The London restaurant scene is a big sea in which to fish. Similar to the real world, only the fittest survive. The Seafood Bar is a laudable concept, but whether it will endure remains to be seen. The original venture opened nine years ago in Amsterdam when a local fishmonger turned restaurateur. Now, the chain is five strong, with the London outpost opening last month on the site of the former (and much-loved) Red Fort.
There is certainly something very Dutch (or Scandinavian) about the venue. It’s extremely white and full of minimalist clean lines. If it weren’t for the exposed brickwork on one wall which also features an arresting crab light fixture in electric red, then the best adjective to describe things would be clinical, if generous. At least there’s some excitement provided by the passing Soho street life. When our group arrived at noon on a recent weekday lunchtime, we were the only guests. The venue did fill up, but several tables remained empty throughout. Staff were admittedly trying their hardest to retain their enthusiasm. We waited longer than I might have either liked or expected – particularly for our starters – but were too polite to make an issue out of this.
Good conversation and free-flowing wine helped, but others may not be so forgiving. It was more galling that our shared starters were a mixed bag, even if the main course delivered. The angle at The Seafood Bar is self-explanatory, with a big focus on seasonal produce and shellfish. We opted for three sharing dishes to commence. As one of our party noted, the gauge for any restaurant offering all things fish ought to be how it does calamari. On this metric, it was a clear fail for The Seafood Bar. Here, the batter to octopus ratio on the calamari was skewed so far in the former direction to make them almost inedible. At least the prawns – juicy and served in a garlic oil – compensated somewhat. The venue did manage to redeem itself with its catch of the day, for which we all opted. The grilled seabass (served here with broccolini and salsa verde) was well-executed and enjoyed with no complaints.
Whether one piece of seabass gives an indication of a venue’s true potential is open to debate, but what I do know is that there are restaurants within walking distance of The Seafood Bar (Randall & Aubin or Wright Brothers, for instance) that have proven track records in offering consistently good fish and vibes.