Wagtail – Restaurant Review

On a wet Wednesday night on a wet week in a wet January, London is being soaked by a small squall. Standing on the ninth floor of 68 King William Street in Monument, at the Northern most tip of London Bridge, Wagtail’s outdoor terrace boasts hypnotic views of the Shard, the Gherkin and St Paul’s. A palm tree sways to sporadic gusts like a solitary hedonist on a dance floor. A light glows from the Nest, the venue’s unique private dining space which literally perches on the edge of the landmark building. The terrace shines with drizzle but is closed to the public.

Inside, the oblong restaurant is very much open and welcomes with an affectionate metaphorical embrace. All dark woods and curved, leather-bound chairs, it’s a cosy affair with dusky and atmospheric lighting, a mixture of pinpricks at the far end and diffused and hazy clusterings in the middle. Three arches behind the bar on the right show off an array of colourful bottles which lift the space’s otherwise monochromatic aesthetic. A clubby backbeat is present but sufficiently low-key to make it unobtrusive.

A lengthy table to our right looks like an office celebration that misjudged Christmas but, nonetheless, behaves itself admirably. Otherwise, tables are round and full of couples and friends keeping their counsel quietly and calmly. The cocktail list is extensive, mixing classics with signatures but the ‘Mixmaster 2024 Winners’ is perhaps the most tempting. A ‘Tyreece’ vies for attention with an ‘Angelos’ but both are outshone by a ‘Rebecca’ which has an ingredient this reviewer has never encountered in a cocktail before; Neck Oil Session IPA. Mixed with Tanqueray gin, camomile, cinnamon, honey, ginger and lemon it’s a curious and tempting prospect but my guest and I bottle it for bubbly alternatives. I hit the Joseph Perrier, Cuvée Royale from Chalons-en-Champagne and my companion mixes it up with a domestic Nyetimber Classic Cuvée from East Sussex. The former is dense, the latter light and frisky and needless to say both hit their exact mark. 

Wagtail doesn’t offer a specific remit regarding its cuisine, but newly appointed Executive Chef, Henrik Ritzen, who gained a Michelin Star after taking over the now defunct Aquavit, seems to offer a Danish approach to British fare. With Smoked beef tartare, Crab salad, Spatcock quail, starters isn’t an easy decision. The baked scallops are sold individually, but our waitress recommends two. Each is served in its own shell and is covered in a hearty garlic butter and parsley sauce, which could equally work with a bunch of snails. The scallops are sublime, soft and succulent, but don’t forget to order sourdough to dip into the garlic sauce once they’re gone.

The Crudo sea trout might be otherwise known as ceviche in summer months but slices are chunkier and more generous in portion. Served with criss-crossings of horseradish yoghurt, it might resemble a Japanese okonomiyaki but, naturally, tastes nothing like one. The sliced fennel adds one kind of crunchy texture, whilst caraway seeds add another. 

Strozzapreti with Winter truffle is a tough one to turn down for mains, but we do remain in a hearty, seasonal realm, especially with the Fallow Deer. Cut into slices and served with gravy and celeriac purée, it’s the flourish of cooked blackberries, however, which add a unique touch and a pleasing visual drama to the deer’s medium rare flesh. The purée is velvety and couldn’t be smoother and the deer is surprisingly tender for such game, doesn’t over-power, is almost subtle and benefits from an intriguing, close to fruity aftertaste. A British burger with chilli jelly also tempts but I opt for Filet Mignon instead, arguably a burger for the moneyed. It’s a bold, chunky piece of beef as dark as the January night with a slowly melting round portion of garlic and parsley butter on its top. What looks like a giant chip, but is actually a terrine made up of several thin slices of potato, accompanies. A red wine gravy surrounds both and for a good few minutes, our table falls silent as we appreciate our choices. 

The desert menu is short and, not surprisingly, sweet. With only three options beyond the standard cheese board and ice cream/sorbet selection, we still ask the Maître D’ for his advice. We eschew the Cardamon Pannacotta and Yorkshire Rhubarb for a Dark chocolate mousse with Seville orange curd. Sprinkled with chocolate crumbs, the mousse is light and foamy and nothing short of luxurious, whilst the curd is tart and tangy. It is, however, the Spiced pineapple, rum glaze and coconut sorbet which takes the dessert biscuit. Our Maître D’ told us this was special and in spite of its simplicity, he wasn’t wrong. Soaked in alcohol, the pineapple is intoxicating but gentle in its spiciness which tingles almost as an aftereffect. Mango foam adds to the party as do sliced almonds. Pure, subtle, natural, it tastes like a twist on tradition, a holiday in the Caribbean, a sign of times to come, hopefully, of a London summer and distracted nights on the Wagtail terrace.