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Recently I got to go inside a building I’ve been walking past for years. In London’s Waterloo opposite The Old Vic theatre, is an old, ornate fire house, all red brick and Victorian public grandeur. It’s been converted into a restaurant, The Fire Station, and has always turned my head on my way past it, though not enough to actually venture inside yet.
This changed the other week when I received the invitation to come and try out their new evening menu and see the newly renovated site with a bunch of other London food bloggers. With spring in my step and food on my mind, I made my way up the Northern Line and blagged a prime table spot between the lovely The Foodaholic and We The Food Snobs, opposite I’m A Londoner. One of my favourite things about blogging is the people you meet; there are always familiar faces and these are some lovely, lovely people. 
First things first, this is a cool site. They’ve maintained the original features of the 1910 fire house and the façade, adding in brass features, funky lighting (made from fire hoses!) and hipster little glass touches here and there. It’s spacious and spills out onto the street through the huge doors (big enough to let fire engines out, remember). We went on a Tuesday and it was bustling with a good, young crowd. I imagine it’s cracking on Thursday-Saturday evening. In short, I like it the space a lot.
 
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The drinks menu is also excellent. Cocktails are circa. £8-9 and are inventively put together. I tried a naughty little Vanilla and Fig Sour with Makers Mark Bourbon and chocolate bitters and a Cinnamon Old Fashioned. I hate cinnamon but was assured by Gavin (I’m a Londoner) that it was yummy…he wasn’t wrong. They’ve got a smoking machine (I’m sure there’s a more technical name for this but I’m damned if I know what it is!) behind the bar and smoke some of the drinks ingredients behind the bar for a unusual touch. My Old Fashioned had smoked bourbon in it. Cool.
 

The menu is pretty casual: a burgers and pizza type affair. It’s all cheap (for London!), with burgers coming in around the £8-9 mark and pizzas £10. All is good. Not mind blowing, but good. The pizzas are probably the best and come crispy Italian style with thin, wafery bases. I enjoyed an unusual fish one with smoked mackerel, king prawns, confit garlic, mascarpone and egg. You don’t often see fish on a pizza that isn’t horrid canned tuna and I liked it a lot. Also good was one with parma ham, chorizo, beef ragu and salami. Obviously all the boys on the table made a beeline for this one (why is it all men order ‘The Meat Feast’?).

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In the burgers front their glazed short rib burger with balsamic-glazed short rib on top of the patty is the best. Juicy, rich from the slow cooked meat and with a traditional sesame burger bun (none of this brioche nonsense). Their other burgers were all fine too – they’re not going to compete with London’s best burgers (such as Bleecker, Patty and Bun or Burger Bear Tom) but that’s okay, they’re not trying to.

 

 

Sides are fine too (potato and sweet potato fries), with the exception of their spicy coleslaw which is better than fine; positively yummy, in fact. 

I liked this joint. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a gastronomic power house but it is a great, lively spot for groups on an evening time for drinks and casual food. I’d go back readily with my gang and hammer back those yummy cocktails all night with a couple of sharing pizzas in the middle. Formula for a fun night; done.

 

6.5/10
http://thefirestationwaterloo.com/
020 3727 5938
150 Waterloo Road, London,
SE1 8SB. England

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