We have to admit we couldn’t rave enough about the Coal Office when it opened quietly late last summer.
It seemed instantly that talented chef Asaaf Granit had pulled it off again, this time with a new venture in cahoots with British interiors bloke Tom Dixon.
Housed in a Victorian building that follows the curve of the Regent’s Canal, the restaurant is way more cavernous than first appears, spread across three floors, with bakery, eating counter, two dining areas and private eating options aplenty. And as part of Tom Dixon Studios, it’s all as muted and tasteful as you’d expect: lots of pale wood, bare brick, statement lighting and slinky furniture.
Such a backdrop is perfect for Jerusalem-born Granit – the brains behind Soho’s classic The Palomar and its Covent Garden sister the Barbary.
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And now he’s launched a new morning dining affair (from 8am, weekdays) in the airy upstairs room, with a panoramic terrace that looks out over Camley Street Natural Park on one side, and Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard on the other.
Laid out like the poshest of hotel buffets, if you swing by for breakfast you’ll be staring down at a smorgasboard of oven-fresh croissants, focaccia, pastries and muesli with berries – as well as healthier options like fennel salad.
But it’s the showstoppers that will have them (sorry, us) queuing out the door: Old City pancakes with cream el hanout and date honey, a delectable Kubalah Benedict – poached eggs with hollandaise and pulled ox cheek – and, of course the signature red and green shakshuka. We can vouch for the latter, made all the more indulgent by cream and feta.
