With the first Goldfish venue firmly established in the hearts (and stomachs) of Hampstead residents, the restaurant tries its hand at sating the City crowd.

The Venue
The triple levelled Goldfish offers an upper floor private room, basement wine bar and karaoke area and ground floor restaurant, which is up a small flight of stairs to the rear. There’s not much in the way of decor aside from a colourful stained glass artwork on the wall portraying a few well-fed goldfish. One wall displays Chinese characters and the others are painted a deep red.

The Atmosphere
Lunchtimes sees Goldfish absolutely packed so be sure to get there early. Service is friendly but can be a little slow at busy times, but the clientele – who look to be almost exclusively local bankers – don’t seem to mind when basket after basket of dim sum is delivered to their tables.

The Food
Those familiar with Goldfish’s offerings in Hampstead will see some of their classic dishes on the menu as well as some new ones. The a la carte menu in the City is a bit smaller than the Hampstead menu and here there are also tasting menus that are popular with the lunch crowd, ranging from £15.50 to £30 per person. From the a la carte menu, it’s best to choose a few things and share. The deep fried soft shell crab (£6.80) is perfectly cooked, crisp and slightly salty. A salad version (£8.50) combines the crab with mango, greens and a tangy lime and chilli dressing. Calamari (£6) is also good, in a light, grease-free batter and decorated with loads of green and red chillis.

Larger dishes include the mocha ribs (£13) which are tender spare ribs and covered in a sticky, rich chocolate and coffee sauce – definitely recommended if you have a sweet tooth that you don’t want to waste on dessert. Crispy chilli beef (£8.50) is another interesting dish, with thin strips of beef coated in a sweet and sour sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Wasabi prawns (£13.50), one of a few of the restaurant’s more Japanese dishes, are liberally coated in wasabi mayo and decorated with a few scoops of shiny orange roe. Side dishes like sauteed oriental veg (£6.60) and green fried rice with yuzu and ginger are both well worth ordering, a step up from the usual rice and veg that you often feel obliged to order to feel a bit healthy. Desserts – ice creams, sorbet and a fruit platter – are between £4 and £5, but if you’re still hungry it might be better to ask for a second helping of the mocha ribs.

The Drink
Other restaurants in the area undoubtedly have more impressive wine lists but although Goldfish’s isn’t hugely lengthy it’s nicely varied and reasonably priced. Wines start from £4.50 a glass and £15.50 a bottle, reaching £95 for a Cheteau Cantenac Brown, 3rd Cru Classe, AC Margaux 2001. There’s also a £250 bottle of Dom Perignon but, for the more casual drinker, Tiger and Tsing Tao are £3.40. Jasmine, oolong and pui li tea are £1.25 a pot.

The Last Word
Although Goldfish’s new City location can’t be tagged with the ‘neighbourhood restaurant’ badge that its Hampstead venue proudly wears, it’s a perfect place for a catch-up with a colleague or a casual meeting with a client.

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