The top line: Wild Group, which operates London restaurants including Beast, Wild Tavern, Belvedere, Pinna, and Chelsea Grill, has made its first foray into the world of pubs with this statement opening. The large venue has a seafood-focused menu and some big fish behind the bar (as well as in its tanks) with landlord Chris Dunlop, who previously ran The Spotted Pig in New York, and landlady Alice Tayler, who previously worked for nearly a decade with Tom Kerridge, behind the bar.
On the menu: Head chef Chris Piorkowski, who has worked at the group on and off since the early Goodman days, oversees a menu that has seafood as its core. A selection of oysters from English and Irish shores kicks things off ahead of an extensive range of small plates such as Devon crab toast; seared scallop with burnt butter; roasted squid and red pepper; Russian salad wit shrimps; seafood bisque; and a lobster roll. Beyond that, larger dishes include roasted sea bass with brown butter and herbs; pan-seared turbot with beurre blanc; and a whole roasted lobster plucked fresh from the tank, or whole Norwegian lobster - al la Beast - also served from the tank. Non seafood eaters will be like a fish out of water - the group’s signature beef tartare with quail egg and matchstick potato is the only meaty small plate available, but there’s more options for carnivores further down the list, with mains of chicken or veal schnitzel; braised beef rib; and lamb chop with red pepper and gravy on option. The dessert offer is brief and much more pub like - the assumption clearly being that diners won’t leave much room for dessert - with a choice of either sticky toffee pudding; chocolate soft serve; or a cinnamon milk cake. As one has come to expect from Wild Group, the wine list is no shrinking violet, with a vast offer of reds and whites available by Coravin. The list leans towards classic French wines, and is more white heavy to match the cuisine, but there is also plenty of options from Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and beyond into the Americas to please everyone.
The vibe: The large pub has a distinctly City vibe with a large bar, wood panelling, red banquettes and huge mirrors that reach up to the room’s high ceilings, as well as white-clothed tables that give the space a Goodman-esqu vibe. If you’re looking for something cosy there is a private dining room for 14 people, but in general the space is open, ostentatious and bustling, seating 200 people across two levels. With pints of Pillars Pilsner and Guinness priced at £6, 15 beers on tap, and cocktails for £12, The Albatross is as much a proper drinking pub as it is a restaurant.
And another thing: The Albatross is housed in the former Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which was built in the 1930s.
8-10 Old Jewry, London, EC2R 8DN / www.albatrosspub.co.uk