The name may evoke queuing in short socks for semolina pudding, but thankfully this is all that Canteen has in common with unpalatable school dinners. And yet it’s still a nostalgic trip for the taste buds as this upmarket restaurant chain (branches are in Canary Wharf, Baker Street, Spitalfields and at The Royal Festival Hall) rustles up no-nonsense traditonal British fare without a self-service counter in sight.
On a Wednesday evening in Canary Wharf, Canteen is buzzing with a mixture of suits and secretaries. Fortunately the atmosphere avoids feeling like an extension of the office - it’s warm and relaxed with retro styling and full height glass frontage looking out on to a neat concrete sprawl.
Glass bottles of HP and Ketchup on the table are a kitsch hint to Canteen’s cuisine, but I hope to not use them. As expected, the menu reads like a glossary of classic British dishes, and salutes our staple diet long before faraway foods invaded our fridges and infiltrated our eating habits.
Separated into digestible sections, there’s a concise choice of standard dishes, but the specials steal the show. Choose from soup, pie, roast, stew or fish, all changed daily in accordance with the seasons, of course, and market availability. I am tempted by the fish and chips, although the humble pie is a house favourite and the imaginative yet traditional fillings sound delicious - duck and leek or Jerusalem artichoke, Cashel Blue and lemon. The fish wins out and comes breaded instead of battered, providing a welcome lightness of touch to this greasy national delight, and the chips are spot-on (fat and crispy). A starter of chicory, watercress, apple and walnut salad is lovely also - perfectly balanced and dressed to kill.
We ordered a buttery treacle tart to share for pudding but it was forks at dawn and my dining companion didn’t stand a chance (sorry, mate).
It takes good quality ingredients and finesse in the kitchen to elevate simple, traditional food to the next level, and it’s a concept that Canteen understands absolutely. Pesto? Pah! Falafel? I’m over it!
This branch of Canteen is sure to be a hit with the ‘locals’ and is just the place to nurse our considerably skinnier fat cats back to health, while they get started on the economy.
Canteen, The Park Pavilion,
40 Canada Square,
London
E14 5FW (+44 (0)845 686 1122; canteen.co.uk).
Read more about Canteen: Great British produce: executive chef Cass Titcombe picks the best of British and enter our competition for the chance to win a copy of Canteen — Great British Food.
