Smouldering trays of charcoal in the tandoor and whole roast ducks hanging above, columns stacked with chopped seasoned wood and the smell of curry in the air, it’s the Temper restaurant of meat expert Neil Rankin in Angel Court in the City, London.

Blenheim Design were elated about landing the best table in the restaurant on only the third day of Temper’s soft launch, and we are still thinking about the hot and flavoursome curries we sampled. The opportunity to dine in the new restaurant only arose as we were walking back from a site meeting and realised it was late enough for dinner in London instead of waiting to get back to the south coast. Neil Rankin was opening a new restaurant nearby so we thought it was worth a try. As it turned out it was half price off the menu, but it was the soft launch and they were fully booked. We were already inside and the expansive interior was definitely worth checking out, so before the diners began arriving we were kindly shown around the large restaurant by the manager.

It seems fortuitous that we ended up where we did at that time and were lucky enough to relate with a manager kind enough to share his time before first sitting to show us all the different dining areas and then allow us to dine at the edge of the centrally located open kitchen. Here we each chose a hot curry plate with a tasty array of accompaniments and the theatre of the chefs working in full view. I say we got the best table in the restaurant, that’s because we were positioned where we could still see most of the restaurant and bar and we were far enough away from the tandoor oven we didn’t have to feel any hotter than the curry dishes we were game to try.

If you have ever been to the first Temper in Soho there are similar design elements like the central open grill kitchen with robata to sit around and watch the action, furniture styles, floor and wall tiles and fixed seating booths but instead of the overriding colour being green, here it is red.

The interior is a simple fit-out but on a grander scale than the first and Temper City has a dedicated area for hanging and smoking poultry, a mezzanine suited for large groups, a wine tasting area and some impressive tandoors. The finishes within the restaurant consist predominantly of warm oak timber panelling and trims, brick effect grey tiles, brass tables and details, red leather upholstery, open woven wire steel and brass meshes, terrazzo surfaces and stacks of chopped wood for the smoke ovens.

Stand-out finishing details are polished red and brass table lamps on the generous terrazzo robata top with a wide brass edge trim and the lengthy feature of bottles displayed across the far wall of the restaurant above the fixed seating. The latter reminds us of a multi-tiered library with balcony, but instead of books there are copious amounts of bottles.

If you are after a barbecue experience, have a love of meat and creative uses of ingredients or simply wanting to try some of the 20 types of gin on offer, then head to Temper City for lunch, dinner or even breakfast.

Location

Angel Ct, London EC2R 7HB