The Cardinal Bar & Kitchen. Discover A Dining Oasis Next To Aldgate Station.

Anthea Gerrie Finds Glamorous Cocktails And Pan-Asian Gourmet Delights at The Cardinal Bar & Kitchen.

In the bleak triangle between the City, Shoreditch and the Tower of London, the dining oasis that is The Cardinal Bar & Kitchen hides in plain sight right next door to Aldgate station. This attractive restaurant with an international menu is barely visible even when you walk into its home, the Hotel Saint as it’s tucked out of sight in the back of the building.

Inspired by a clutch of unusual dishes created by executive head chef Glen Padiyar reflecting not only the south Asian cuisine he grew up with but the influences of top European chefs including Raymond Blanc and Robin Gill under whom he honed his skills, we found our way in and bagged the best table in the room, a booth at the rear upholstered in grass green velour.

America is represented by a clutch of classic cocktails priced from £12-18, lower than West End prices – properly made martini or daiquiri, anyone? A Saint Mai Tai perfectly channelled the original created by Victor Bergeron for that late home of tropical drinks Trader Vic’s – a rum-based beauty packed with exotic ingredients including banana liqueur and orgeat syrup.

It would be hard to find a more intriguing starter than the samphire bhaji (£9) on the Cardinal’s new menu, but I also helped my companion with the mezze sharing platter (£20) whose star ingredient was stunning hummus surrounded by falafel, olives, halloumi cheese, imam bayaldi and plenty of good pita bread. Only the bruschetta dip seemed a tad out of place in a showcase of eastern Mediterranean appetisers. Other tempting choices include confit duck bao, Korean fried chicken wings and lamb shoulder tacos; for vegans there is deep-fried cauliflower and king oyster mushroom shawarma as well as the bhajis.

Pescatores like my companion can get a big plate of some of the best fish and chips in London for £18 – haddock fillets in fennel batter with minted peas and excellent tartare sauce.

There is also sea-bass, cooked and served whole or cod with salsa verde served in a butter bean broth with capers and cherry tomatoes. My salmon mie goreng was marinated in miso and served with a stir-fry of noodles and Asian vegetables and an unexpected but delightful garnish of fried egg(£25). Both our dishes were complete as ordered, but for those who can’t resist them, an order of decadent truffle fries with Parmesan is just £8. Carnivores are not forgotten; they’re catered for with steak and chips and a signature burger.

The wine list has an excellent choice of vintages by the glass, from which we enjoyed a French vermentino (£6.50) and a pecorino from Abruzzo (£7). And desserts did not disappoint – a sticky pistachio cheesecake (£9) was good but quite eclipsed by a fresh strawberry tart on a base of creme patissiere for the same price.

What makes The Cardinal Bar & Kitchen so interesting is its long opening hours – 7am till midnight to serve a hotel clientele, which brings up the possibilities of well-priced eggs Benedict or Florentine for breakfast any day of the week, and brunch treats including shakshuka and peri peri chicken on weekends. The exotic restaurants of Shoreditch just steps away from the back of the Saint Hotel are likely to lose custom once the word gets out about the fine fare available for a fair price in rather more salubrious surroundings on the arty neighbourhood’s high street doorstep.