To be honest I had never heard of Wagtail before I went there last week, and its location had made it less likely that I would have done so. Essentially it is in the City, and I don’t work there. For those of us of a certain age, bars and restaurants in that area were either full of besuited loudmouths having after work drinks or tourists lost en route to the Monument or Saint Paul’s. And then tumbleweed after 8pm.
But things have changed over the last decade or so, and Wagtail perfectly sums up these changes.
First, Wagtail is a restaurant with an epic roof terrace, the elevation of which it uses to great effect. As you exit the lift and walk into the restaurant the first thing that strikes you is the view across the large terrace running along one side of the room. It’s like a greatest hits of London. You stare straight across the length of London Bridge as if at a spear pointing at the Shard, to the east is Tower Bridge, and St Pauls to the west. Upstairs from the roof terrace bar it’s even more theatrical. It’s worth going to Wagtail just for the view. And this view is one where you can see just how the juxtaposition of the upward thrust of city architecture of the last two decades with the baroque and gothic rooftops of eighteenth and nineteenth century London is endlessly fascinating.
This is the City not as a place of work, but as theatre and spectacle.
Second, City restaurants used to be boring. Not here. The restaurant is large, comfortable and just the right side of luxe without being louche. Choosing from a well curated menu by Wagtail’s Swedish chef Henrik Ritzen was easy with a number of dishes reflecting his Nordic influences. Food prices are standard for cooking of this quality in central London with prices from £24.
I started with the crudo sea bass with stracciatella and sorrel to start, punctured by salted blueberries, and aleppo pepper providing background heat. I’d happily have had seconds.
For a main course, it being a Friday, I ordered a grilled monkfish tail. This was perfectly cooked, the flesh firm but still retaining some moisture, a tropia onion providing some sweetness and contrasting texture, both sitting on a base of seaweed butter sauce which had sufficient acidity to prevent it overwhelming the flavour of the fish.
I accompanied this with a generous portion of Jerusalem artichokes, again well cooked. The chef and restaurant know what they are doing and take pride in what emerges from the kitchen.
The wine list and drinks menu is broad, wine by the glass from £8 all the way through to City bonus fine wines. Cocktails are one of the features of Wagtail and my negroni at the rooftop bar was excellent – perhaps I should have had a second. Adding to the nighttime vibe of the lit Shard and Tower Bridge was the excellent soundtrack – hats off to whoever chose the playlist it was perfect, fearless contemporary beats and tunes to animate but not overwhelm.
This is the modern City: great food, excellent drinks, fun staff and customers. It is open late for some serious cocktails under the stars. Dare I say it a cool vibe? And if nothing else, you simply have to come one summer evening to the terrace. It has a view to die for.
The Information
Wagtail, 68 King William Street, London, EC4N 7HR – 020 8161 4442
Email: [email protected]
OPENING HOURS
Monday and Tuesday 11am – 11:30pm, Wednesday11am – midnight, Thursday to Saturday 11am – 1am, Sunday11am – 11pm