What: Restaurant with a personality

Where: Chiswell Street Dining Rooms

Why: Gorgeous cocktails, incredible food and service out of this world.

I have discovered something unusually warm at the heart of City of London. There was a bar / restaurant opening last week and on the weekend I decided that it was time to check out the new offering from ETM Group. These are the people behind the amazing Botanist, The Gun etc and Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is their new adventure and I for one could not wait to go check it out.

ETM Group is known for its family feel restaurants. These places offer incredible cocktails, well stocked bars and food from master chefs and five star service. All of which are served with a knowledge and a smile. I was eager to see how their format would work in the stone cold city.

Chiswell Street is like any other grey street in EC and Chiswell Street Dining Rooms is like a green welcome mat within the grey concrete. You walk in and are immediately welcomed by the staff (who by the way are all looking incredibly polished), coats are taken away and you are offered a seat and to have a good look at the drinks menu. Vast selection of wines, spirits and the usual suspects and then of course a fabulous cocktail menu. I may have sampled a few. May have.

Dinner tables are all situated at the back of the restaurant. It feels like a stately home, but warm and inviting. Langoustines, snail pot, risotto of Scottish lobster and king prawns, lamb and sole. In one word, the menu is exciting. Great classic with the ETM touch. Chocolate tart and summer fruit pie later, we are happy. Beyond happy.

We ate, we drank, we laughed and we watched as the waiting staff kept everyone very happy. Chiswell Street Dining Rooms have only been open just over an week, but all “kinks” have been ironed out and the place runs like a very well oiled machine. A machine that sends out incredible cocktails, amazing food, fabulous service and little kisses.