Dining Out 019: Lasdun at the National Theatre
Dinner on the South Bank.
Before I get to this week’s review, I have one quick thing to mention (imagine me clinking a glass like a pissed dad at a wedding). Dining Out reached 1000 subscribers recently, and that feels like a cool milestone. I started the newsletter in April when I was feeling frustrated and restless with my work, and writing it has made me a lot happier, and much less hungry.
My goal has largely been to take seriously(-ish) the act of having a good time. Having spent a while actually doing it now, I still think it’s useful to give experiences and the experience economy proper credence, because as I hope I’ve demonstrated, these things tell us so much about the way we live now, and I’ve loved writing about it all weekly for the last few months. All of this is to say, anyway, that if you’ve read Dining Out, enjoyed it, subscribed, gone to eat somewhere I said was banging and had the craic there, or any combination of the above, thanks a lot. I’m really looking forward to doing more.
Anyway, now that’s out of the way (picture me falling asleep on a chair over a flattening pint as the DJ plays the Cha Cha Slide), I am going to move onto what you’re actually here for, which is to hear about a restaurant. This week we are on the South Bank, at the National Theatre’s fanciest new spot, which is called Lasdun.
I’ve only eaten at the National Theatre once before (at the soft launch of the branch of Forza Wine on the outdoor terrace there, which is nicer than the Peckham one but ultimately not as good), so I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Lasdun, which is a restaurant concept from the people behind Hackney’s Marksman pub (big Big Scrunchie vibes but a nice spot as far as I’m aware). Pretty immediately upon entry, however, Lasdun asserts itself.
In the middle of the room, there’s a sleek, sweeping bar, surrounded by seats with rounded backs – it feels kind of like where an off-duty James Bond would take you on a Hinge date – with booths and tables on all sides of it. We sat close to the window with a view out on the South Bank, at a table dressed cleanly, in white linen. It was a hot day, so to start, we ordered Elderflower Tom Collinses which were cold and sweet and needed.
Food-wise, I’d describe the vibe at Lasdun as pre-theatre dining (and it does feel quite buttoned-up and formal in that way – head to Forza if you’re looking to cut loose), through an Instagrammy, “modern European” lens. And if I consider what I ordered – dressed crab, followed by a hunk of tender lamb with mint and barley, and finally a soft serve ice cream with blackberry leaf sauce – that’s a pretty simple, almost brasserie-type rundown.
Lasdun’s style, then, is classic, familiar, uncomplicated flavour combinations, via dishes that come to the table presented prettily, with some contemporary touches. Tamworth ham is a patchwork on the plate, accompanied by peas, and ribeye steak comes accompanied by tiny, bronzed nugs of pressed potato, thinly layered and so crunchy you could imagine an influencer scraping a knife across them at the end of a TikTok (and, it goes without saying, completely delicious and moreish – genuinely one of the highlights of the meal).
While the vibe is a little bit muted considering the lively location, it’s the kind of place where the cooking at least pulls a nice sleight of hand – simple food is done well and feels fancier for it. If you have slightly fussy parents to entertain, this could be a good place to bring them, particularly because there’s a pre-theatre set menu of a pretty reasonable £45 for three courses.
To give you a brief overview of those courses, I started with the crab which arrived in the shell, with a crab mayonnaise, a confetti-sprinkling of chives, and a thin sourdough cracker. It was a really generous portion, and there was a real clean taste to the crab itself, plus heaps of both dark and white meat, though I might have liked more seasoning and zing – a lemony kick somewhere in that mayo, or something peppery to lift the dish up.
Next came the lamb, which was soft and pink, served with barley and a brothy, mint-inflected sauce. A hunk of lamb can be a heavy thing, but this plate was summery and light, and I liked that take on the meat. Alongside the lamb, I also ordered a green salad with buttermilk dressing. For me, gem lettuce slathered in a creamy sauce is a top three side that I would eat every day if I could be arsed to make it, so I was delighted to see it on the menu. The lettuce was as fresh and crisp as you like, and the dressing had that little bit of tartness you hope for – it was another of my favourite things I ate.
The absolute top spot, however, as it often is, was reserved for dessert: a “blackcurrant leaf soft serve”, which was essentially a posh version of a Mr. Whippy – complete with delectably runny sauce all the way down the side (though if Lasdun are really about it they should add a Flake). The thing is served in the type of glistening silver coupe I’d have loved to eat from as a kid, and – let’s face it – still love to eat from as a 30-year-old, and it was a really great, and once again simple, end to the meal.
I do wonder a little about whether we saw Lasdun at its best – the food was great, but our 6PM table felt like it came at a bit of a transitional period, making the end of the meal a touch awkward. To that end, it’s a spot that feels like it probably shines more in the early afternoon, when it’s nice and bright, or at nighttime, when things are a bit more slinky. Either way, however, whatever time of day it is, I’ll never say no to classic flavour combos, well-observed drinks, and a leaning tower of ice cream to finish.
This visit was arranged by Tonic Communications but thoughts my own obvi obvi.
Dining Out is written by Lauren O’Neill and illustrated by Lucy Letherland. Weekly reviews are free to read every Thursday, but if you’d like to see more, you can subscribe for £5 a month or £50 a year, to get extra content every second Sunday.
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That crab looks heavenly 😇🦀!