selling points - at least for smokers - a sheltered outdoor terrace area.
The Atmosphere
If it’s Friday night and the working week has finished, expect City folk to be letting loose like there’s no tomorrow. Groups’ chatter excitably about this, that and the other, as friends and couples people-watch from the dining area. You might even need a couple of stiff drinks before you feel like you’re in the same gear as the rest of the room, but one thing you can’t deny is that the room is rocking and, if you’re in the party mood, it feels good to be a part of. It certainly beats a stuffy restaurant hands down.
The Food
The food is fan-bloody-tastic at Harrys. Even if the venue doesn’t just trade on the merits of its kitchen, there’s a fine, talented team at work behind the kitchen doors. Food is modern European and there are plenty of fine dining flourishes without it ever becoming pretentious or overly fussy.
A foie gras Ballentine starter might be slightly off-putting with its £9.95 price tag, but you’ll struggle to remember tasting a better example of the dish. It is served in two dense, tightly packed circles of liver with sweet, buttery brioche, a fruit coulis and an unannounced caramelised pecan. The pecan - not actually mentioned on the menu description - is a touch of genius as the sticky rock-like nut brings a completely different texture and flavour to proceedings. A perfectly poached duck egg (£7.95) is equally as impressive – the yoke is set but still runny and it oozes over the Serrano ham as you make contact with it.
Recommendations from staff are always welcome, as long as they deliver, and the waiter at Harry’s scores maximum points on this count. Despite initial reluctance to accept a recommendation of lamb with cous cous, a real love it or hate it ingredient if ever there was one, the cous cous turns out to be nothing like the insipid dry grain of previous experiences and is, in fact, wonderfully bulbous. The lamb fillet is served pink in the centre and is stacked in several thick-cut slices. The cous cous consists of pearly globules, which has more in common with the taste and consistency of say pearl barley than dry, semolina style cous cous. A smear of harissa-style paste, artfully presented on the large white ceramic canvas, doesn’t have the heat you might expect but it does have the essence of North Africa.
A list of enticing desserts comprises of 5-6 options with the coconut and lemon grass creme brulee (£5.95) proving a perfectly enjoyable twist on the classic pud.
The Drink
A vast wine list shows that, not only is the restaurant aiming to please the fine dining market, but you’re definitely in the proximity of some serious bank balances and expense accounts. At the cheaper end of the scale a Yalumba Y Series is an absolutely superb red that blasts you in the face with cherry, leather, tobacco and spicy flavours. At £19.95, the bottle is very well-priced as the same bottle goes for a tenner at Oddbins.
The Last Word
At the peak of a busy night, Harrys atmosphere might be a bit too intense for those in need of a quiet, romantic meal but, if you’re in the mood to party and appreciate stunning food of a fine dining persuasion, Harrys delivers in spades.
Harrys Bar has been reviewed by 3 users