Martin Williams: Here are my favourite places to Toast the City
This month, you can let your thoughts be heard as we open the nominations for ‘Toast the City’, City AM’s inaugural hospitality awards celebrating the best of the Square Mile! For inspiration, debate and disagreement – best made over a pint, or a glass of burgundy, as per your preference – here are a few of my City favourites.
Best boozer
Bouchon Racine is one of my favourite City restaurants, run by industry legends Henry Harris and Dave Strauss. It’s housed above – and caters for – The Three Compasses, a superb ‘spit and sawdust’ tavern enhanced by some brilliant Bouchon Racine pastries, including the finest sausage roll I have tasted in our fair capital.
The bad news is that Highgate, and thus the Red Lion and Sun, fails to fall into the ‘City’ catchment area. Heath Balls’ generous plates of langoustine, epic cuts of fish and meat, and perfect jumbo pies, make it my favourite pub in the capital, well worthy of recognition and recommendation, but sadly it’s too far north for these awards.
Best membership experience
This month, with the help of some familiar ‘M’ faces, we officially launched the Bluebird Club in both South Place Hotel and the original Conran-designed Chelsea outpost. To create a great members club, you need a fabulous blend of exceptional individuals (something I achieved when I founded the M club in Threadneedle Street).
There is no better place than the Square Mile to curate a collective of outstanding entrepreneurs, business leaders and thought provokers from a variety of sectors, all united by a shared passion for food, wine, cocktails, travel and sport. Elsewhere, The Ned stands out as a notable candidate, as does the City of London Club and Ten Trinity.
Best bar
The best City bars are the perfect places to host beautiful team experiences, where you can celebrate and bond, safe in the knowledge that you are amongst the elite of the City. There is no better baller hotspot than the Gordon Ramsay bar at 22 Bishopsgate. Overlooking the entirety of the capital, the cocktails are great, sushi excellent and sommelier outstanding. A more modest (wine) bar is Humble Grape, nestled in the crypts of St Brides Church on Fleet Street. This is a fantastic hideaway with a unique wine list, which you can enjoy alongside the finest small plates (this is also a good candidate for our Hidden Gem category).
Best Roof Terrace
If we are talking roof terraces, it is hard to see past the ‘Big Four’: Markus Thesleff should be very proud of his unapologetically ambitious Los Mochis City venue, which has become the undisputed Broadgate alfresco hotspot, serving the best cocktails in Liverpool Street alongside Latin and Eastern inspired ceviche and omakase plates.
Over at St Paul’s, the infamous Madison rooftop fully reopened this week, with outstanding views, free flowing Mirabeau rose and very impressive New York inspired bar bites (including a lobster nachos sharing plate which is destined to become a classic). Madison has been the scene in the City for over a decade, thanks in no small part to DJs bringing beach vibes to the young and or beautiful – now’s the perfect time to check it out.
Meanwhile back in Bank, Coq d’Argent and The Ned fight it out (over DP and Cuvee Louise) for the best rooftop. Both overlook Mansion house, London Bridge and Mayfair. Sophistication abounds at Coq d’Argent, where sommeliers stand by to offer the finest wines and French fair (the lobster and Chablis Premier Cru is unbeatable).
At The Ned you get a moment of South Beach Miami on the slightly clumsy rooftop, which is easily compensated for by my friend (and legend) Richie Notar’s elevated hospitality, which is especially evident if you visit for an overnight stay. Other shorlisters in this category must include the Shangri-la at the Shard, and the perfectly ‘boutique’ South Place Hotel.
Best restaurant
South Place is home to Angler, the only Michelin starred seafood restaurant in the City. It’s home to talented chef Craig Johnson, winner of Masterchef the Professionals, a Michelin star, and most recently the Roux Scholarship! It’s certainly a contender for Best City Restaurant, although it has competition from the amazing twelve seater Luna Omakase.
All of these gentle suggestions are backed, or created by brilliant people, many of whom I am privileged to consider friends. It is them who breath life into these institutions, and into the City itself. This is why I’m so excited to be a part of the Toast the City awards – now that’s worth a toast in excelsis!
• Vote for your favourite City spots here
