Truman Capote’s Holly Golightly famously said of her favourite shop that “I adore Tiffanys. Nothing very bad could happen to you there.” And so, it must be said, I feel about the Four Seasons hotels. As soon as you walk into one of them, you feel enveloped in a deeply comfortable, gorgeously scented cocoon of luxury and discreet wealth, where absolutely nothing is ever going to go wrong and where you expect top-notch service that has a friendly and personalised touch as standard. This is, of course, not cheap but the best things in life seldom are.
It comes as little surprise, then, that Cooper’s Cut, the plush new steakhouse that has taken up residence in Four Seasons’ City outpost at Tower Bridge, does everything that it sets out to do very, very well indeed from start to finish. It replaces the Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic, but it is clear that the ambitions that Cooper’s Cut have, while not necessarily in the direction of the little white tyre man, are far from modest. Nor should they be.
Cooper’s Cut, then, is a steakhouse pure and simple, but it’s a steakhouse in the same way that the River Café is a little Italian spot sitting next to the Thames. Everything about it speaks of the recreation of a New York steakhouse of your dreams, but with – let us be sacrilegious here – even better food. Thanks to chef Luke Armstrong, himself a Ledbury veteran, this eschews the usual prawn cocktail-rib-eye-frites-bearnaise-sticky toffee pudding (not that there’s anything wrong with that assortment of delights) for something that feels fresh and considered, and – dare I say it – rather lighter on the waistline than several of its competitors nearby.
Things kick off with a couple of excellent cocktails, their spin on a French 75 and, even better, an Old ‘Good’ Fashioned, which might be somewhat eye-watering at £25 but nonetheless comes festooned with luxurious ingredients including ‘Pistachio Michter’s Rye, Cynar, Tonka Liqueur, Maple Verjus and Oabika Fermented Cocoa’. The message is clear from the outset; this is old-school quality with new-school expertise. And if you have a couple of Maldon oysters to start, which slide out of the shell with well-shucked ease, this is about as lovely a way to begin an evening as I can remember.
Matters stay consistently excellent from then. We’re trying a selection of the restaurant’s iconic dishes via a well-chosen ‘chef’s menu’, which acts as a well-paced and superbly ‘curated’ – that dread word – assortment of things that Armstrong excels at. So an amuse-bouche of heritage beetroot with merlot vinaigrette leads effortlessly into chargrilled Scottish langoustines in an orange and saffron beurre blanc, both of which are just the right balance between big, generous flavours and refined cooking. And the use of seasonal ingredients is perfectly judged, too, with an interim Loire Valley asparagus course, complete with warm herb sabayon, offering a respite from the richness; washed down with a glass of beautifully crisp Riesling, this makes for a superb opening to a memorable meal.
But Cooper’s Cut is a steakhouse, and while this assortment of vegetables and fish is delicious, it is but a palette-cleanser for the main event which duly follows, their very own take on ‘surf and turf’. We know it’s going to be something a bit special when we’re offered a selection of steak knives, from which we pick the most fiendish-looking Japanese example. It proves to be a good call, as we then try the Hokkaido A4 Wagyu Fillet, adorned with Kristal Caviar, Pomerol sauce and spinach. This is as melt-in-the-mouth as steak gets, with an unctuous, buttery texture perfectly complimented by the caviar. It feels ridiculously luxurious, and the glass of Pinot Noir that it’s served with beautifully cuts through the richness, too.
It’s nearly time to depart, but there’s just time for a quintessentially British-meets-French showstopper in the form of a Granny Smith tarte tatin, complete with crème fraiche ice cream, and then we’re on our way once again, delighted and replete that something quite so excellent is on offer. The chef menu isn’t cheap – £165 per person without drinks or service – but it also represents superb value for cooking of this calibre. Cooper’s Cut, then, really isn’t just a cut above, but several.
Cooper’s Cut, 10 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4AJ. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.fourseasons.com.
