East End Review

Tag: Sarah Gill

  • Dishoom – review

    Taste of Bombay? A Dishoom bacon naan roll
    Taste of Bombay? A Dishoom bacon naan roll

    There isn’t much that beats a fiery Bloody Mary first thing on a cold rainy morning. By the same stroke there isn’t much worse than a disappointing one.

    I’ve had some that tasted like a glass full of watery ketchup, some that tried to be way too clever and many where whoever made it can perhaps only ever have seen a picture of one and tried to make it based on that.

    At Dishoom, a Bombay cafe in the heart of Shoreditch, they’re cold and refreshing, the recipe made with tequila instead of vodka, which gives them a bright and zesty flavour. I can advocate having two of them as you peruse a breakfast menu that is bursting with excellence.

    I felt compelled to try the bacon naan because I’ve heard a lot of hype. Believe it. Warm, freshly baked soft bread, chargrilled bacon and a chilli tomato jam to sweeten the mouthful and brighten the palate. Cream cheese
    and fresh herbs elevates each mouthful to brilliance.

    We also tried the akuri: spicy scrambled eggs whacked on ‘fire toast’ – soft white bread chucked on the grill – and served up with an oven-roasted vine of sweet cherry tomatoes. It too was excellent.

    ‘Cafe’ might be a bit misleading for this sophisticated joint, but does resonate with the relaxed atmosphere of the place. Breezy and open-plan with fans idling on the ceiling, it’s the kind of place you could easily while away a morning watching people streak past on the busy high street outside the window.

    If daytimes at Dishoom are tranquil, night time certainly isn’t. I’d seen the dinner menu and was curious to see what it was like so headed back a week later.

    You can’t book and there’s a queue in the bar and out of the door practically all night. And that’s no surprise. It’s stylish, the food is exceptionally good and the atmosphere is buzzing. Get down there as soon as possible.

    Dishoom Shoreditch, 7 Boundary Street, E2 7JE

  • Merchants Tavern – review

    Roast loin of venison with braised red cabbage and sprout tops. Photograph: Patricia Niven
    Roast loin of venison with braised red cabbage and sprout tops. Photograph: Patricia Niven

    This may be the first time I’ve been seduced by a restaurant’s furnishings before putting anything in my mouth. Like a boozy sojourn into Don Draper’s Mad Men, I loved the low slung leather seats, the discreet little booths and intimate lighting at Merchants Tavern.

    It’s a joint venture between culinary power couple Neil Borthwick and Angela Hartnett, and needless to say it’s exceptionally good, knocking the ball out of the park at every single level.

    The cocktails will blow your mind. We tried the Old Street Fashioned – a sleek tumbler mixed with ten-year old French brandy that hit an empty stomach with a glorious buzz, and the Jane Shores Sour, a pretty little glass of pale yellow with a delicate curl of lemon rind on top.

    Gliding to the table after the fortifying sharpeners, we made short shrift of some deep fried oysters with a zingy garnish of ginger and chilli – the crust crisped to perfection and the meat inside beautifully soft. The raw version, which comes with pickled cucumber and buerre blanc sauce was also divine and dispatched rapidly.

    Next up more cocktails, and this time we tried the Ezra St Runner, made with rum, mint and lime juice, sweetened with agave syrup and rinsed with absinthe. That’s right. Rinsed with absinthe.

    The ham hock ravioli with buttered cabbage in chicken broth was out of this world. A delicate disk of pasta with beautifully flavoured and tender meat tucked inside – the simplicity was deceptive.

    And the quail, so often proving a battle to extricate a mouthful from millions of tiny bones. Here the meat was so juicy and tender it must be cooked on the bone and then pan fried to crisp up the skin. There’s a square of fried fois grois to deepen the flavour, hazelnut pesto and a flick of salty reduction that is just perfectly judged.

    On to mains and a beautiful piece of pollock with a crunchy sourdough breadcrumb crust. The fish came resting in a delicate emulsion made from sorrel and lettuce that’s feather-light and spring-like in its flavours without being in any way intrusive.

    The Jacob’s Ladder – or short ribs – was also cooked to perfection. The tenderness of the meat went beautifully with the slight bite of the lentils, with capers and dill giving it a nice earthy flavour.

    If the menu looks slightly out of range, there’s a lunch deal for £18 or three for £22 that are definitely worth checking out. The staff are incredibly lovely and know the menu backwards, the food is exquisite and the drinks will knock your socks off.

    Merchants Tavern
    36 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3PG

     

  • Platterform’s Sea Adventure Series – review

    Sea fare: Platterform's latest pop-up is a fishy affair
    Sea fare: Platterform’s latest pop-up is decidedly fishy

    Well it looks like the howling gales and driving rain of the past months are showing no sign of letting up, so we’d better find some nice places to hibernate until spring comes.

    And I can’t think of a more suitable way to shelter from the mid-Atlantic storms bashing the city than with a seafood-themed popup from the same team that brought us the fantastic lumberjack bar – Skylodge – before Christmas.

    This time the Platterform collective has magicked the London Fields rooftop into a barnacle-clad ship, decked out with rigging, compasses and salty little sea shacks. Lasting 15 weeks, the Sea Adventure Series will see a series of guest chefs taking up residency to dish up a succession of sensational fish suppers.

    Taking the helm for the Maiden Voyage section of the programme are in-house chefs Michele Sweetman and Leona Williams. The inspiration for their menu is the NorthWest Passage – the Arctic waterways that connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – playing on Dutch, Scandinavian and British palates.

    We kicked off with a magnificent little bowl of smoked haddock chowder with juicy little nuggets of sweetcorn and some lovely savoury scone-like ships biscuits. It was hot and hearty and fully delicious.

    Next we walked the plank. Or ate the plank. A plank of dark rye bread that is, with fat pink curls of honey-pickled Scottish salmon, crunchy beetroot salad and sweet little gherkins. It looked beautiful, the fish tasted as fresh as if it had just jumped from the water and onto plate and it tasted all kinds of lovely.

    It’s a four-course set menu including drinks and portions are decent without being overbearing – which is lucky, because next comes the Lekkerbek. Or Dutch fish and chips to me and you – with a remoulade sauce made from mayonnaise, sage, tarragon. The little bowl of emerald petit pois with onion and sage was a lovely play on mushy peas. The batter was delicate – not overwhelming the tender flaky fish as it often can. Pudding was a delicious creamy key limey pie.

    If that’s not enough to tickle your kipper, the cocktails coming out of the Shanty Shack will certainly put hairs on your chest. We tried the Zissou Sour – a fiery little concoction of egg whites and mezcal and there are plenty of others to stick your oar in.

    The next chapter in this seafood adventure is Maid in the Mist, with Dave Yorkston of Yorkston Smokehouse setting up his own cold smoking house up on the rooftop. His fare is reportedly so good he sells it to his own fishmonger, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

    If the Sea Adventure Series is anything like as popular as Skylodge you better fix up look sharp and get yourselves some tickets. Walk-ins also welcome to pitch up and hang out at the bar with drink and snacks.

    Book via www.billetto.co.uk