Ibai

Against a cavernous backdrop of glass, polished concrete and industrial ducting, filled with hard-edged vibes, a clamorous buzz and unfailing congeniality, Richard Foster’s open-to-view kitchen explores contemporary charcoal cookery with invigorating brio. Rare-breed steaks and Galician blond beef, sourced from retired dairy cows aged between eight and twelve years, are at the heart of the menu, but it’s not all about meat. The Basque-inflected repertoire appeals to a wider crowd, with small bites to lighten the load (our panisse with black truffle and Ossau-Iraty cheese was insanely moreish), alongside fish, sauces, salads and sides. One palpable hit at our meal was a stunning ember-roasted scallop with espelette and garlic butter – so good we ordered it twice – and we were mightily impressed by the sheer quality of the £35 lunch special of sirloin steak frites, which we teamed with a punchy anchovy and herb salsa. To finish, pain perdu with rum and hazelnut ice cream proved to be hugely satisfying and just the right size for sharing – with choice ranging from chocolate cake to gâteau Basque. Reporters, too, have been quick off the mark with their favourites, singling out the famed croque Ibai (a toasted sandwich with carabinero prawn, boudin noir and Tomme de Brebis cheese), the ‘meaty and meltingly delicious’ pâté Basque with truffle honey and grilled bread, and a spectacular if luxuriously priced dish of king crab rice. This is good cooking, albeit at prices that are not for the faint-hearted; most of the intelligently chosen wines (predominantly from France and Spain) are significantly over £40, while selections by the glass jump up quickly from £10 to £21.