Eat Here: Urban CoterieBy Alicia Grimshaw
London is bustling with new restaurants, pop-ups and short term residencies. Restaurants come and go, food fads last a few months and new places are constantly being rolled out like they’re on a supermarket conveyer belt.
Urban Coterie, only opened in November is here to stay and here’s why:
Urban Coterie is not a place you’d stumble across, it doesn’t have brazen luminous signs and no arrows pointing to the entrance. It’s an unassuming place that can easily be missed. Housed in the M by Montcalm Hotel on the 17th floor, the restaurant is a collaboration between Searcys and Michelin-starred chef Anthony Demetre. Head Chef Martin Zahumensky and Anthony Demetre’s menu is all about letting ingredient-led seasonal cooking do the talking.
The Vibe: The restaurant is small and cosy, yet feels large and spacious thanks to the high ceilings and minimalistic decor. It’s an intimate space that offers some of the most spectacular views over the city. The Shard and The Heron Tower are known for their picture perfect views, but with such popularity comes a sea of iPhones and the corporate suited crowd ready to sink a few cocktails on a Friday night. But, this is why Urban Coterie is different – there’s no one angling for the ideal Instagram pictures and you don’t have to queue behind the London rat race at the bar to order a tipple. The place has a certain Scandi feel to the place, with Urban Coterie favouring traditional materials such as brass, timber and leather.
The Drinks: The cocktail menu here offers a fantastic range of various drinks, from off the wall combinations to classic cocktails. We recommend the xxx Goddess, a heady mix of vodka, grapefruit and blueberries. It’s fruity, a bit tart and far too drinkable. Other bars need to take note of this cocktail for the simplicity of the flavours.
The Food: The dinner menu is short and concise, with a handful of starters and mains to choose from. Before the main event, order a few snacks to nibble on. The braised ox cheek is served in a wonton-style parcel. Bite into it and you’re greeted with moist, tender slow cooked ox cheek that is complimented by the light batter of the casing. Served as it should be, with a small portion of home-made spicy mayonnaise.
Try the crab with apple and celeriac for a starter – it’s a light, refreshing dish with a touch of lemon. For a more concept dish, the poached eggs with mushroom broth is an interesting choice. A unique combination of textures that would make any chicken liver pate look tame.
For main course, the stand out dish has to be the beef bavette. A thick succulent cut of meat that is cooked to your liking (best served pink) is topped with nuts and served alongside greens. There’s a real depth of flavours to this plateful. The rich meat is a perfect companion to the sweetness of the nuts. The cod also comes highly recommended by us. Order the side dish of the parnisps – seriously, seriously good.
Now, like all good meals, the desserts have to be as good, or better as the main course. Boy, does Urban Coterie deliver on the sweet treats. It’s the chocolate mousse with pine nut ice cram that’s the real winner and undoubtedly the star of the show. It’s a dessert you’ll be taking about on the journey home, we certainly did. The portion of this dessert is just right, anymore and it would have be far too sickly. The warm mousse is more of a souffle – a cooked exterior when broken with a spoon, chocolate oozes our. It’s a saucy little number. There is a generous portion of pine nut ice cream that is a welcome addition to the dish. Honestly, it’s like happiness in a bowl.
The Verdict: Urban Coterie is not a place you’d drop into on a Monday night for a quick dinner. It’s fancy, indulgent, but it’s well worth the money. It’s a hidden gem and certainly shouldn’t be overlooked – it’s a fantastic place for both food and drink.
Food always tastes better when you’re a few floors up, looking out over the city, but maybe that’s just me.
