The Sterling (Bar)
30 St. Mary Axe, Aldgate, City of London, London, EC3A 8BF
Cuisine: Bar
Tel: 020 7929 3641
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| Transport: Liverpool Street
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The Sterling Review
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Top 10 things to know about The Sterling bar:
1) "Greed is good," your boss keeps telling you. Are you ordering cheap cava instead of quality Champagne when he takes you out for lunch? Time to measure up; see if you can be at your most gluttonous against The City's best.
2) Destination: none other than the Gherkin. If you were a megalomaniac banker plotting to take over the world, you’d probably have your headquarters here.
3) The Sterling bar has a GIANT outside terrace; so far so good. You wouldn't plan a corporate summer party at a venue that can't hold a hundred, now would you?
4) Are you ready for a banker's feast: Porterhouse? Wagyu? Sadly, it's only a bar menu in the evening, mostly consisting of burgers and sandwiches, and the kitchen closes around 8.30pm. Austerity Britain has hit harder than we first thought.
5) Their charcuterie boards are plentiful for those lucky City workers who manage to leave work before 8.15pm. Apart from Iberico, Prosciutto and Capacollo ham, they manage to throw in some olives which aren’t even on the menu.
6) The chicken burger looks the real deal; careful grilled marks on the bun and the chicken, chunky chips with bright orange romesco sauce. However, when you bite into the chicken, it's as bland and tasteless as the suits in your vicinity.
7) Sitting there for over an hour, it’s easy to see that nobody else actually orders food. Maybe bankers just don't have time to eat these days. Unless it’s mainly for lunchtime dining.
8) When celebrating your latest corporate takeover, it's rarely about the food anyway. You need Champagne, naturally, and they have a whole range here from Piper-Heidsieck to Dom Pérignon.
9) From the significant number of wines, they also offer 5 different sizes: 125ml, 175ml, 250ml, carafe or bottle; so if you haven't received your banker's bonus, the drinks are still very affordable.
10) You wouldn't spot any Wolves of Liverpool Street here. It's more likely to be sheep enjoying a quiet, well priced drink in their troughs....read more
Customer Reviews for The Sterling
Average (based on 3 votes): 3
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The following customer reviews are not endorsed by Fluid London and are simply those of users who wish to publish their independent experiences of The Sterling.
“The Sterling has long been one of my favourite summer-time haunts, as it is for many people in the City. It's location is superb - nestled right in the heart of the square mile, and boasting a large plaza area that City workers flock to on hot summer days, thirsty for pints and Pimm's. With the extraordinary weather we have had the past few weeks, I have been spending many lunches and evenings at the Sterling, but it has been a disappointing experience in comparison to previous years. The food is sub-standard - on two separate occasions, the clients that I was having lunch with had to send their food back - once because the food was cold, and the second time because there was a hair in the food!! It was terribly embarrassing, especially during a client lunch! While the staff are amiable enough, there clearly are too few of them for a bar/restaurant of this size, as I have had to wait lengthy periods of time for service, food and drinks. I had a few polite words with one of the managers, but while she tried to appear apologetic, it felt fairly unconvincing.
It seems to me that the owners and staff of this bar need to organise themselves a lot better (I did note that there were no familiar faces among the staff - many of which I had come to know well - and have heard that a new organisation has recently bought the Lewis and Clarke branch, which could have led to the decline of standards). I do hope that the Sterling pulls itself up by the bootstraps, as it is an old favourite of mine and I do wish to enjoy some sunny days there again, but until it does, it's safe to say I will be having lunches with my clients elsewhere!”
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Paul, Oxford (10 years 23 days ago)
“Hi, we had lunch party at the Sterling over xmas and it was fantastic, all i can say is that the deco, the staff and the food were excellent.
I recommend this bar & restaurant for anyone looking to have lunch for two or a party up to any number as the food is great & also the range of drinks.”
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joe bloggs, london (14 years 3 months 5 days ago)
“Stylish gastro bar located in one of Londons most iconic buildings, the ''Gherkin''. Great outside space for Summer drinks.”
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Neve, London (14 years 10 months 23 days ago)
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Additional Information
- Cuisine Type: Bar
- Dress Code: Not Specified
- Group: Novus Leisure
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