With a plum spot near Liverpool Street station and a flashy, contemporary interior, this branch of the Rocket mini-chain expertly caters for the after-work crowd. The operation is split into a bar and dining area, the latter a predictable formula of open kitchen, bare tables and the odd original feature such as a wall tiled in sea-green plates. Pizzas (mostly costing around £12) and Modern European dishes make up the relatively affordable but unsophisticated menu.
Likewise, the wine list is aimed at quaffers rather than savourers; there are five sauvignon blancs by the glass and a full-bodied white selection comprised entirely of chardonnay. A simple starter of high-quality buffalo mozzarella with fresh cherry tomatoes was pleasingly light, and a small portion of tender squid rings had been cooked with accuracy. Our pizza featured a crisp, thin base, on to which a topping of spicy sausage, gorgonzola, roasted peppers and aubergine proved a bold but successful combination.
By contrast, a salad of steak, chips, rocket, flaccid tempura green beans and black bean sauce – perhaps a homage to steak and chips – was simply bemusing. Service too, let the side down, slowing to a creep after going all out for the 6pm rush.