Marceline is the kind of big, shiny brasserie that operates as an all-day glamour boost. It’s one of Canary Wharf’s huge, floating restaurants, and ever since we met its ritzy mirrored bar, we’ve been looking for a sufficiently juicy reason to spin around on one of the leather chairs, chic little cherry manhattan in hand, and say “I’ve been expecting you”.
Everything about this restaurant is cinematic—the waterside bridge you have to walk up to find the entrance, the towering glass windows with views of Canary Wharf all lit up in the background, and the soft velvet banquette that you’ll find yourself stroking like a gorgeous little pet after deciding another glass of crémant is in order. Everything that is, apart from the classic French dishes that are a cast of Café Rouge extras you’ll forget as soon as the red-rimmed plates are cleared away. A rich, still-bubbling bowl of onion soup, the cheese soufflé, some snacky saucisson, and a round of salty frites will suffice to pose over, just don’t order the steak unless laboured chewing is your thing.
Food RundownSaucisson
We are simple creatures. We like dipping cornichons and fatty orbs of saucisson in mustard with enough heat to cure worldwide sniffles in a single dollop. If you too worship at the altar of classy picky bits, get this.
photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley
French Onion Soup
This soup is technically a starter, but thanks to the mega-rich veal stock, gooey cheese, and crouton chunks, you should treat it as Marceline’s main event. It’s hearty, filling, and like all the best French food, has a punchy scent that will follow you around for the next three hours.
video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley
Warm Cheese Souffle
Seeing as ‘warm’, ‘cheese’, and ‘souffle’ are three words that speak to all of our most glowing baser instincts, this golden ball is a no-brainer. Yes, we’ve had better cheese soufflés, but they aren’t shy with the gruyère cream and we’ve got a soft spot for the slightly crispy outer skin.
video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley
Steak Frites
Our molars don’t wish to revisit the memory of eating this steak. We opted for the sirloin over the rump, but it was very tough and had little interest in being digested. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again—thank you frites for saving the day.
photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley
Cordon Bleu
A slab of breaded chicken with all the charisma of an old sock. It scores points for comfort factor, but you can barely taste the blue cheese and after a couple of bites, we were bored.
photo credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley
Dining and Cooking