Fishmarket Restaurant

The Fishmarket restaurant is situated in the Great Eastern Hotel next to Liverpool Street Station in London. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the area, the Great Eastern Hotel does not have the most welcoming of exteriors, being rather East End and quite frankly, old, in appearance, but behind the ancient facade lies a hotel to compete with the best of the modern bunch. A room here will set you back £300+ during the week without breakfast! The designer hotel (Conran) is also home to a number of restaurants, of which Fishmarket is one, playing host to the myriad of City bankers and their entourage every day.

As its name suggests, Fishmarket is a fish restaurant. Do not go here expecting a steak or a vegetarian lasagne, you will be disappointed. Do not go here either if the thought of a fish that looks like a fish greeting you from your plate is just too much to stomach, you will get heads, eyes, tails, the lot! Do not go here either if you are expecting a cheap quick lunch. This venue is neither cheap nor quick!

Fish is fresh, portions are good. Forget fancy dishes, think fish and think simple (they only have a three second memory you know!). Think baked cod, salmon and smoked haddock fish cakes. Think platters of oysters and fresh crab or lobster. Do not think prawn cocktail (although you can get this) or crab sticks!

Service was slick yet unrushed save for the initial ordering. We found a waiter ready to take our order within about two minutes of us having been seated. He went away! Attention to falling wine levels could have been handled better and, had it been so, another bottle would probably have been sold (although I would not be typing in a straight line had that been the case!). All in all though, it was a very pleasurable experience.

In conclusion, I would heartily recommend this restaurant. It makes an ideal place to wine and dine clients and, in the evening and at weekends the perfect place for a romantic dinner a deux, provided the bank balance stretches that far!