Restaurant Search

Select

Where Where Bath Berkshire Brighton Buckinghamshire Cornwall Devon Edinburgh Hampshire London Manchester Newcastle Oxfordshire Paris Suffolk Surrey Wales Yorkshire

Food Style Food Style Afternoon tea American Argentinean Asian British European Fine dining French Gastropub Hotel Indian Italian Japanese Michelin-starred Middle Eastern Romantic Seafood Spanish Thai Ukranian Vietnamese

Recipe Search

Select

Meal Meal Canapé Cocktail Dessert Main Salad Starter

Ingredients Ingredients Amaretto Apples Artichokes Asparagus Aubergine Avocado Bacardi Bacon Banana Beef Beetroot Blackberries Blackcurrants Blueberries Bourbon Brandy Brie Camembert Carrots Champagne Cheese Cherries Chicken Chilli Chocolate Chorizo Ciabatta Clams Cocoa Coconut Cod Cointreau Coriander Crab Cranberries Crayfish Cream Crème fraiche Cup cake Dried fruit Figs Fish Garlic Gin Ginger Goat's cheese Golden syrup Grapefruit Grapes Ham Haricot beans Honey Hot chocolate Ice cream Jack Daniel's Jam King prawns Lamb Langoustines Lemon curd Lemongrass Lemons Lentils Limes Lychee Mango Martini Mint Mozzarella Mushrooms Noodles Nutmeg Olives Onions Pancetta Paprika Parma ham Parmesan Parsnips Partridge Passionfruit Pasta Pastry Peaches Peanut Peanut butter Pears Peas Pistachio nuts Plum Pomegranate Pork Port Potatoes Prawns Pumpkin Raspberries Raspberry Red peppers Rice Rum Salad Salmon Sambuca Sausages Scallops Seeds Shallots Sherry Smoked salmon Soup Soy sauce Spaghetti Spare ribs Spinach Spring onions Strawberries Sweet potato Swordfish Syrup Tandoori Tea Tomatoes Venison Vodka Waffles Whisky

Back To Basics

• Print
• Share
• Comment

The best (and quirkiest) fish and seafood restaurant in London

Where? 21a Foley Street, London W1W 6DS (020-7436 2181)

Basic by name, basic by nature? Well, there's no parched linen tablecloths or surly maître de. The décor, instead, is more inner city beach shack with wooden tables, rattan chairs and glass mosaic fish on the walls. There's nothing quirky about the food though - the fresh seafood and fish is five-star all the way.

Fresh seafood in London. What, do they fish it out of the Thames? Not quite, but with the fish delivery from the coast changing daily 'due to weather, demands and fisherman's moods' there's always something new chalked up on the blackboard.

Any dishes get the full 10/10? Fillet of cod served with rocket, roasted peppers, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes (£14.25) is top of the class, as is the wild halibut with spinach, bacon, avocado and stilton butter (£15.95). Before you even glance at the specials board, however, make sure you start with some steamed mussels (£6.25) and bread – it's home-baked and served warm with homemade anchovy, garlic and red pepper butter. Bye-bye Atkins!

We'll drink a toast to that… If you opt for premier cru oysters rather than mussels to start, wash them down with a glass of bubbly. There's also a good range of house wines and a further 50 pricier choices on the extensive drinks menu.

Need to know? Small (but perfectly formed), Back to Basics can get busy so it's wise to book in advance. During the summer, there are seats outside so request an outdoor table if you want to catch some rays.


View Larger Map

Review by Carla Bevan

Release date: Thursday 26 July 2007

• Next Review

  

  SARTORIA Read more...

• Last Review

  

  THE TERRACE AT SANDERSON HOTEL Read more...

Navigation

• Home
• News
• Fashion
• Beauty
• Health
• Celebrity
• Competitions
• Travel
• Lifestyle
  • Issues and Campaigns
  • Directory
  • 10 Best
  • Ethical living
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant reviews
• Community
• Mctv
• Subscribe