Conran's new fishy goings on

This review was first published in March 2000

Sir Terence Conran, once preoccupied by size, now seems more interested in revving up the number of outlets. In the past few weeks two more restaurants opened within The Great Eastern Hotel in the City and another, a Japanese operation, is soon to follow. George serves English food. FISHMARKET serves crustacea, caviar and fish.

The restaurant occupies two different areas, a dark-panelled room dominated by a central bar striking me as the preferable part, but the night we visited it was occupied by a private function. Curved screens define one of the boundaries of the other dining space in a hall at the foot of an imposing staircase.

A modest crustacea bar is sited beneath a stained-glass panel showing crests of towns served by trains leaving Liverpool Street station. Tables here are tiny and any movement of chairs results in a teeth-on-edge screech from the marble tiles. Neither detail is, how shall we say, restful.

A kindly waitress moved the two of us to a table for four as one became available, but even that would probably not have proved comfortable had one of us ordered the plateau de fruits de mer at £40 for starter size, £80 for main. You will have quickly inferred that these are prices for City pockets. Clam chowder at £12.50 (starter) delivered a well-stocked bowl, but a chiffon-ade of lettuce added nothing but some bulk to the mixture. A Cornish crab at £10.50 (starter) was a tiny creature not much bigger in body that my fist and it lacked the sweetness of truly fresh crab. The accompanying mayo was good.

In the main course roast cod in a carapace of crisp pancetta was well cooked and the parsley-and-olive salad a healthy garnish. Pan-fried skate was served as boneless fillets which seems to me completely to miss the point of this fish usually cooked on the wing. Olive oil mash provided a nice cushion. Side dishes of potatoes and vegetables are priced at £3.50. The nice waitress was eloquent in her praise of the lemon tart served with fromage blanc ice-cream and Cassis sauce but we resisted, having spent quite extravagantly on white Burgundy - which is not difficult to do.

Fishmarket
Great Eastern Hotel, Liverpool Street, EC2