What with the recent spell of unusually hot weather we’ve been having, it’s the perfect time of the year to enjoy a barbeque and a few glasses of chilled rosé on a rooftop terrace. And what better place than French restaurant Coq d’Argent in the heart of The City who have brought a little taste of Provence to their rooftop garden with the recently launched ‘Endless Lunch by Mirabeau’.
Forget pavement terraces, the rooftop garden, which stretches across the rooftop of No. 1 Poultry, overlooks the Bank of England and is a quiet and pollution free little oasis with no street or traffic noise to interrupt your leisurely lunch.
This beautifully designed garden is the perfect place in which to enjoy alfresco dining while the Conran designed inside restaurant makes for an elegant evening dinner setting coupled with an excellent menu of classic French cuisine.
Served every Wednesday to Saturday from midday to 4:00pm during the summer, the Endless Lunch menu is also available for groups and terrace events, and a group of us recently took advantage of the warm London sunshine to try the four-course menu paired with three Mirabeau rosé wines that has been inspired by the South of France.
We arrived to find two Big Geen Egg barbeques already fired up with the chef ready to grill the skewered large prawns. These weren’t the small prawns you normally find over here but rather the large shrimp or gambas I’ve often enjoyed in the United States. They were served with Pastis, Rhone-Alps grown heritage tomatoes and a watermelon salad, making for the perfect starter in the sunshine, paired with a superb, chilled glass of Mirabeau Pure Provence Rosé. Pale pink in colour, the nose reveals white fruits, reminding you of sun-kissed vineyard peaches and it has a silky texture complemented by a refreshing mineral note that reflects its provenance.
While we enjoyed our succulent prawns, the chef was already grilling our seabass filet en papillot which came wrapped in tin foil, served with fennel, leek and orange and a tasty salsa verde to continue the Mediterranean theme. The perfectly cooked fish was paired with an equally good Mirabeau Etoile Provence Rosé that is elegant with a degree of complexity and lovely layered structure with aromas of white fruits like pear, fresh mint, apricots and peach. It is powerful yet refined and pairs well with more sophisticated food.
The third course was a smoked half baby chicken served with garlic, lemon, tarragon and honey glaze barbeque roasted new potatoes, accompanied by some healthy tender stem broccoli. This was paired with our third and final wine, which was a Mirabeau La Réserve Côtes de Provence Rosé and got the vote as perhaps the best out of the three. It is a gastronomic rosé with wild red fruits and floral notes layered with spice, roasted tones, butter and brioche on the mellow palate balanced by beautiful freshness.
We rounded off our leisurely and what seemed like an endless lunch with a roasted extra sweet pineapple with rum and scoop of spiced ice cream, an ideal dessert to enjoy in the warm sunshine.
During the course of the afternoon, the chefs will continue to cook from the barbeques against the idyllic backdrop of the pretty rooftop garden with each of the four courses designed to excite the palette with bold French flavours in a relaxed atmosphere with a nice theatrical touch to the endless lunch experience.
The rooftop garden lends itself particularly well towards groups or events be it personal or corporate and makes for the ideal entertaining venue in The City.
For more information on the new ‘Endless Lunch by Mirabeau’, priced at £95 per person, please visit: www.coqdargent.co.uk and for more information on Maison Mirabeau’e selection of rosé wines, please visit: www.maisonmirabeau.com.
The Details
Coq d’Argent, No.1. Poultry, London, EC2R 8EJ, England.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7395 5000
Website: www.coqdargent.co.uk
Email: coqdargent@evolvcollection.com
The closest Tube station is Bank on the Central and DLR lines and only a minute’s walk from Coq d’Argent which is accessed via the elevator at 1 Poultry. The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday from midday to midnight and closed on Sundays.
Type of Restaurant: Rooftop French Restaurant
Price Band: Medium to high
Insider Tip: If the weather is nice, I recommend taking full advantage of the tranquil rooftop garden terrace with its panoramic views over The City. The restaurant is also dog-friendly, so you can even bring your dog along with you!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Coq d’Argent
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