Blueprint Café

SE1 2YD

London

Shad Thames Design Museum

Blueprint Cafe, Design Museum

Situated above the Design Museum next to the monumental Tower Bridge, Blueprint Café delivers simple, seasonal dishes that wrap you up in a smug blanket of bliss. This restaurant is on the small side, but remains light and airy with a subtle hint of nautical décor. The floor to ceiling windows reveal a glorious backdrop of the River Thames and the City of London, and a cute pair of mini binoculars on each table allows you to explore the views (or a close-up of other peoples food!).

Head chef Jeremy Lee has created a short and seasonal menu taking influence from Europe and his native Scotland. The food changes daily according to the produce available, which of course is re-assuring, knowing that you are eating the freshest ingredients. This is acutely evident in my bright green starter of chilled dill and spinach soup that comes with a dollop of fiery horseradish cream. This wondrous combination takes the natural flavour of dill and spinach to a whole other level of deliciousness. Magic. My friend’s mackerel paté is also blessed with a hint of horseradish that adds a welcoming element of sweetness.

For the main course, we take the advice of the obliging waiter, and order onglet with caeser salad and rack of lamb with girolles from Scotland. Both portions are generous and come with a side of pleasingly knobbly potatoes and green beans. The blushing pink lamb cutlets are wonderfully tender and together with the earthy rich flavour of girolles, they achieve a faultless glorification of umami-ness, which is expertly paired with a glass of smooth bodied Argentinian Malbec. Once I scrape my plate clean, I then start to help my friend tackle her liberal portion of beautifully medium-rare onglet. It’s juicy, chewy, soft and robust all at once - definitely a cut of beef that I will be eating more often.

Despite the fact that I feel like the button on my trousers is about to pop off and shoot out of the window into the Thames, I order dessert. How could I possibly resist the sweet and summery offerings of chewy walnut meringue with raspberries and strawberry ice-cream or half of my friend’s vanilla cheesecake and brambles, which thankfully possess the texture of a light mousse rather than the dense and heavy usual affair? Both of them slip effortlessly into my stomach and instantly ease and greet the accumulation of my previous courses – now that’s when you realise the true potential of having a dessert despite being full.

The food at Blueprint Café is uncomplicated and impressively refined. Along with its breath-taking views and attentive and knowledgeable staff, the restaurant is an all-round winner, offering a memorable and utterly delectable dining experience.

A three course set menu for two without wine will set you back by approximately £50.00.