M Restaurant, discretely tucked down Threadneedle Walk in the heart of the City, is a bold and striking venue. With bars on two levels, areas for private dining on the mezzanine and generous seating on the ground floor, it is grand and glamorous.
Contrasting and expensive materials abound and the lighting forms gentle pools of warmth that set the stage for quite a performance. It is the brainchild of Martin Williams, who stepped away from his role as CEO at Gaucho in 2014 to pursue this dream.
Located in an area not averse to the cost of the finest ingredients, it draws the City crowd but also visitors from all walks of life and further afield who seek something a bit special.
Cocktails always help with the decision-making so we had a Negroni (using Punt e Mes Antica Formula – the best mixing vermouth) and a long gin cocktail involving egg white and citrus that was freestyled for us by the barman.
With our focus regained, we chose a couple of cold plates for starters. Smoked wagyu tartar is a dish served with great theatre. A bell jar is filled with wood smoke and lifted in a moment of ‘voilà!’ , the waiter then combines the egg yolk and parmesan with the tartar before serving.
The fattiness of the wagyu is complimented by three forms of apple, delivering a sweet, tart contrast, and there is a gentle measure of Tabasco for warmth. And it’s utterly delicious.
Our other starter was crispy duck and watermelon salad. The duck has been fried off in a Chinese style and served cold, mixed with thin slices of white cabbage for texture and pickled red chilli for warmth. With the watermelon, pickled cucumber, hoisin and a squeeze of lime, this is a wonderful compact meal in itself.
Although the menu includes other options, steak is the main event here so we were compelled to explore. In case you find the steak options too bewildering they have a ‘Steak Roulette’ option that, for £68.00, chooses your steak for you.
This is the only restaurant in London to have a salt chamber where there beef arrives already aged 18 days and where they finish the process depending upon each cut.
We chose the Blackmore Wagyu Grade 9++ Inside Skirt for its softness and ludicrous marbling which, being aware that it can be extremely rich, we contrasted with English Sirloin.
The wagyu was fabulous, indulgent and melt-in-the-mouth, contrasting with the more constant texture of the sirloin, which had been flame-cooked to leave a delicious charring, and we changed ends at half-time.
Two optional sauces caught our eye: black garlic and peppercorn, and neither was overpowering, just tipping the direction of the flavours. Of note, the absence of salt and pepper on the table, suggests the kitchen prefers you to appreciate their work just as presented. And in truth, no extra was required.
There are two chip options – regular French fries or their millefeuille wagyu fat chips with parmesan. Ordinarily, we’d sidestep the dirty option but these really were extraordinary, so were glad we’d ordered one of each.
The wine list is quite extensive and from all corners of the planet (a luxury we take for granted in the UK – not so in the established wine-growing nations) and prices start at £37/bottle and have been carefully selected to pair well with their menu. We chose claret, Chateau de Camarsac, a merlot vieilles vignes 2019 which, being medium to full-bodied, held its own very nicely with the steaks.
The desserts were yet another triumph – Mandarin Cheesecake comes with a bed of scattered biscuit crumble with vanilla cream cheese, mandarin sorbet and whole segments. Meanwhile, the Black Forest Sundae stacks black cherries, whipped cream and chocolate brownie ice cream, all of which were brimming over-enthusiastically as it arrived. Aided by a glass of Sauternes, they were both really well crafted and not crazily sweet, which can be off-putting.
A big thank you to the excellent staff, who remain friendly and informal yet constantly professional (name checks for Freya, Michalis and Kevin). The whole M experience promised a lot and exceeded in its delivery, and warrants our return soon. This restaurant deserves to be on your bucket list too.
Related: Restaurant opens in Clapham with focus on British food and wine
