Restaurants

By Guy Dimond

Boundary is the posher of the two restaurants inside Boundary Project (the other being British caff Albion). Although it’s a joint venture, one name stands out: Conran. Yes, Boundary’s another Conran restaurant, with all the trappings we have come to expect, namely: elegant design, good attention to detail, well-drilled service, prices a bit on the high side, and menu which is more classic than adventurous.

The dining room’s in the basement of a former Victorian warehouse, but has scrubbed up well with vaulted ceilings, bare brick walls, booth seating and clever lighting. The view of the kitchen, seen through plate glass walls, dominates. This is where great sharing platters of fruits de mer disseminate; generously loaded with a huge meaty crab, langoustines, oysters, clams and razor clams, one of these is almost a meal for two in itself.

Chef Ian Wood developed an excellent reputation for his terrines while chef at Almeida, and the rabbit rillette and pâtés, served from a trolley, are a highlight of a visit to Boundary.

Rôtisserie, game and meats dominate the main courses (vegetarians should eat elsewhere). Braised trotter had been nicely deboned, yet this dish wasn’t one of the kitchen’s best. The outer layer of skin and fat had been stuffed with pieces of the meat and sweetbreads, but the casing was still too rubbery – and the flesh was still quite whiffy of offal aromas in an unappealing way. Better was the venison, slightly too dry and chewy perhaps, but well-matched with quince poached in red wine.

It seemed the simpler the dish, the better the execution. Skate was pan-fried in butter then topped with capers, lemon juice and tiny croûtons (a style called grenobloise), and was the best of the main courses we tried.

Service was very professional yet relaxed throughout, the sommelier particularly adept at matching the level of wine knowledge to the customers; he successfully talked us into spending a lot more on the wine than we’d intended, which is easy to do with the wine list here. There are hundreds of good bottles, many at alarmingly high City prices that seem out of tune with the times; but a restaurant like Boundary is clearly taking the long view, and even in times of austerity quality will always be in demand.

Time Out London Issue 2005: January 22-28 2009