Working Lunch: One Sixty City
Melissa York on the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf
One Sixty City
9 Stoney lane, E1
WHAT? A slick American smokehouse for suits who love to eat meat. And we mean a lot of meat. Ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork and steak is the order of the day here and don’t you forget it. Even the salads are monstrous.
WHERE? Tucked away around the back of The Gherkin in Houndsditch, it’s spacious and masculine to boot, with pop-art style drawings of pigs and guns adorning the walls next to rustic wooden tables and black leather banquettes.
WHO? This is the second venture from Michelin-starred restaurateur David Moore and publican Sean Martin. Their first One Sixty opened in West Hampstead but this City venue has bigger ambitions.
ORDER THIS… The mac ‘n’ cheese from the Bar Bites section is a creamy treat that’s ingeniously topped with crisps to guarantee crunch. But the real star of the show is the rack of smoked pork ribs, which arrive tender and falling off the bone with crispy chips.
BUSINESS OR PLEASURE? It’s just the right volume; loud enough to ensure privacy but you won’t need to be an expert in lip-reading to understand your partner. There’s plenty of space for documents in the roomy booths, too.
NEED TO BOOK? The City branch didn’t look busy enough for that just yet, but you can reserve a table at the West Hampstead venue through Bookatable.
THE VERDICT… Perfect for a Friday treat with colleagues. This is fun, brash food done well with locally-sourced ingredients and over 50 craft ales on tap. Perhaps it isn’t one for the office vegetarians or dieters, though.
ONE MORE THING… It boasts the UK’s only USDA prime brisket bar.
