7.7
Good
Restaurants

Jason Allen 12/11/23


Park Row

Park Row | Fine Dining… Inspired by Gotham City

When the former CEO of The Fat Duck pitched a Gotham-inspired fine dining spot to Warner Bros., they must have thought he was a right joker.

And sure, it’s one of the more surprising combinations in London’s vast culinary landscape. But the Batman connection at Park Row is worn so lightly that it’s very possible to come here just for the elegant sushi (albeit with a dramatic staircase entrance), and leave the themed elements to be sniffed out by the super-fans.

You’ll find Park Row (named after the place a young Bruce Wayne lost his parents) on a corner of Soho, by Piccadilly Circus. It’s taken over the basement of what was once the Regent Palace Hotel, whose art deco ballroom has been reinvented as The Iceberg Lounge, inspired by The Penguin’s casino from the comics. But to be clear, no-one is in costume. Actors won’t accost you. Waiting staff aren’t ‘in character’. Patrons who dress up will be turned away. It’s all intended as a glitzy, fine dining version of Gotham, if you will.

Park Row’s reception is disguised as the study of Wayne Manor itself, and you’ll be ushered through a bookcase and down a Bat-cave style staircase to the lower level, and into The Iceberg Lounge. The ballroom’s Grade II listed wood panelling and fancy light fittings are now coupled with navy velvet seating and neon lighting, while the central bar orbits a giant penguin ‘ice sculpture’, surrounded by a thin veil of cascading mist.

The menu at Park Row has recently been revamped and, taking inspiration from Gotham’s coastline, is now centred around fresh sushi, Japanese comfort food, and Nikkei dishes. Every dish is exquisitely prepared and presented, whether it’s the yellowtail tataki with a truffled soy dressing drizzled by a white-jacketed waiter, or the sea bream tiradito, whose delicate flakes of sashimi are presented alongside the fish head and a trio of deliciously piquant sauces on ice.

park row

@lateef.photography

Other sharing dishes range include lightly crisp tempura and lobster bao; hearty chicken skewers and gyoza ‘roulette’, and it’s all capped off by a couple of larger plates that would also work well as a main for one. The miso black cod is a real highlight – skilfully cooked so it breaks into tender flakes under your fork, with a swoosh of tangy tahini miso on the side. Order it with the grilled baby gem, lavished with kimchi butter and bubu arare (puffed rice).

On the wine list you’ll find a very good selection by the glass, including a light and complex white made not far from Mt. Fuji in Japan. But you’ve really got to try a cocktail or two here, because they’re a cut above the usual. ‘Everybody Freeze!’ is a unique twist on a shochu highball that tastes like somebody’s found a way to liquefy a Glacier Mint, while the Meow is a short and highly drinkable milk punch with pineapple wine, coffee, vanilla and rum.

monarch theatre park row

Then, of course, there’s Park Row’s pièce de résistance: The Monarch Theatre. This is their 20 seater, tasting menu-only experience. The space has been decked out with floor-to-ceiling screens, and a table assisted by 360-degree projection mapping so as to create an overwhelmingly immersive experience. You’ll get to eat the pearl necklace Bruce Wayne’s mother wore, plus wagyu steak, truffle, scallops, oysters and more. It’s a snip at £195 a head. But as The Joker says…

“If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”

 

NOTE: Park Row is open Tuesday – Saturday. You can find out more and reserve your table at the website right HERE.

Park Row | 77 Brewer St, W1F 9ZN


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Park Row


77 Brewer Street, Soho, W1F 9ZN

7.7 | Good