This slick and rather sexy venture atop The Standard, London is accessed via a pill-shaped red lift that runs up the side of the hotel, transporting diners to a stunning 1970s-inspired dining room. If that sounds a bit vibe-y and Instagram-friendly that’s because it very much is, but the presence of celebrated Bristolian chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias ensures Decimo is not all fur coat and no knickers, as it so easily could have been.
The tenth floor (get it?) restaurant shares much of the same DNA as Sanchez-Iglesias’ Michelin-starred Paco Tapas, but bolts on some Mexican dishes and influences for good measure. Key dishes include croquetas de jamón; tacos; and – most infamously – a fabulously expensive tortilla topped with caviar.
Alongside these dishes are simple grilled items served with minimalist garnishes (in some cases nothing at all) including quali with a mole glaze; rib of beef; langoustines; and monkfish. The drinks list is as focused and precise as the cooking, and offers one of the largest selections of mezcals in the capital.
Designed by Shawn Hausman, the 130-cover space has panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows that provide views of the St Pancras Renaissance’s intricate roof immediately to the north and surprisingly uninterrupted views of the London skyline from all other directions. The Standard and Sanchez-Iglesias have created one of the capital’s most transportive restaurants, bringing a slice of sun-soaked 1970s Los Angeles to London.
