LASSCO Bar & Dining

NOTE: LASSCO Bar & Dining has sadly now closed.

Everything you find in LASSCO’s immense Maltby Street warehouse is reused or salvaged, including ancient cabinets, vintage light fittings…

…and their restaurant.

And to briefly address that latter point: the space that was formerly used for the excellent Ropewalk bar/diner (which has moved on with plans to start their very own space) is now occupied by the all-new LASSCO Bar & Dining, an enterprise run by old chef James Knox Boothman and bar manager Jerome Slesinski (both alumni of Soho’s vaunted Coal Vaults).

The place is – as one might expect – gorgeous in a way that words and images aren’t really able to nail down fully, brimming with history, atmosphere, workmanship, all thrown together in a paradoxically seamless blend of random styles, eras, and materials. You can dine in the Textiles Room (loaded with curtains, cushions, and clothing made from reclaimed fabrics), the Eisenhower Room (built using wooden panels from the old US Naval HQ in which President Eisenhower helped plan the D-Day landings), or simply pitch up at the beautiful teak bar if you feel like slumming it.

THE FOOD

Thankfully, the modern European menu is considerably fresher than the silverware – in fact, all the suppliers (bar the fish, which comes from Hove) come from within a 10-minute walk of the restaurant itself. Those suppliers go into seasonal starters like duck prosciutto with blood orange, or Rye bay scallops with black cabbage & almond broth. Bigger things include wild Sussex boar braised in sherry with pickled quince & Marcona rouille, or a Cornish lemon sole sided by dukkah crab croquettes, minted yogurt, and dill oil. And for dessert? Some salted flourless chocolate cake with olive oil ice cream ought to do the trick.

THE DRINK

That teak bar isn’t just a pretty face – you’ll find cocktails including the South Eastern (gin, salt-roasted blood orange, rose, vermouth, sparkling wine), or the Jacob Street (Armagnac, date molasses, roasted barley) alongside a short list of craft beers (all from Bermondsey), and a considerably longer list of wines.

All of which can be up-cycled into a great evening.

NOTE: LASSCO Bar & Dining has sadly now closed.

Lassco Bar & Dining | Ropewalk, 37 Maltby Street, SE1 3PA

And if they’re absurdly busy? Why not try your luck next door to 40 Maltby Street.