Forge

Such a great venue, the cocktails are the best in the city and the staff are so attentive and friendly!! I got food too and it doesn’t disappoint... overall a top evening!!

We were invited to check out The Forge, a newly revamped restaurant and bar near Bank.

We settled in with cocktails, talked through the list by Giles (Restaurant Manager), who also gave us a historical background on the creation of the negroni. Clearly lots of thought has gone into the list which focuses on classics with a twist.

Whilst we waited for our drinks, Giles took J on a quick whistle stop tour of the bar and nightclub area in the basement. Giles informed him that they had got a local artist to create the art in the VIP area wall backdrop as well as the textured wall in the private hire lounge.

Regarding the cocktails, I opted for No 35 as it has two of my favourite ingredients in it elderflower cordial and Ketel Vodka! It arrived as a pretty shade of green in a cut glass goblet, very attractive. J opted for his favourite – a negroni. The cocktail list is going to be ever evolving, looking forward to hopefully some warm cocktails for the colder months!

We then turned our attention to the food, for some reason we were both drawn to pork dishes, I opted for the coca cola glazed ribs with apple and fennel slaw (£15), whilst J plumped for the cider belly pork (£13). My rack of ribs was a nice size, sometimes I find the humongous things that look like they should be balanced on the side of the Flinstones car overwhelming. This one was just right and the meat was nice and tender. Sadly I found the marinade to be a bit generic, with no hint of the coca cola glaze, it tasted mostly of ketchup. The apple and fennel slaw was lovely and refreshing and I would have liked a bit more of this to balance out the fatty meat.

J enjoyed his cider pork belly which was soft, succulent and complemented by the vanilla and Bramley apple sauce, and came with fabulous crackling that has not been over-salted (as has happened in other restaurants).

We moved on to dessert, J and I again in synchronicity both opted for the chocolate brownie with caramel ice cream. This was really good, fudgey, dark and dense and nicely offset by the ice cream(thankfully not salted as too many are these days!).

Was looking for a place for a quick lunch in a good setting near Bank station and Forge was the best looking from the street as you peer inside. A great looking bar, welcoming front of house and an efficient and friendly waitress who seated us in one of the booths near the back. I had the Forge Burger with Lincolnshire Cheddar and Tomato relish, the others in my party had the Cider Pork Belly with Crackling, Half a chicken and a small BBQ pulled pork starter.

The starter BBQ Pulled Pork really was a tiny portion but very tasty with 2 slices of bread. The burger was perfectly cooked, pink in the middle, juicy and well seasoned. Lovely thick fries and a tasty relish for dunking. Cider Pork Belly had some of the best crackling I've seen and I believe it was truly delicious, while the Half Chicken went down a treat with some spicy corn on the cob. 

The Forge was the perfect place to get away from the bustle of Bank and into a relaxed environment where the food was great and the service friendly and warm. I would most definitely go back for another meal, perhaps to try the Sirloin on the bone.

The centre of the city has been graced by a new opening that goes by the name of Forge. It's a restaurant and bar combo, split over two floors just metres from Bank station. As you enter though, you'd be excused for believing that you had just stepped into the heart of East London. The expectation was that of gaudy grandeur, synonymous with the City image but this was far more pleasing on the eye. The cavernous basement floor is a banker's playground with bottle service private booths and a high rollers VIP area, seemingly a world away from the chilled and laid back bar that lives above at street level. Usually the business concept of restaurants that double as night clubs means a lack lustre menu, implemented simply to draw in crowds whilst the party lays dormant in the day. However, we were delighted to find that at Forge this was most certainly not the case!

Giles the manager, previously involved with the launch of The Jones Family Project, joined us at our table to talk us through the menu and the concept behind Forge. It was clear from the start that Giles was extremely passionate about what he had helped create here and sold every single dish on the menu to us, making decisions even more difficult!

With a menu that boasts sub-titles such as "From The Pit" and "From The Spit", you know it's going to be a paradise for meat eaters and that's alright with us. There are also a selection of small plates to choose from that we treated as starters, but be warned, they're still pretty substantial and can quickly put the strain on the waistband. Dishes such as the Tempura Soft-Shell Crab and the Duck Egg with Chive Mayonnaise will keep you questioning your decisions but we opted fro the Pig & Fig Terrine and the Jacob's Ladder Short Rib. The terrine was delicious, served with warm Walnut bread and a Sweet Fruit Chutney but the star of the show was the Jacob's Ladder. The meat simply dropped off the bone and was incredibly succulent, with a sticky glaze that had you licking your fingers after every bite. This is a must-try dish for sure!

Having taken quite a hit with the ribs and terrine, we realised that we'd probably bitten off more than we'd bargained for with our main courses. That is why we would recommend that there is definitely no need for lunch before heading to dinner at Forge. Unfortunately the legendary Tomahawk Steak wasn't available when we arrived, but is definitely one for sharing with friends. Instead we opted for the Belly Pork with Vanilla & Bramley Apple Sauce and the largest shard of crackling we've ever seen. Served with Thick Cut Chips, Apple & Fennel Slaw and even a portion of Chilli & Coriander Corn, you certainly get your moneys worth and what's more the pork belly was spot on. Not too fatty but still retaining enough juice within the meat, so that it wasn't dry on the palate.

Again the main event was the ribs though. This time it was a rack of Coca-Cola Glazed Pork Ribs that did the trick. Much like the Jacob's Ladder, the meat fell off the bones at the slightest touch and melted on the tongue with a rich flavour that still gets the mouth-watering now just thinking about it. Apart from the Tomahawk Steak, it would be hard not to recommend that you try these.

Dessert may not be on your mind once you've finished your main so we'd suggest focusing your attentions on the cocktail list. Now Forge have created 100 bespoke cocktails for customers to enjoy but feel that choosing from 100 may be slightly overwhelming. Therefore they rotate about 15 - 20 each week to keep things fresh. Although if you find a drink that you simply can't be without, much like we did in No. 11, a Smooth Barrel-Aged Gin with Lemon Juice & an old childhood favourite, Cream Soda, Giles and his team will of course whip it up in a second.

If you are blessed with a second stomach that caters for a final course of sweet treats then we would point you towards the Strawberries & Cream Sundae. It's a mix of Fresh Strawberries, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, a delightful Pistachio Praline, Cream and all sat above the perfect foundation of Vanilla Panna Cotta. What more could you ask for?

Meat lovers of the City will welcome this new carnivorous sanctuary with open arms and rejoice once realising that the menu not only looks the part but is executed beautifully from a team who's passion is plain to see in the plates they put out. Pay them a visit and see for yourself. All you need to do is go hungry, order the Jacob's Ladder and prepare for a serious feasting. Be sure to send us a tweet too!

Enjoy!

We The Food Snobs x

Never seen a bar tender handle so many customers so effectively. Everyone got their drinks and they were amazing. My whole party left super happy and had an amazing night. Zofia and her team did an incredible job.

Amazing atmosphere, Happy hours was great and it was all made better by the best bartender Tiger! Gave me some really good suggestions for drinks!

We hosted our birthday drinks here with a group of friends! Service was amazing and drinks tasted good! Great atmosphere!

Arrive in Happy Hour if you want to make the most of their delicious cocktails (2 for around £10)! Food is good and it's a great atmosphere with some 'weird' and 'artisan' elements let's say. It also has a club right downstairs if you fancy a dance after dinner. Check out their website for club opening hours/events.

Chris is the best bartender I’ve ever met, super caring and attentive despite how crowded the bar was he made on concentrated effort to make sure everyone felt as important as the rest. Truly appreciate his consideration and focus, definitely will be returning soon!