Offering good food in a stylish contemporary setting, Rocket serves up an excellent dining experience.

The Venue
The restaurant sits atop two main bar areas so the climb will certainly work up an appetite, but fret not, the handrail’s comfortable leather padding almost makes it a pleasure. The journey up also features walls adorned with plate-sized candy sweets (love hearts to be precise), interesting pictures of dogs sitting strangely, and ceramic fists bursting forth from the wall. It’s all completely irrelevant of course, but it’s refreshing for an area where all those suits sometimes make things feel a little grey.

Inside the restaurant, everything’s remarkably swish with the elegant juxtaposed with the futuristic. Although this sounds a bizarre concept, it really works. There does seem to be a recurring theme, with the smaller tables treated to a more intimate, classic feel, and the larger tables for groups boasting reverse s-bend chairs and white and glass tables. Although they’re mixed together, it doesn’t feel contrived and manages to make sense – the mixture of the romantic and the relaxed allows the restaurant to fit the mood of its clientele, rather than dictating it.

The Atmosphere
Rocket’s located on Old Bank Street so it benefits from a constant supply of City workers looking to treat clients, or themselves, to some good food in a sophisticated yet informal restaurant. It’s not too pricey so they won’t break their expenses account but it’s sure to impress nonetheless. The ability to mix more romantic tables with larger ones for groups means that you might see a dinner date in one of your peripheries, and a gaggle of suits in the other, but the ample space is used very well so you won’t be knocking elbows with anyone. There is undoubted sophistication at Rocket, but what’s nice is that it’s never made to feel stuffy – there’s always a fun edge to things which makes the whole experience a lot more pleasurable. The only downside to what’s an impressively relaxed and immaculately designed restaurant is that it can get a little loud so be careful to avoid those days when the deals are done.

The Food
Rocket’s menu is deliciously appetising, with a whole host of options that will have you salivating in no time. A starter of pan fried scallops drizzled with black grape dressing and served with deep fried shredded leeks sounds sublime but suffers a little in execution. The scallops are impeccably cooked and of excellent quality but although the red grape dressing is tangy and sweet, and an excellent addition to the scallops, the accompanying deep fried leeks have a strangely tough texture. Instead of being crisp and light they were difficult to penetrate, annoyingly affecting the composition of the dish.

A superb main of deep fried coconut crispy squid on a mango salad with tomatoes, green beans, peppers, radish and red onions, drizzled in a tangy peanut chilli dressing is refreshing, spicy, sweet and delicious all at the same time, with a perfect tempura batter aiding some excellent squid. To finish, a vanilla bean baked custard tart with chocolate sauce is light and perfectly balanced with a gentle hint of honey on every bite.

The Drink
Rocket has a suitably large wine list that should keep most of its visitors more than happy, with some well thought out bins available. Of particular note are an aromatic Jermann Pinot Grigio, a fruity New World Riesling from Australia, and a full bodied Australian Shiraz that will please those with a particularly robust palate. Some excellent cocktails, well kept beers and rare spirits are also available from downstairs so for those looking to carry on after their food there are plenty of opportunities.

The Last Word
Certainly somewhere to recommend, Rocket has stylish design, friendly atmosphere and, on the whole, good food.

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