Rhodes Twenty Four
Rhodes Twenty Four was a Michelin-starred restaurant located in the City of London. Run by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, the restaurant was located on the 24th floor of Tower 42, formerly known as the Natwest Tower and operated between 2003 and 2014.
| Rhodes Twenty Four | |
|---|---|
  Location within Central London | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | September 1, 2003 |
| Closed | May 1, 2014 |
| Chef | Gary Rhodes |
| Food type | Modern British cuisine |
| Dress code | Formal |
| Rating |  (Michelin Guide 2008)[1] |
| Street address | Tower 42 25 Old Broad St |
| City | London |
| Postal/ZIP Code | EC2N 1HQ |
| Country | UK |
| Coordinates | 51°30′56″N 0°5′2″W |
| Seating capacity | 85 covers |
| Website | www.rhodes24.co.uk |
Description
Rhodes Twenty Four opened in 2003, following the closure of restaurants City Rhodes and Rhodes in the Square the previous year.[2] Located on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in a location formerly used by Roux Fine Dining, it served modern British cuisine described in its initial press release as "Very British Fayre".[3] Chef Gary Rhodes was introduced into the space by Albert Roux, who put him in touch with the company looking to revamp the former Restaurant Twentyfour. The original agreement was to take over the restaurant, private dining rooms and bar for an initial five years.[4] The restaurant was funded by Restaurant Associates, and fronted by Rhodes using the chef's signature dishes (including his bread and butter pudding and jaffa cake dessert).[4]
Rhodes described his hopes for the restaurant on launch: "If we never get a Michelin star here, I will be very disappointed, but what I really want is customers."[4] It won a Michelin star in 2005,[5] which it retained until it closed as one of two Michelin starred restaurants for Gary Rhodes in London.[6]
Reception
Fay Maschler reviewed the restaurant on the second day after opening in November 2003,[4] giving four out five stars whilst describing the meal as good hearty food. Rick Stein, who happened to be dining with the critic, described a potted mackerel and gooseberry jelly dish as "quite nice stuff".[3] Marina O'Loughlin, writing for the Metro in the same month, also gave four out of five stars and said that the food gave "superior comfort food with a view".[7] Giles Coren reviewed Rhodes Twenty Four in December 2003 for The Times. He found a great deal of difficulty in booking a table, which was only alleviated after revealing himself as a restaurant critic. He described the menu as being "standard" for a Gary Rhodes restaurant, but said that it was "not in the class of Gary’s two recent closures", but "competent".[2] He gave an overall score of six out of ten.[2]
A review in January 2004 in The Independent described the restaurant as being like a "boardroom", but praised the use of both suet and mutton on the menu, giving an overall score of thirteen out of twenty.[8] The Evening Standard conducted a second review in 2005, with Toby Young visiting the restaurant. He gave it two stars out of five, describing the food as "OK, but nothing special" and criticising the restaurant for only serving locally-grown, in-season produce.[9] Mark Bolland reviewed it again for the Evening Standard in April 2008, describing it as being much like an airport terminal but said that the menu was imaginative and featured the expected Rhodes twists, but found that the service was slow and robotic; giving the restaurant three out of five stars.[10]
As of 1 May 2014, the site is occupied by City Social, a Jason Atherton and Restaurant Associates venture.
References
- "Full list of Michelin stars in Britain and Ireland". Telegraph.co.uk. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- Coren, Giles (20 December 2003). "Rhodes 24". The Times. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- Maschler, Fay (19 November 2003). "Gary's towering ambition". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- Wood, Joanna; Walker, Ben (6 November 2003). "Rhodes in the Tower". Caterer Search. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- "An interview with Gary Rhodes". Caterer Search. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- Wallop, Harry (18 January 2011). "Michelin Guide 2011: record number of UK stars". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- O'Loughlin, Marina (12 November 2003). "Rhodes towers above". Metro. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- "Rhodes 24, London". The Independent. 4 January 2004. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- Young, Toby (21 February 2005). "Best in season?". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- Bolland, Mark (14 April 2008). "Rhodes Twenty Four is like a new airport terminal". The Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2011.