Roe, London E14: ‘Kind of mad, but also sheer bloody

Massive, assertive flavours in a hulking football pitch of a restaurant

Roe in Canary Wharf is an absolute beast of a venue: 500 covers, with a terrace, private dining, a capacious main area split into three defined areas, and a sit-up counter. Mind you, there is room for a restaurant to spread its legs in London E14. The newish Hawksmoor just along the wharf is also enormous, while the nearby Dishoom is another behemoth with added bacon naan.

Roe is the second incarnation of the much-loved Fallow in St James’, which is known for its peculiar, yet ultimately delicious nose-to-tail, cheek-to-bumhole, low-intervention-style menu. Fallow, at least to begin with, had about it a rather worthy, Greta Thunberg with a Leith’s diploma vibe that sent a certain type of foodie giddy with joy. Fallow’s signature dish is a cod’s head doused in sriracha butter, and its beady eye glowers at you while you eat your kombu fries. In fact, I’ve felt a bit like Hamlet in high heels every time I’ve eaten there. Alas, poor Coddy, I knew him.