There was a time when travelling to Canary Wharf for a meal would’ve been unthinkable. Once the preserve of corporate workers, the sprawling maze of glass and steel offered sustenance to its weekday residents in the form of chain sandwich shops and slickly designed purveyors of “slop bowls” – before virtually emptying out completely on the evenings and weekends.
Those days are all but over. Dotted among the grab-and-go lunch spots – some overlooking the wharf’s network of calm waterways – is a burgeoning number of legitimately great restaurants and bars. Many are E14 outposts of popular eateries (think: Dishoom, Blacklock, Hawksmoor, Kricket), while others are London-firsts (including Isso Prawn Crazy, the popular Sri Lankan seafood restaurant). What’s rarer is a promising standalone concept, which is why Alto 19 – the new 19th-floor Mediterranean restaurant – deserves Londoners’ attention.
“Weekends, evenings and after-work crowds have all grown, with new openings giving people a reason to come in who don’t work here,” says executive chef Chris Dargavel. “Alto 19 is built for that: a Mediterranean menu with a proper bar and amazing cocktails.”
Alto 19 is the latest from the White Rabbit Project team (Lina Stores, Kricket, Soma) – and like its sister venues, the design of the space feels confident and cohesive. Elevator doors of the Locke hotel part at the 19th floor to reveal a 100-cover restaurant and bar that wouldn’t look out of place in Mad Men. Windows wrap the entire room; depending on weather conditions and the time of day, Alto 19 could be bathed in golden rays or ensconced in twinkling city lights. The eye is drawn to a curved ’60s-inspired chrome DJ booth – a fun retro twist echoed in low-slung leopard print seats, retro booths and reflective surfaces. Pops of red are everywhere; in the velvet curtains, behind the bar, Negronis at diners’ tables. Yes, this could be a spot for a demure post-dinner drink; but it’s also clearly made for late-night parties, too.
While chef Dargavel’s menu is billed as modern Mediterranean, it primarily leans Italian – starting with crisp cacio e pepe gnocco fritto and crab fritti with aioli and lemon. For Dargavel, who recently served as head chef of South Kensington restaurant Daphne’s, and before that, seafood institution J Sheekey, it starts with top-quality ingredients. “Daphne’s taught me that Mediterranean food works best when it’s confident and simple,” he says. “You buy the best produce you can, don’t overwork it, and let the seasoning and the cooking do the talking. That’s the approach at Alto 19.”
Nowhere is this approach more apparent than in the Sicilian prawn risotto with lardo – a deep red dish that Dargavel is proudest of, “because of the red prawns are such a special product,” he says. “The dish is built around them. The risotto is Acquerello Carnaroli [rice] finished with citrus and basil, and the raw prawns go on at the end with thin sheets of lardo draped over the top. The heat from the rice gently warms the prawns and turns the lardo translucent. We serve it as a sharing main, and we ask guests to crush the prawn heads into the rice for that natural coral richness. It’s simple, but it only works if the prawns are that good.”
Cocktails, designed by bars manager Josh Powell, are designed to complement the dishes; one that Dargavel loves to pair with the snacks or the desserts is the Tangia to Turin, “made with smooth grappa and an orange and saffron foam”. The 300-strong wine list features primarily European small artisanal producers. Dargavel hopes that guests will enjoy Alto 19’s bar as much as they will as a dining destination – “in a room that works for a big group as well as a quiet dinner for two, overlooking great views across the Docklands skyline”.
Alto 19
Level 19, 1 Cartier Circle Locke, E14 5HF
Hours:
Tue to Sat 6pm–late
