The history, the view, the critically aclaimed chef: what’s not to love?
Restaurants frequented by tourists are hardly ever beacons of gastronomic pilgrimage. There are exceptions, of course – London’s Rules springs to mind – but mostly a view or oodles of history give the operators carte blanche to continue on their merry way of being just a bit shit. Not shit enough to create the kind of online intel that might deter the leisurewear-clad tour parties, but enough to repel the picky likes of me.
Tourist restaurants don’t need to pander to locals or regulars. After the “oohs” have been issued and the cameras clicked, it’s pretty much job done if they can send folk out without actively poisoning them. So it’s rare to stumble across a place such as Bankside’s Swan, with its history-plus-view double whammy, a side-order of charitable intent (a portion of its takings go towards supporting Shakespeare’s Globe next door) and a credible chef running the show. After a refurb, it’s lured critically acclaimed Allan Pickett, late of Fitzrovia’s Piquet, to head up the kitchens. Score.
Related: Jugemu, London W1: ‘This is one of those rare reviews I’ve hesitated to write’
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