Boundary, 2-4 Boundary Street, London E2 7DD

Boundary, 2-4 Boundary Street, London E2 7DD
04/07/2012
http://theboundary.co.uk/

She said… My birthday celebrations culminated in dinner at the Boundary, a basement French restaurant in a converted Victorian warehouse which forms part of a designer hotel development by the Conran empire. The restaurant space has an industrial, chic, smart and yet romantic feel; the combination of dark interior with splashes of colour work well. Although the room is open plan, more private seating areas are located around the room and we were seated at an intimate table in a recessed space towards the middle of the dining room whilst being able to look over the whole dining space. Having eaten my weight in cake earlier in the day I opted for the set menu kicking off with an artichoke salad which was full of flavour – perfect. I followed this with the sole which was less inspiring – it looked pretty - it was rolled up into parcels with designer vegetables around but I found the fish a bit chewy. Overall however, the Boundary restaurant is a lovely space with good service and with the right menu choice and a greater appetite, a smart, classy choice for an evening out. I would be keen to try the rooftop restaurant in the right weather and some tea and cake or a light lunch in the café on the ground floor – both of which also look good.

He said… Think of a Conran restaurant and your mind's eye will probably conjure one of the vast, buzzy places that made his reputation last millennium. Boundary is at the more intimate end of the spectrum - just the right place to wind down after a day full of activities to celebrate her birthday. Many moons ago Shoreditch celebrations used to involve warehouses full of happy people, and mind-blowing light shows. Now that Conran has colonised, you can eat from a tight, well-executed French menu in the basement, buy focaccia and gastro fare in the ground floor epicerie, grab a drink on the impressive roof terrace, and catch some zs in the hotel in between. The dining room is romantic in a way you would not expect from an East London basement: frescoes on the ceiling, smartly-dimmed lighting and under-street arches turned into  little alcoves. It all puts you in the right mood for your meal which for me is what this place is about. It's about the experience, the meal fitting  into the rest of your day exploring an interesting part of London, rather than the food which was the usual solid, Conran standard. Don't miss the roof terrace.