Spitalfields, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“All the dishes are a wonderful hit to the taste buds” at this Spitalfields canteen. Despite its utilitarian decor, fans say “it just feels so relaxed” and is “a great but more accessible way to access the mighty St John cooking” with Fergus Henderson’s trademark ‘nose-to-tail’ approach (snails, faggots, pig’s ear soup etc). That said, one or two long-term regulars do feel it’s “gone off the boil” a little recently – “still good, but it does seem to have slipped a little”; perhaps just a blip? Top Menu Tip – “save room for the madeleines!”.

A “great place for a casual meal”, this 1846 boozer on a Spitalfields corner was smartly refurbed ten years ago into a pub (ground floor) with restaurant (first floor), plus bedrooms and a rooftop terrace – the latter incorporating “a high wall, so it’s well sheltered from winds”. “Execution is to a high standard” in the restaurant from a menu that’s more ‘modern-bistro’ than it is ‘gastropub’ (you’ll look in vain for a burger or fish ’n’ chips).

Tomos Parry’s phenomenally successful haunt occupies the first floor of a converted Shoreditch pub (over the Smoking Goat, see also), but with its own separate entrance. Somehow, he brilliantly captured the zeitgeist with his Basque-influenced cooking over fire, producing food that’s as “simple” as it is “outstanding”. “Ingredients are carefully sourced, prepared with care and the flavours really come through”. Many reports recommend you “order the turbot!” (‘Brat’ meaning Turbot in Parry’s native Welsh), but it’s a rather large dish if you are just a couple and the rest of the menu is just as worthy of exploration. “The room is casual and buzzy” and tightly packed, but “despite the cosy tables it still feels like you have your own space”. Top Menu Tip – “Basque cheesecake is a highlight: great flavour and so light”.

It’s “all about the wine, as you might expect” at James Dawson’s “relaxed” wine-bar group, whose branches boast a “splendid list” of “high-quality and well-sourced” bottles. The food is very much “second fiddle”, though “unobjectionable”, while the most interesting venue is the original one, off Fleet Street, “hidden in the vaults of St Bride’s Church”. Top Tip – “go on a Monday night for wine at shop rather than restaurant prices”.

“Hidden away by a walled garden, with simple food from a tiny open-plan kitchen” – Melanie Arnold & Margot Henderson’s (wife of St John’s Fergus) well-known venue near Spitalfields occupies the converted bike sheds of a former school. “Surprisingly tranquil for this part of London”, “on a summer’s day the garden room is the perfect place to eat” (there’s also an indoor space). “Simple , well-chosen food comes from a tiny open-plan kitchen” – “not flash but always interesting” with “fresh flavours”. There was still the odd duff report this year, but inconsistency was much-reduced on last year’s feedback.

“Dining on the 40th floor” (“you ride up a small glass-enclosed elevator”) of the City’s Heron Tower – with “walls that are all glass, for an incredible view of London” – is “a great experience” that’s “worth all the hype”. The signature duck & waffle dish (2 million sold!) “is normally OK”, but really “the food should be much better”. The 24/7 opening hours make it ideal for a late-night date, while “weekend brunch with views is lovely for a special occasion”.