Bokan

European sky dining 

Line-Caught Poached Cod, Brown Shrimp, Spinach

Fine dining with a sky high view is a rarity in London, but what is even more rare is a good quality fine dining restaurant with a spectacular view. I almost class it as a con when an average restaurant charging outrageous prices, just because it is sitting on the 30th floor inside a five stars hotel. Is Bokan one of those places? Newly launched inside the Novotel hotel in Canary Wharf on the 37th floor, Bokan is a modern European restaurant headed up by an ex L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon chef. The menu is your standard a la carte style and it doesn't offer tasting menu, ingredients are mostly sourced from the the UK.

Fine views

Squid, Ratatouille, Spicy Oatmeal Dust, Saffron Aioli

Seabass carpaccio

The starter of seabass carpaccio with lime was a decent start with a well balance of freshness and sweetness tone but I felt it was a rather "safe" dish that was pretty common in a lot of London restaurants. The main of poached cod was fantastic, very moist and seasoned finely, the brown shrimps dressing was simply sensational and lifted up the whole dish to another level. It got even better with the lamb cutlets, it had some very classic flavours with charred aubergine and garlic. The meat was tender, rich and packed with lovely smoky and earthy taste, every single piece of ingredient were cooked perfectly and all served a purpose, it was an outstanding piece of cooking.

Rhug Estate Grass-Fed Lamb Cutlets,
Charred Aubergine, Chimichurri

British cheese selection

Meringue and mango sorbet

My lunch experience at Bokan was a lot better than I expected it to be, the quality of the cooking was top notch, especially the two main course I had tasted, those were Michelin quality dishes without a doubt. I dined here at its soft launch period so I had the 50% off offer for my bill, but I would be more than happy to come back to pay the full cost. As I think the cooking totally justified the price tag. If I had to pick a fault, it would had been the service, while they were friendly enough, there seem to be a lack of knowledge in the menu and the slick attention to detail ability you would normally see from a high end restaurant. However, I understand it is still early days and I am sure it can improve in the near future. Hey Bokan, I will be back for more of your awesome cooking.



Food 4/5

What I paid: 
£25pp

Average cost without drinks and services:
£50pp 

40 Marsh Wall, Isle of Dogs, London E14 9TP

http://www.bokanlondon.co.uk/