Fresh, quality seafood and a cool atmosphere make Livebait a quality choice.

The Venue
Livebait is in the heart of Theatreland and is well positioned near all the bars of Wellington Street in Covent Garden, but the restaurant has more of Hoxton feel than Central London. It has a huge dining area with squeaky clean black and white tiles and really nice private booths lining the left and right of the restaurant. To the back of the restaurant you can see right into the kitchen and the day’s best catch is sitting on ice waiting for you to choose. The lighting is very cool too and you’re not blinded by halogens. If you can’t be bothered eating in the restaurant you can sit in the huge bar in a chilled atmosphere.

The Atmosphere
At lunchtime and in the evening the restaurant is packed. This isn’t a frozen seafood venue. Everything is fresh and it’s great quality so this place is full all the time. The waiting staff really do make you feel welcome and unlike some other busy central London restaurants they actually smile, take an interest in what you’re doing, and leave you to choose your food without jumping on you until you order quickly. The key of this restaurant is that its ambience and the decor makes you feel relaxed.

The Food
Don’t walk into Livebait expecting the kind of catch you would see in Rick Stein’s restaurants. This is Central London and the range isn’t quite as comprehensive. However, it deserves a place at the top of the list because they experiment and are creative with the taste and presentation. Take the seafood plate for example, it’s full of the best of British and the cockles and mussels actually taste like they’re just out of the sea rather than what is becoming more common in other restaurants where the shellfish tastes like plastic.

The prawns are large, juicy, taste sweet, and are easy to peel but make sure they provide you with a large finger bowl. The oysters are a reasonable size and taste good when packed with tabasco and lemon. If you’re a fan of scallops then you really have to try very hard in London to find them as good as you would taste in the Southwest or Scotland - if they’re not hand dived then forget it. The scallops grilled in sesame melt in the mouth and you get a good portion. If they’re cooked right they taste great… if they spend more than 2 minutes in the pan then they’re like chewing gum.

If you’re in the mood for a lot of seafood try the two person £50.00 platter. It has everything you need including the green lipped mussels that are huge. If you’ve been to New Zealand you’ll know how good these are. The lobster tastes very sweet, which some might prefer, and they come from Canada so are a lot bigger on average than you would get elsewhere in London.

One of the other highlights on the menu is the monk fish. It’s surrounded by parma ham and is cooked to perfection. Monk Fish can be hit or miss too. If it’s grilled for too long it becomes tough and like polystyrene. The Livebait chefs know if you grill monkfish for too long it becomes tough and polystyrene-like, and they get the timing just right for what is a very good dish.

For dessert, have the orange and cranberry creme brulee. The mix of the cranberry and its bitterness with the sweet orange and the crunchy crust of the brulee makes it probably the best dish on the menu. For pure indulgence the pear and almond frangipane with milk chocolate mousse is best shared. The problem is it’s so very sweet with a taste of macaroon and almonds, so if you don’t have a sweet tooth then go for the chocolate and raspberry tart.

The Drink
Livebait features a great wine list, but if you don’t know your wines then ask the staff, they’ll recommend something that is just perfect for the meal ahead. The Pouilly Fume Cuvee de Tronsec is worth its weight in gold, it’s fragrant and compliments the fish well. If you’re not an expert then the list in broken down for every palate and ranges from £13.50 right up to £59.00. As it’s a fish joint there’s only around 5 reds on the menu. If you want fizzy then be sure to get there for the champagne happy hour and you’ll get a bottle for around £22.50. There’s also a pretty impressive selection of whiskies, including a delicious 16-year-old Lagavulin and a 12-year-old Talisker.

The Last Word
You’ll love the cool decor. It’s straight out of a classic restaurant scene in a film, with black and white tiles and wooden private booths. If you want somewhere intimate that’s not too noisy and your conversation is not drowned out by poor background music then go to Livebait. There’s four star service and you can see into the kitchen which is a bonus.

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