By David Fingleton Fifth Floor and Oxo Tower
SOME YEARS ago now, before the Wall came down, I went to West Berlin, and While there visited the city's largest depart- ment store, KdW, which had the then unique distinction of siting its food depart- ment on the top floor. Predictably, it was an impressive operation, with every kind of German and foreign foodstuff piled high on counters, and interspersed with stands serving various of the comestibles on sale, hot and cold, for the delectation of cus- tomers. But there was no restaurant as such up there on the top floor of KdW. Five years ago, here in Knightsbridge, the then ailing store Harvey Nichols thought that putting a really good food department on their fifth floor might help to restore their fortunes, and that they should go one bet- ter by installing a bar, restaurant and café as well. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Harvey Nichols's Fifth Floor has become one of the London phenomena of our day, and is a roaring success, to such an extent that the company last year acquired the top (eighth) floor of the Oxo Tower building on the South Bank between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges, and opened a restaurant, bar and brasserie there last September. Clearly it was time to investigate, so off I Went to Knightsbridge and took the lift to the fifth floor, accompanied by the head- hunter and gastronome Shauna Cockburn. Having been misdirected by possibly the rudest doorman in London, more akin to a Suburban bouncer, we first found ourselves in the teeming bar which, judging by the number of micro-skirted teenagers and vulpine lone males, appeared to be Lon- don's most thriving meat-market. We stepped through it to the long, low- ceilinged, slightly nondescript restaurant, Which at least had the merits of being tran- quil, comfortable and well-served. The din- ner menu, a la carte and relatively highly Priced, contained some interesting dishes of the day, from which we chose a starter designed to be shared. It was called 'moz- zarella burrata al tartufo bianco' and was a triumph of italianita from the British chef Henry Harris who has been there since Fifth Floor opened. It was a delicate and delicious cold mousse of mozzarella cheese flavoured intensely with white truffle and covered by a dribble of delicate virgin olive oil containing fresh chives. An unforget- table treat and magnificent value at £12.50 for two. Next, Shauna chose an unusual combination of pan-fried scallops with red wine bordelaise sauce and shredded duck confit, which worked remarkably well and produced a convincing blend of flavours rather than just a tricksy dish. My roast rab- bit with spinach, chick-peas, paprika-cured bacon and mustard sauce was more straightforward and equally persuasive, each flavour clearly discernible and the rab- bit a plump bunny, well butchered. With these we shared some impeccable mashed potato — smooth, yet with body rather than just a sloppy purée. We added to our pleasure by drinking an admirable red Rully from Faiveley, and ended the meal by sharing a fine chocolate sponge pudding with chocolate sauce and pistachio ice cream. The whole meal, with aperitifs and coffee, came to £95, including service: not cheap, but for a skilfully prepared meal, pleasantly served in attractive surround- ings, it represented very fair value. I had heard a number of gloomy pre- Christmas stories about both the cooking and service, not to mention the telephone reservations system, of Oxo Tower. So, hav- ing succeeded in securing a Sunday evening booking at the first attempt, it was with no great expectations that the financial analyst and Garrick gourmet David Damant and I set out for the South Bank. The approach is horrible: masses of road works, a grotty building site, and then an automatic door lets you into the lift shaft of what appears to be a council block — it is. But the lift carries you to the eighth floor, which is an The clockwork radio I loved, the clockwork pacemaker I'm not so sure about!' altogether more attractive prospect. Restaurant and brasserie are situated back to back, each with magnificent views of the river bank from vast floor-to-ceiling win- dows, and each having a bar, the difference being that the restaurant's is for diners only, while the brassserie's has a full licence and a piano.
The restaurant is adroitly and charming- ly managed by a Welshman, Christopher Williams, formerly at Fifth Floor, and the chef is Simon Arkless, formerly sous-chef at Fifth Floor, and whose Australian wife, Cait Michellhill, is chef in the brasserie. Seated at a pleasant table with a view of St Paul's, we found the menu pleasingly straightforward — laites simple', as Escoffier once said. I started with an admirable selection of acorn-fed pig char- cuterie — smoked loin, ham, salami accompanied by Spanish manchega cheese and preserved quinces, and Damant ate some well-prepared veal sweetbreads, sautéed with a thyme and shallot purée and fried ceps: plenty of flavours all clearly defined. We decided to continue with fish, Damant taking some roast fillet of cod with a saffron and basil sauce, and ratatouille, which was possibly one strong flavour too many, and I had an immaculate fillet of hal- ibut, beautifully poached in a creamy ver- mouth and tarragon sauce with some gor- geous mashed potato: simple and delicious. We ended with rhubarb and lemon croustil- lant and walnut parfait with coffee and car- damon sauce, both well conceived and exe- cuted, and not too rich. With a bottle of Hugel's very drinkable Alsatian riesling at £18, and coffee, our bill came to £90, including 121/2 per cent service. Again, given the surroundings, service and cook- ing, one felt one had had value, and that with restaurants like these the London restaurant scene was making progress.
Fifth Floor Restaurant: Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, London SW1; tel: 0171 235 5250. Open all week Oxo Tower Restaurant: Barge House Street, London SEI; tel: 0171 803 3888. Open all week
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