Bringing the British seaside to the heart of London

Family-run Applebee’s Fish bring their all-new pop-up bar and restaurant to London’s busy Southbank Centre.

We recently were invited to the opening of Applebee’s Fish pop-up restaurant on London’s Southbank, right next to the Royal Festival Hall and Underbelly Festival, and underneath Hungerford Bridge.  Running until the middle of September, we can only recommend you go – not only once, but as often as you can. We are already planning our next visit!

For those of you in the know, you will already be aware of Applebee’s Fish in London’s premier food market, Borough Market near London Bridge. Starting out as a fish stall in the late 90’s it evolved into the hugely successful restaurant, one of the capital’s best addresses for seafood lovers.

Applebee’s Fish pop-up is the brainchild of Jack Applebee, son of the founder, a really nice guy who knows the business inside out. Compromising a restaurant serving some of the best fish & chips in London (if not the UK), a bar providing craft beers, ciders and cocktails, a dedicated champagne & oyster bar and a sandpit where you can challenge your friends to a game of boule.  There is also music, with the occasional busker taking to the stage to provide live entertainment.

The pop-up has used wood and sustainable materials, with a rope-based pergola covering the area and with turquoise accents, and there is plenty of seating available to while away a summer evening, sipping a cocktail or two and eating a dish from the short, but perfectly formed, menu.

Applebee’s Fish serves one of the best fish & chips we have ever tasted, using sustainably sourced cod fillet deep-fried with an extremely light and crispy Cornish Harbour lager batter, served with thick cut chips and, if you like (I do), lovely minted mushy peas; seriously moreish panko prawns on a cucumber, coriander and mint salad finished with homemade kimchi mayonnaise, a refreshing citrussy seabass ceviche and an array of very tasty crostini: tuna tartare with avocado sauce, salmon tartare with horseradish, chives & dill  (love this!) and crab & potato with pickled cucumber, as well as everybody’s favourite, the chip butty.

Or sit at the bar underneath the tree with its twinkling lights and enjoy the fresh oysters and a glass of champagne.

Rock oysters are available to buy by size and are supplied by Richard Hayward from Mersea, Applebee’s Fish’s neighbour in Borough Market. Cultivating oysters since the 1700’s in and around the creeks on Mersea Island, Essex, Richard comes from a long line of reputable oyster farmers. Oyster shots are available for the adventurous, a medium rock oyster will be knocked back with a shot of Bloody Mary, Champagne and shallot, or tequila with chilli and lime.

Hingston & Co. provide cocktails on tap, including Aperol Spritz and Negroni. Hallgarten Wines oversee the carefully curated wine list which showcases wines with a story and compliments the fresh seafood perfectly. Also, on offer is Goring Sparkling Wine, a product from the Goring family who have farmed their estate in the South Downs since 1743, and Champagne Collet, a 850 strong co-operative that produces a range of outstanding value for money Champagnes.

Harbour Brewery, based in Cornwall, are overseeing the craft beer selection Beers on tap include Harbour Lager, brewed with the very best lager malts and Perle, Tettnanger and mittelfruh hops for an aroma of lemon, barley sugar and noble hops, and Harbour Daymer Pale Ale, a bright golden pale ale brewed with Sucrose and Vienna malts and Saaz, Celeia, Mosaic and Citra hops for a pine and lemon aroma.

We would recommend Applebee’s Fish pop-up for a night out with friends, a pre-theatre meal of fish & chips or a date night with champagne and oysters.

Address: Queen’s Walk, under Hungerford Bridge

Social Media: @applebeesfish_

Website: www.applebeesfish.com

Hingston & Co: www.hingston.co | Instagram: @hingstonandco

Hallgarten Wines: www.hnwines.co.uk | Instagram: @hnwines

Harbour Brewery: www.harbourbrewing.com | Instagram: @harbourbrewing