The Wapping Project

 

Enjoy an imaginative range of dishes, from scallops on a bed of chickpea and aubergine to lavender pannacotta, in one of London’s most imaginative and unusual settings. Part multi-purpose exhibition and performance space, and part restaurant, Wapping Food allows diners to combine culture with cuisine. Originally a power station, The Wapping Project has made a real feature of its inheritance, boasting much of the original hydraulic equipment and machinery. Bathed in atmospheric pools of natural light, pressure pipes, rusty chains, huge hooks, valves and bare brick walls mix with sparkling chandeliers, pink neon lights and twinkling candles to form the backdrop for a series of elegant dining tables, as well as changing exhibitions of paintings, photographs and performances. This is industrial / urban chic at its most potent. With an evident emphasis on fish and seafood, the menu is a well-considered blend of the contemporary and the comforting (look out for the rich, chocolate fondue) and includes some very tempting cocktails (try the rhubarb Bellini) and a well-sourced all-Australian wine list. Finish off your meal, or let your food digest between courses, with a tour round the exhibition space.