Dickie Fitz - Removed from website August 2021 (closed) - Fitzrovia, London

In a city as fundamentally dynamic as London, you get used to saying goodbye to old standbys. Newman Street Tavern was one of these. Situated five minutes from the Innerplace office, it was a favourite for afterwork drinks and one of the best places for the city for ice cold martinis, Bloody Caesars and the freshest oysters on the half shell. However, it was very much a gastropub, with moody hunter green paint, paintings and bannisters that could have been lifted from an ancient country pile. So the Affinity Group decided to do a volte face and rebrand the space as Dickie Fitz, enlisting the culinary acumen of Sydney-born chef Matt Robinson to make it a bit more bright, airy and lighthearted. As regulars of its former incarnation, the cards seemed stacked against it, but we were pleasantly surprised during a Wednesday night visit. 

The dining room was heaving. There was a private party in the upstairs room, which can be cordoned off into different arrangements in lieu of a private dining room. Downstairs, a sophisticated, fashion-forward set, ostensibly gleaned from the Estee Lauder headquarter across the street, knocked back cocktails in the whitewashed, Mid Century Modern meets Art Deco milieu.  Long mirrors really opened up the space, with Tom Dixon-esque neofuturist chandeliers dangling from the ceilings. We ordered a pair of bracing martinis stirred with West Winds, an Australian gin distilled in the Margaret River Valley. It was the first of many Antipodean flavours to touch down on our tongues over the course of the evening. 

We opted for two snacks and one starter. Oysters Kilpatrick are kind of like Oysters Rockefeller but with a barbecue infusion. Lobster and shrimp gyozas were satisfying mouthfuls, but the real star was the tuna tataki. Jettisoning the fussy delicacy that you'd find at a Japanese restaurant, the tuna was served in thick circular tranches, studded with brilliant green blobs of emulsified avocado and shards of pickled daikon, and then immersed in an engagingly astringent ponzu broth. The arrangement of flavours and the mouthfeel were masterful. It was exceptional nosh that went very well with a glass of Magpie Estate Chardonnay from Barossa.

Mains went from strength to strength. Golden grilled fillets of John Dory were nestled amongst clams, seaweed and ropy udon noodles. In contrast, a thick slab of halibut was served only with a ponzu hollandaise. Its thick shimmering flesh fell away fabulously with little pressure from the fork. We complemented the fish with a tin of tinderstick French fries topped off with crunchy chicken skin for some natural savour. One of the stars of the show were green beans spiked with a piquant Indonesian sambal and roast almonds which offered a textural counterpoint. 

Dessert was a bit of a struggle to fit in, but we managed. Lamingtons, a favourite recipe Matt inherited from his mother, were lovely little pockets of chocolate and coconut, while a chocolate nemesis was gluten-free, peppered with kumquats and drizzled with frozen yogurt. Both went exceptionally well with a Brumaire dessert wine made from a lesser known varietal named Petit Mensang. If you're a fan of sweet wines, this would be a good option to squirrel away for private consumption. 

In light of our feelings toward its predecessor, we entered Dickie Fitz thinking that we might leave a tad disappointed, but in reality it was the diametrical opposite. The food was really good, the restaurant well worth a visit.