Roe

Big new restaurants have been opening in Canary Wharf for some time now, prompting us to assume that there’s something we’re missing. When did skyscraper central become such a foodie hotspot? So we were, in all honesty, surprised to hear that the team behind Fallow were heading to the land of the city-slicker for their next venture, taking over a humongous 500-cover site at the foot of a residential skyscraper.

Fear not, for there is clearly method behind the madness. The site is big, sure, but spread across distinct sections, with the main dining room on the ground floor featuring a long, marble-topped counter, hanging orb lighting, and a huge 3D printed tree installation which stops the space from feeling cavernous. Beautiful? Perhaps not, but the coral-like texture of the ‘tree’, contrasted with panelled ceilings, concrete walls and marble counters, has a fun, futuristic effect that mirrors the team’s forward-thinking approach to food.

While Roe is far from a copy and paste job of the mightily successful Fallow, what it has borrowed is the same high-quality, low-waste cooking and laser attention to detail that makes dining in a space this large still feel premium and special. We sit at the counter watching chefs serve up never-ending plates of sesame-crusted cuttlefish toasts topped with the crackle of puffed pork skin, while fresh-out-the-oven flatbreads smeared in a rich snail vindaloo has us pining for a chat with the recipe development team. The smaller plates are where the fun lies, but if you fancy something larger, then a crisp, cheese-soaked fried chicken burger was just about worth its £16 price tag.

The sweet section reads like an ode to retro desserts, from refreshing Eton Mess soft serve hiding a crisp meringue base, to mint choc chip Viennetta decorated with grown-up swirls of velvety chocolate cream. The wine list centres around organic, minimal interventional bottles, but starts at £14 for the cheapest glass, which you could instead put towards one of its standout cocktails – we loved the Lemon Verbena Swizzle which offers a refreshing blend of sweet sherbet and lots of ice.

If you didn’t have a reason to visit Canary Wharf before, you do now.

Roe is the latest restaurant from Will Murray, Jack Croft and James Robson, the trio behind Fallow St James’s and FOWL. 

Located in Wood Wharf, against the banks of the South Dock Canal, Roe is named after Britain's native deer species and serves up a collection of British classics. Following the ethos of the trio's other openings, Roe champions sustainable dining and minimal wastage with a focus on bold and interpretative cooking that has taken London's dining scene by storm. This 500-cover restaurant spans across three floors and comes complete with mezzanine and terrace dining as well as a chef’s table to keep diner’s close to the action. 

The effort for sustainability, however, goes much further than just the menu. Plant-based and compostable 3D printed decor, such as a coral-inspired tree and counters, fill the space alongside an aeroponic green wall where an onsite gardener will grow herbs and greens including peas, padron peppers and chillies that will be used in the dishes. It's not something that you see everyday, even in London.

The a la carte menu is a celebration of British classics and uses locally sourced ingredients, regenerative crops and a nose-to-tail cooking style that has become a staple of the trio: think Fallow's sriracha cod's head and FOWL's chicken head pie. At Roe guests can expect Cornish pasties made with shiitake mushrooms and fresh thyme (grown in house) and a dish that puts a twist on the classic baked potato that’s cooked in kombu stock, served with walnut and truffle ketchup and topped with crispy seaweed. The Roe mixed grill features underused and often wasted cuts of venison and combines grilled marinated haunch, confit shoulder and a venison skewer alongside a selection of condiments.