Andy Mossack finds the giddy heights of the STK Vibe Brunch very much to his liking.
Saturday afternoon atop The Gantry in Stratford and the STK Vibe Brunch is in full flow. DJ Julie is playing some cool sounds (I know because we are seated right next to her kit) the view of east London is spectacular, and we’re sipping bottomless chilled and fruity Flor de Crasto white wine from the Douro.
Not a bad way to kick of a memorable brunch experience it has to be said.
STK’s blended contemporary steakhouse and style lounge concept has migrated from its USA origins to an international audience that includes another restaurant in London’s Strand, as well as Dubai, Qatar, Ibiza, Milan, Mexico and Toronto. Each one another tick in its cunning plan to cash in on the many hip hot spots around the globe. And its Saturday Vibe Brunch seems to be an essential ingredient in STKs world domination plan.
STK has an extensive a la carte menu, but the Saturday STK Vibe Brunch is an artful way of bringing in customers for an affordable taste of what lies in store.
The rooftop of The Gantry, a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection of trendy urban resort hotels, is a spectacular location, with floor to ceiling glass making east London’s sprawling landscape a headlining centrepiece during the day or night. There’s a slide back roof patio space for an even nearer outdoor horizon experience, while inside. the interior is laden with floral tributes and pink tones and trendy industrial piping.
The Saturday STK Vibe Brunch consists of a 90-minute three course menu running from 11.30 to 4.30 (which makes it more lunch than brunch perhaps) for a flat £49pp. This includes three sharing starters, a choice of five mains, and a sharing dessert party board.
You can add to those, three levels of bottomless drinks: red, white, rose wines or beers for an additional £28pp, passion fruit martini or sun wray cocktails, and pink G&Ts, or prosecco for £40pp, or go the full monty with Moet Chandon Brut Imperial bubbly at £85pp. These are also backwards compatible, so if you are on the G&Ts for example you can enjoy bottomless wines and beers too.
Despite the proximity of Julie’s audio, our bottomless brunch wine sipping is proving to be a delightful curtain raiser to our trio board of sharing appetizers. ‘Lil’ brgs’ are USDA burger sliders with melted cheese and a tangy sauce; Soft shell crab sliders in a sesame bun with wasabi remoulade; and California rolls made with snow crab, Japanese mayo, avocado, tobiko, tempura, wasabi and ginger. Chopsticks are a welcome addition.
The burgers are delightfully smoky, and the California rolls with their crispy tempura toppings very moreish. A generous helping of fresh ginger and the dollop of wasabi gratefully accepted. One of us is not too keen on soft shell crabs, so a plate of fresh tomato and onion salad is a more than adequate replacement. So much so, it also has to be shared.
As we down our last slider, Raul our waiter appears with wine refills just in time.
The mains are up next, and a discussion ensues as to the merits of each dish. The big 180g burger is not for us having sampled those delightful Lil’ brgs, so our choices are, in no particular order; braised short rib in red wine with creamed potatoes, roasted pepper relish and crispy shallots; roasted salmon with a celeriac puree, crispy cavolo nero, and beurre blanc salmon roe; or a pumpkin ravioli with roasted butternut squash, enoki mushrooms, sage butter and black truffle.
However, as STK is essentially a steakhouse, we choose the 290g flat iron steaks with rosemary French fries. Having said that, in a moment of pure self-indulgence I add a side of triple-cooked chips from the main menu too. After all, who can ignore the lure of triple-cooked crispy chips.
The steaks are cooked perfectly to order (medium) and are delicious. I think the absence of some green vegetables though is a shame. A little splash of spinach would have been perfect and surely not a bank breaker.
Raul is back once again with another glass filler of this quite delicious Douro wine as we await the dessert party board.
This arrives carried triumphantly from the kitchen and placed in the centre of the table as the grand finale. Chocolate brownies, slices of cheesecake, and some candy floss. The brownies and cheesecake are heavenly if a little mean on size. Not sure about the candy floss, though I can see the party crowd loving it after a few drinks.
In truth, our 90 minutes has drifted into two hours, and Julie is still at it giving us some reggaeton now. The Brunch Vibe has well and truly kicked in with today’s patrons who all seem to be enjoying working their way through their different packages with gusto.
I can see how the STK Vibe Brunch has proved to be such a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. The food is excellent, the quality of the drinks on offer is high, and the views atop the Gantry are spectacular. I am in no doubt most people here will be back to sample the full menu.
In the meantime, Raul is back with a final quaff of my bottomless Douro. Cheers.
All food pictures and DJ (C) Andy Mossack..
Tell me more about this STK Vibe Brunch
STK Vibe Brunch, The Gantry, 40 Celebration Avenue, London, UK, E20 1DB
Tel: 0203 475 8126 Saturdays 11.30 am – 4.30 pm (3 pm last booking.)
