With a “meat, fish, fire” mantra, The Coal Shed at One Tower Bridge aims to source native British breeds from small family run farms for its beef as well as sustainably and ethically caught fish and seafood from England’s south coast to fill its menu of big flavour, big portion dishes.
A darling of the Brighton dining scene, The Coal Shed opened an outlet on the south end of Tower Bridge in 2018 to somewhat mixed reception. A search yield for “Coal Shed London reviews” suggested almost diametric 50/50 ambivalence toward this year-old surf and turf eatery. My own visit (midweek in what looked like an at-capacity dining room) resulted in an overall positive experience.
I left the restaurant with thumbs up, belly full and palate fairly well satisfied.
Waiting for my dining companion to arrive (and having skipped lunch), I started my meal off with a Leather-Aged JD Old Fashioned featuring Gentleman Jack, amaro blend, lavender, pimento and sarsaparilla (£10). A great tasting cocktail at a good price, it proved a perfect companion to a bar snack portion of short rib croquettes with ndjua mayo (£5).
Moving on to more substantial items upon my friend’s arrival, a 700g Chateaubriand (£12.50/100g) served medium rare was ideal for sharing. A serving each of Bearnaise and chimichurri sauces (£2 each) and sides of beef dripping chips (£4), truffle mac n cheese (£4) and tender stem broccoli with fennel and chilli (£4) did justice to the centrepiece meat. A bottle of Rockburn 2015 (Pinot Noir from Central Otago, New Zealand, £65) accompanied the steak more than adequately (though didn’t hold up so much on its own).
A Sweet Selection for Two (£17) of chocolate coal, fudge, marshmallow, doughnuts, 99 ice cream and macaroons provided some fun nibbles to end our meal but in no way stacked up to the quality and flavour of the main course it followed.
For the most part, I liked the look of the place. It was roomy and well laid with nice lighting. However, it lacked character and had an “I could been anywhere” kind of feel to it.
The occasion for my dinner was the chance to catch up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. The Coal Shed was a good place to do so. Noise levels were moderate. Seating was especially comfortable. Service was good and polite.
The Coal Shed is located at One Tower Bridge, 4 Crown Square, Tower Bridge Road, SE1 2UP. The original Coal Shed is in Brighton (as is sister restaurant The Salt Room). Find out more at coalshed-restaurantlondon.co.uk.
