London Love - The Wapping Project

02 Aug London Love – The Wapping Project

Posted at 06:42h in Fashion, Taste by Ca Dao 0 Comments

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So, it’s been 5 months since I moved to the new place and …to be honest… I haven’t got a chance to discover this new area fully yet… apart from St Katherine’s Dock (this reminds me that I haven’t posted the pictures on this blog yet, gotta show you how pretty St Katz Dock is under the sun!!!)

I’ve been doing loads of research about my area, about where all the cool places are!! I discovered this restaurant about 2 months ago and I was dying to check it out. But…as you know, the Vietnam Summer Festival preparation took away all my time then!

Today is my lucky day! (Maybe because it’s the start of a new month!) One of those extremely rare days on which my boyf managed to get out of work early at 6h30! I made a reservation, Viet had no idea where I was taking him to… This boy was in for a surprise treat!

The restaurant is actually not far from where I live, a mere 15 min walk!

Wapping Project
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station
Wapping Hall
London E1W 3SG
020 7680 2080

This site originally housed the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, the last working pumping station of the old hydraulic power networks in London. It was used to power machineries, lifts, cranes etc at distant locations using pressurised liquid, which was transferred through underground pipes. Tower Bridge also used to employ this hydraulic power as a backup mechanism. The station was, however, closed in 1977 and now reopened as a multipurpose exhibition and performance space, with the restaurant housed in the engine room on the ground floor.

The entrance to the current exhibition of one of Billie Cowie’s works, “The Revery Alone”, come and find out for yourselves what lies behind it.

Tables and chairs, candles and light bulbs and even a disco ball are neatly integrated into the engine room’s original setting. You get enjoy the food and services right beside the remaining pieces from the second industrial revolution. This, is the old and the new intertwined. This, is truly a unique experience. This, my friends, is East London!

Moving on to the food and drinks, I had a watermelon martini to start the evening. It is definitely one of my favourite cocktails, so refreshing!

The food menu itself is apparently a daily changing one. Hence relatively short list of options, though there are decent varieties. Below are what we had.

Crab, deep friend borage (yes, borage tastes good, should you ask), mayonnaise and sumac.

Scallop, radish, peach and seaweed dust. An interesting combination, and to my delightful surprise, they work together really well, giving a very fresh feeling on your palate.

Cod, spring onion, escarole and gribiche. I must comment the fish, firm texture, neither too pink nor dried, and pleasant to taste.

Duck breast, beetroot, cherries and chicory – the champion of the night. The duck breast was asked for medium well, and medium well it came. Tender and juicy with rich taste. No greasy fat, even with skin on, that’s what I liked about the way it was done.

To finish, a pistachio and lime cake. Not too sweet, and the pistachio does a great job in both enhancing the taste and consolidating the texture.

As I mentioned above, the old hydraulic power station is now used as a site for exhibition. What you are seeing here is another artwork, right on the lawn and tree outside of the restaurant.

Pictures from our afternoon walk around the area..

(the famous no-turning no crossing barriers that have been the talk of the town in London over the past couple of weeks. The Olympic traffic management appears to have been quite efficient so far I. Hopefully it will end a great success so that it is worth all the inconvenience, such as this, that regular road users had to bear)