Toast the City: Why High Timber is a Square Mile hidden gem
In a new series celebrating the people and places nominated for our Toast the City awards, Steve Dinneen visits one of the Square Mile’s best hidden gems, High Timber, a riverside restaurant and wine bar with a vibe like no other.
What is it? Despite being one of the City’s most established restaurants (it’s 17 years old and I first wrote about it 15 years ago), you’d be forgiven for overlooking this little gem nestled on the North Bank, not least because you have to navigate the impenetrable Upper Thames Street to get to it. Once you make it there, however, you’re greeted by surely the finest river view in all of London, with Southward Bridge to your left, Millennium Bridge to your right and Shakespeare’s Globe and the Tate Modern straight ahead.
High Timber – not to be confused with English sparkling wine brand Nyetimber – is a proudly South African owned and operated restaurant. Founders Gary and Kathy Jordan run the Jordan Wine Estate – no stranger to the world’s most prestigious wine awards – while the face of the restaurant is Neleen Strauss, a fellow South African with a wickedly dry sense of humour and an encyclopaedic knowledge of wine.
Why go? Aside from the booze, there’s serious food on offer. From South African classics such as biltong croquettes and droewors (South African dried sausage) to seasonal dishes including asparagus and smoked Lincolnshire poacher, there’s depth and quality to this menu. For mains, however, look no further than the meat. The steak – imported from South Africa, naturally – is excellent and gives you an excuse to order a glass or two of red, even if you’re dining in the baking summer sun.
When’s best to go? For a long, lazy lunch as the sun is setting. The terrace is a suntrap in the warmer months and, on Friday afternoon, our only company was the occasional jogger and the sound of the waves lapping against the bank of the river.
If you’re planning to sample a decent amount of the good stuff, I’d recommend making this your last appointment of the day so you can really lean into the epicurean delights High Timber has to offer.
Who to take? Wine buffs. High Timber’s cellar is spectacular, especially if you’re interested in South African wine. Even if, like me, you’re more wine-curious, Strauss will gladly take you on an oenological tour of South Africa. My pick of an admittedly long list of sampled wines was the Lismore Cape South Coast Chardonnay 2021, a wine so complex it makes you want to take out a pen and paper to try to solve it, picking out the punchy citrus and tropical fruits, the toasted brioche and honey, all laid on a foundation of rigid minerality. Wonderful stuff.
• Go to the website here for more information and to book