Fancy a rooftop bar and restaurant, with live music and the most breathtaking views of St. Paul’s Cathedral? Then head to Madison, part of the D&D group.
With this Indian summer, the recently transformed rooftop has been turned into a veritable boho paradise, with palms, and other hints of island life,,]and furnishings all transporting visitors to the White Isles.
Arriving via the glass sided lift, one steps out onto a buzzing, busy terrace, packed with City folk enjoying a relaxing cocktail after a day’s work. There is an open air dining area, but the night we went it was rather full, so we were shown into the main restaurant. The room is very modern with tinted glass windows, and had the potential to be very noisy, but in reality it was okay.
One of the excellent things about Madison is the fact that it offers a very good value set menu – with a two (£45) or a three (£49) course option. There is a selection of other set menus available, including a Power Lunch, and a New York Rooftop Brunch menu for Sundays (with the option of bottomless bubbles or Mimosas). Full details are on the website.
We started with a glass of sweet Prosecco while looking at the menu. We were told it was house champagne when presented with it at our table,, but knowing my fizz, I did ask what champagne it was, as I was convinced it was Prosecco. I was then told it was in fact ‘Italian dolce Prosecco’ – no brand mentioned. After this rather inauspicious start, we selected our starters with some trepidation. We needn’t have worried.
We chose the Margarita lobster taco, and guacamole, served with The Lost Explorer Mezcal salsa, lime, and also the Yellowfin tuna tartare, wasabi & yuzu dressing, pickled cucumber, sriracha kewpie, prawn crackers.
They were both excellent, really tasty and refreshing, and the perfect starters for a hot, sultry evening. The lobster was served on an unusual dark taco – and such an easy way to enjoy lobster.
The tuna was served with prawn crackers – again an unusual, but really clever way of bringing the Asian flavours into the dish. The Sriracha mayo was just the right balance for the tuna and the slightly sweet, pickled cucumber added another fresh element to a very good dish.
Grilled swordfish steak, mango, jalapeño & lime salsa had me right from the start. As a child living in Malta, I was an early swordfish fan and this certainly didn’t disappoint in any way.
I had a buttermilk caesar salad with it – it was very good indeed, but served on a rather silly little plate, that meant I had to decant it all onto my plate with the swordfish, to avoid spilling it over the table.
Seeing that Madison prides itself on its 55 day aged beef, my husband opted for the
8oz Flat iron steak, rocket & shallot salad (with a side of thick cut beef dripping chips of course)
Our mains were lubricated with a bottle of the house red, and when it came to choosing a dessert, I only had room for Northern Bloc strawberry & yuzu ice cream.
The portion was extremely generous – I could only manage one of the three scoops. Writing this now in the searing heat of our Indian summer I could really do with the other two…they were very good. My husband chose the Lemongrass cheesecake with strawberries, granola, Thai basil and declared that to be really excellent.
The menus at Madison all have a calorie count – great if you’re on a diet. There’s a wide range of vegan and vegetarian options as well, so something to suit everyone.
Madison Restaurant
Rooftop Terrace,
One New Change,
St Paul’s,
London,
EC4M 9AF