I checked out the new Waterloo & City, named after one of the Underground lines in London, in Culver City over the summer, and my write-up of it just appeared in the October issue of LA Confidential Magazine.Brendan Collins is the chef at this cheeky little brasserie, and he's cooking up fun new takes on both classic plates from his U.K. homeland, as well as more California-skewed (read Mediterranean-Asian fusion) dishes. I enjoyed quite the range at my dinner there.
To read my LA Confidential piece, you can take a look at the City Eats section in the magazine at the site below (Waterloo & City is the first entry), or just read the body of the article, which I've included at the end here. Cheerio!
Link: http://www.la-confidential-magazine.com/dining/articles/city-eats
Waterloo & City
It might be named after one of executive chef-proprietor Brendan Collins’ native London underground lines, but you won’t find bangers and mash or spotted dick (or any other naughty-sounding nibbles) on the menu at Waterloo & City—though there are fish and chips and shepherd’s pie at Sunday lunch.
Chef Collins says his menu “is more based on French and Italian food.” However, the cuisine is far more diverse than that at this new British gastropub on a rapidly gentrifying stretch of Washington Boulevard in Culver City.
The pizzas—including one topped with savory Indian butter chicken, Greek yogurt and cucumber—and the fried piquillo peppers with tuna tartare and avocado will have you exclaiming, “Blimey!” The standout portion of the menu, however, is the eclectic array of cured meats and pâtés, including a smoked-tongue and carrot terrine with sweet-and-sour chiles—perfect for sharing with mates over a pint or one of the “pubtail” drinks, such as a classic Pimm’s cup or Piccadilly martini with vodka, pickle juice and tomolives.
Brazen décor touches like recycled church pews and wallpaper with mildly racy scenes ironically sketched in classic blue-and-white English china patterns set just the right cheeky tone. After all, it’s the collegial ambiance that’s really British. And the attitude, which Collins sums up as, “We are what we are. And we enjoy it!” 12517 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City; waterlooandcity.com
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