Larch review: a grounded Italian restaurant at Sky Garden

Let’s get this out of the way early. Larch restaurant is part of Sky Garden, London’s highest botanical rooftop in the Fenchurch Building, commonly known as the “Walkie Talkie”, but it’s firmly at ground level.

Does that matter? Only if you’ve got your heart set on eating for an inflated price. Otherwise, Larch is highly recommended if you’re after an unfussy, but thoughtfully composed Italian meal in the City with flawless service.

Why come here?

There are many reasons to visit London’s historic financial district, but dining out typically isn’t one of them. People in the Square Mile are here to make money and spend it elsewhere, which means unless you’re particularly fond of a sandwich or bar chain, good eating options are limited.

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Something that’s not in short supply is tall buildings, which collectively contribute to London’s escalating skyline, if little else of importance to the majority of us. Some of those buildings, like 20 Fenchurch Street near Monument, have observation decks from which you can marvel at London’s sprawling panorama over dinner or drinks. That’s a reliable way to impress a date, but the bill will sting, and that rarely has anything to do with quality.

Put Larch’s menu on a table 30 floors up in Sky Garden and the price would head in the same direction. Ironically, it would probably justify the premium more than those currently residing at that altitude, but on street level it’s in a similar bracket to most upmarket chain restaurants. Larch’s simple, informal tone isn’t unlike some of the more respectable chains, but it offers food and service of a higher calibre.

Agreeing with this sentiment, the staff are “genuine and friendly” and service is “smart and not overbearing”, said Nick Harman on Foodepedia. There’s a “real sense” that the restaurant is “already relaxed into a well (olive) oiled machine”.

Eating and drinking

While the ingredients on Larch’s concise Italian menu won’t transport you to the Tuscan hinterlands or the backwoods of Campania, it does elevate the familiar flavours of Italy without being out of touch with their heart and soul.

My pre-dinner negroni sbagliato was effortless and affable, like everything else during my visit. This couldn’t have been possible without the people who grace the floor there, who clearly take pride in what they do. They wore name badges, so I’ll take advantage and personally thank my waitress, Gabi, who was as important to my experience as any of the dishes she presented to me with such warmth and professionalism.

Those began with a triumvirate of good quality antipasti. The truffle arancini could have oozed a little more, but the rice had good bite and the truffle didn’t seek too much attention. It was illuminated by the sunny burst of some perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes that were piled onto some crispy, oily bruschetta.

The burrata is where the antipasti got interesting. The milky orb sat on a bed of caponata, that intensely sweet and sour mess of aubergine, tomato, olive and caper. It’s a mouth-watering combination that felt obvious, yet despite years of perusing Italian menus this was the first time I had seen it as a single, coherent dish. I hope it isn’t the last time, otherwise Gabi will be seeing a lot more of me.

The wine list at mid-priced Italian restaurants is tricky business, with the chasm in quality between those at the top and even near the middle often vast. I rolled the dice with a 2014 Gavi di Gavi, which evoked the nostalgic freshness and salinity of early summer Mediterranean sea air. For £48, it’s no bargain, but worth pushing the boat out if seafood is on the cards.

You can get good-looking pizza and pasta at Larch, but the handful of other mains on offer shouldn’t be overlooked. My sea bass fillet on a spoonful of peppery, red cannellini bean stew was fresh, lively and expertly cooked, the shallow flakes collapsed like pearly dominos under carefully seared skin. It came with a modestly dressed shaved fennel salad, which retained the cleansing aniseed notes that white fish love to dance to.

Dessert in most solid Italian restaurants can be ordered on instinct – and that wouldn’t be a mistake in Larch. However, if you’re feeling wild then order a couple of scoops of the sorbetto. I’m confident that velvety, fragrant mango next to heady, bitter dark chocolate will make you think twice next time “tiramisu” is on the tip of your tongue.

The verdict

There’s a time and a place for dining adventures and it’s unlikely you’ll find either in this part of London. That doesn’t mean you won’t need to eat, and if you have a ticket for Sky Garden with an hour or so to kill, you could do a lot worse than dropping in to Larch before you ascend its lifts. In more than one sense, it’s a restaurant with its feet on the ground, and is all the better for it.

It is “worth pointing out” that visiting Larch does not automatically get you into Sky Garden, said Catherine Anderson on London Unattached. You will need to book your free ticket separately, but “don’t leave it too late if you do want to combine your visit”.

Dominic Kocur was a guest of Larch Restaurant. 1 Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF; skygarden.london