[title]
Seafood specialists Wright Brothers have washed up by the water’s edge in Battersea with one elegant-looking restaurant: glossy marble tables, dark wood and walls peppered with illustrations of crustaceans. There’s a large bar area with stools and high tables, and a dining room. Charming white-shirted waiters (all male on my visit) went out of their way to make me feel at home, taking our coats as we entered. The waterfront setting of this branch is a massive bonus, as is the neighbourhood vibe. There are proper linen napkins and the diners that surrounded us were the well-heeled sort, which is unsurprising considering the prices.
A must-try from the menu is a dish of dressed oysters with pickled cucumber and horseradish (£11 for three); they were like Pringles – once you pop, you can’t stop. There was none of the usual salty, metallic taste to these oysters, and not a shell in sight; instead they came served as a bite-sized medley of crisp cucumber balanced artfully atop the shucked oyster, with a dab of horseradish, and a soft, savoury biscuit base.
Another memorable starter was the cold dressed Devon crab with grated egg (£18.50). The shell arrived crammed with flaky, light crab meat and there was plenty for two. Creamy scallops with truffled artichoke were suitably rich.
This site is home to the group’s first Josper charcoal oven, but the cod cooked ‘à la Josper’, though succulent, was over-salted and otherwise lacklustre. A pity. A steak was fairly ordinary.
Still, everything here deserves top marks for presentation. And those dressed oysters are worth the trip alone.