Mon—Fri 8am—11pm; Sat 8am—11.30pm; Sun 9am—11pm
The style:
Occupying a huge site overlooking the very pretty Richmond riverfront, this is the third Jackson + Rye restaurant, all backed by Richard Caring, he of J Sheekey, Annabel’s and The Ivy. The concept is 1920s New York eatery meets old-school London cocktail bar, and the interiors reflect that. Hushed lighting, regal woodwork, cocktail waiters (sorry, mixologists) in waistcoats… you get the idea. They have absolutely nailed the look, down to the lampshades (and probably the light bulbs). However, it does feel a bit like being on a Secret Cinema set at times: there’s a fine line between taking inspiration from an era and trying to live in it.
The crowd:
Being new and on the river, the place was busy on a Thursday evening, with clutches of office workers, groups of friends and couples having cocktails.
The food:
The menu offers the best of East Coast US cuisine along with a few choice Deep South dishes thrown in; sort of like an American pick ‘n’ mix. The hot fat and juicy shrimp nestled on a sloppy (in a good way) grits starter (£7.50) was very garlicky. The crispy squid rings (£6.95) were a lot better and were well-seasoned, although some were chewy to the point of being inedible.
The shrimp burger main (£11.95) was a rich and succulent puck of perfectly cooked shrimp and coriander. Sandwiched in a brioche bun, it came with guacamole and a hot sauce that was barely discernable. Sweet, savoury and moist, it was nice to have a burger where molten jets of grease and ketchup weren’t oozing out of every bite.
The 10oz New York striploin (£21) was where J+R really kicked it up a gear and flexed the gourmet muscle. Genuinely one of the best steaks I have ever tasted in London, or in anywhere for that matter. Seared well, expertly cooked and bursting with flavour, this was a steak to savour – the braised shallots and fries further complementing it all. We ordered a side of spicy slaw (£2.75) but received a splodge of cabbage and onion in a thin mayonnaise.
The dessert menu was more American classics and the J+R Pecan Pie with rye ice cream (£5.95) was exceptionally good and crammed full of chopped Pecans in a treacle sauce, although the base was undercooked. The rye ice cream was a bit of a let-down but then spirit/liqueur ice cream always is. The potted vanilla cheesecake with berry compote (£5.95) was velvety, light, crunchy and gone in seconds.
The drinks:
We kicked off with cocktails at the very chic bar and went for a Boulevardier (£8) and a Deuce Royale (£6.50) — the former a fantastic and very alcoholic rye Negroni and the latter a dangerously drinkable vodka and fizz concoction. A bottle of soft and fruity L’Hospitalet Pinot Noir (£25.95) complemented most of the food very well.
The chic New York steakhouse-cum-cocktail bar is something that J+R do very well: their steaks and cocktails reflect that. Chucking in so many other styles of cooking, however, does spoil the pot a bit; less is more and all that. To quote Ron Swanson, American hero, ‘Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one.’
