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The original 64 Degrees opened in Brighton in 2013 and caused quite a splash for its interesting dishes and chic feel. It’s attracted so much attention that a new London boutique hotel, Artist Residence, has struck a deal to open this more spacious branch on their corner site in a mostly residential part of Pimlico.
Fish and chips on the beach this ain’t: it’s a smart restaurant using the latest cooking techniques. The menu’s divided into small sharing plates of ‘meat’, ‘fish’ and ‘veg’. The dishes arrive in no particular order – and we waited nearly an hour for one of ours. If you are sharing plates (diners who choose not to will come unstuck by the dish delays), you might find the portion sizes a little meagre, so order two dishes each to start with.
Meat cookery seems to be the strength. Our venison was perfectly pink and tender, unusually moist for this low-fat game meat; coffee-flavoured sauce enhanced its savouriness. There are tasty smears and blobs on many plates.
Many dishes are imaginative plays on the European canon. Knödel – German potato dumplings – had a pleasingly gelatinous texture which went well with a slightly too vegetal chunk of chargrilled cabbage with smoked butter.
Not every dish was a success. ‘Banana, malt, miso’ was sections of near-raw banana (the Brighton version is cooked for longer) with a scoop of too-simple milk ice cream, on a smear of miso-accented malt; a poor imitation of the original. Sticky toffee pudding with bourbon butterscotch sauce was no better than pub fare. Both desserts cost £7 for a small portion.
Wine service was more generous – our wine waiter brought us tasting samples, and replaced a borderline corked glass without a quibble. The service was invariably charming and eager to please, if a bit amateurish.
Booking is already essential, but the hotel’s basement bar may beckon if you don’t mind a wait.