London’s most dynamic neighbourhood – just got a new star destination, Tom Dixon’s the Coal Office Restaurant. Overlooking Granary Square it’s the latest piece of his new The Coal Office at Kings Cross HQ puzzle to be revealed, but there’s undoubtedly more to come as Dixon treats his new home as an ever-evolving space for events and experimentation.
Dining area on the ground floor of the Coal Office Restaurant
The restaurant is a creative partnership between Dixon and Israeli restaurateur Assaf Granit, chef-patron of a growing international empire with restaurants in Jerusalem and also the award-winning The Palomar and The Barbary in London. Revitalised by DRS Architects and David Morley Architects, many of the building’s original features were retained following Dixon’s acquisition – including the industrial Victorian brickwork and windows – with the designer taking care of the long, slender interior.
Dixon employs his signature industrial stamp throughout from the ground floor dining room up to the rooftop bar and al fresco space – there are also plans for a chef’s table in the vaulted basement. If you’re looking to invest in some Tom Dixon lighting you’ll find plenty of examples to choose from here. His popular ‘Melt’ pendant lamps instantly greet guests in the first dining area, hovering above pre-release ‘Fat’ bar stools which line the bar and high tables (see above), elsewhere his Top, Mirror Ball and Curve Ball all make an appearance.
In the second room the seating is set at a lower dining level, creating a more relaxed feel. Meandering through the curving space, marble tabletops in a variety of shades present Dixon-designed tableware, which currently includes rough hewn silver cutlery that is being tested on diners’ pre-production.
The first floor space of the Coal Office Restaurant features a granite counter by Testi
Granit’s menu of Mediterranean-style sharing plates is served from an open kitchen. The chef’s native Jerusalem is at its heart, but it also draws upon many traditional Mediterranean flavours and textures that stretch from North Africa to The Levant. Starter highlights include Grandma Lea’s Chiga, bringing together bulgar, pomegranate and bell pepper caramel, as well as surefire hit Machneyuda Polenta, which has transferred straight from Granit’s Jerusalem restaurant of the same name, and is served in a small copper pan and supplemented by asparagus, mushrooms, parmesan and grated black truffle.
For mains the Seafood Chraime, served in tomatoes and pepper stew and accompanied by Yemen pancakes, is well complimented by the organic Spanish house white Castaño Organic Macabeo. Finish off with the tantalising rice pudding, colourful Malibu panna cotta, or fig leaf and fig leaf’s oil ice cream, then head upstairs to take full advantage of the outdoor terrace, which provides an outstanding view of the developing Kings Cross neighbourhood from Wilkinson Eyre’s Gasholders to Heatherwick Studio’s Coal Drops Yard.§
