Harden's survey result
Summary
Gary Foulkes’s “classy” cuisine – “always perfect” fish and seafood, from a menu showcasing sustainable British Isles produce – maintains this “City gem” as the culinary star of D&D London at present. Occupying the “cool and refined” top floor of a hotel near Broadgate, it’s “a great place for a business lunch, with excellent light”: “one wall is virtually all window, overlooking the neighbouring blocks” (and there’s a terrace for sunny days). “It’s pricey, but you are slap bang in the heart of the Square Mile.”
Summary
Gary Foulkes’s “classy” cuisine – “always perfect” fish and seafood, from a menu showcasing sustainable British Isles produce – maintains this “City gem” as the culinary star of D&D London at present. Occupying the “cool and refined” top floor of a hotel near Broadgate, it’s “a great place for a business lunch, with excellent light”: “one wall is virtually all window, overlooking the neighbouring blocks” (and there’s a terrace for sunny days). “It’s pricey, but you are slap bang in the heart of the Square Mile.”
Summary
“One of the best places for lunch in the City” (with “nicely spaced tables so conversations are not overheard”) – this “terrific” D&D London operation is the best culinary performer in the group nowadays. “Gary Foulkes is a brilliant fish chef” and tears up the rulebook which says there’s no decent cooking in the Square Mile, especially at places with “great views”, such as you get at this penthouse perch. “The entrance through the South Place Hotel limits expectations for what lies ahead” and although “it does feel like you’re in a hotel” the dining room itself is a “lovely”, “light and airy” space. “Get a table on the terrace on a sunny day and enjoy the delicious seafood.”
Summary
“Ultra fresh seafood and superb views” are undisputed attractions of this rooftop venture near Moorgate. But while the terrace (heated in winter) is undoubtedly “lovely”, the overall impression of the venue as a whole can be “pretty soulless”, and fans concede that it’s “so expensive” too (“the bill’s only fine if you’re a banker”).
For 30 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Angler, South Place Hotel?
Owner's description
Angler is a dazzling Michelin-starred restaurant with seafood at its centre. Led by Executive Chef, Gary Foulkes, the ever-changing menu features only seasonal and carefully sourced produce. Using passion and precision, Gary meticulously curates each dish to celebrate the taste and textures of the ingredients, using a variation of techniques, flavouring and seasoning. To complement, Head Sommelier has compiled an extensive wine list of bottles from both the new and old world.
Adorned with a mirrored Grace & Webb ceiling sculpture and floor-to-ceiling windows, Angler is a favoured spot for foodies, romantics and power lunchers. An adjoining terrace is a sun trap and in winter it transforms into a cosy outside space – perfect for a pre-dinner cocktail or an evening whiled away.
Angler is part of a collection by D&D London; other restaurants and venues include Bluebird, Coq D’argent and Launceston Place. D&D London owns and operates over 35 of the most famous restaurants in London, Leeds, Paris, New York, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £37.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.50 |
 Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Restaurant details
The chef
Gary Foulkes has a wealth of experience, with over two decades of working in Michelin-starred restaurants and in some of the UK’s most highly-acclaimed establishments.
Starting his career under the guidance of Gary Rhodes, he has since worked with a whole series of acclaimed chefs. These include John Campbell, The Vineyard at Stockcross as well as Richard Neat and also William Drabble at the Aubergine in Chelsea. Gary then moved to Philip Howard’s renowned Restaurant, The Square in Mayfair, where he progressed to the role of Head Chef.
In April 2016, Gary joined the Michelin-starred restaurant, Angler, as Executive Head Chef. He has since retained the restaurant’s Michelin star in the 2018 Michelin Guide, whilst creating a new reputation for Angler, focusing on his unique style of cooking.
Gary is an avid traveller and his skills draw strong influence from the three years he spent travelling across South East Asia and Central America. Gary’s cooking is inspired by these travel experiences with the use of different styles and flavours to create vibrant, seasonal dishes using the best of British produce where possible.
Gary now lives in central London with his wife and young son.
Angler, South Place Hotel Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Nice veranda on top of a City hotel, though nothing memorable, and a bit too wide and impersonal. Service a bit messy, with too few requests of feedback, but precise in bringing and explaining the courses. Opted for the tasting course. Invite not really memorable. Starters from very good to almost excellent (the crab and the langustine), but portions extremely tiny even for starters. Cooked fish mains instead (cod and dory) perfectly cooked, but too similar each other, and more focused on execution than impression. Regarding desserts, the chocolate was tasty, the others flat and unremarkable. Bill probably 10-20% more expensive than deserved. Overall, compared to other restaurants of the same level, the chef did not take any gambles, almost all dishes were perfectly executed, but none was particularly special or unique. One Michelin star is probably worth, especially being a specialty restaurant on fish and seafood, but very far from the second one nevertheless."
"Lovely location for our first meal out in ages. Service was amazing and the fixed lunch was fabulous "
3 South Pl, London, EC2M 2AF
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Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | CLOSED |
| Thursday | CLOSED |
| Friday | CLOSED |
| Saturday | CLOSED |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
