Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
All the prime cuts are here: Porterhouse; bone-in prime rib; Chateaubriand; all per-
fectly seared on the outside, perfectly tender inside. Starters are pretty good too: The
potted smoked mackerel with toast goes down well, and the prawn cocktail is a lovely
retro number. Talking of cocktails, the bar staff mixes a mean mint julep.
157 Commercial St., E1.
&
020/7247-7392.
www.thehawksmoor.com. Main courses £12-£35. AE, MC,
V. Mon-Fri noon-3:30pm and 6-10:30pm; Sat 11am-4pm and 6-10:30pm; Sun 11am-4pm. Tube: Liver-
pool St. Also at 7 Langley St., WC2 (
&
020/7247-7392
).
The Luxe
CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN John Torode has expanded from his
original venture, Smiths of Smithfield, into the revitalized Spitalfields Market, where
restaurants sit cheek-by-jowl in the modernized Victorian structure. Torode's Luxe
offers a multi-purpose restaurant experience. The noisy ground-floor cafe buzzes all
day, and is a favorite of ours for breakfast or a gourmet lunchtime burger. There's a
basement music and cocktail bar and an upstairs dining room, complete with open
kitchen, exposed brick walls, and silk wallpaper recalling the area's Huguenot silk-
weaving heritage. Start with herb and potato gnocchi with meat sauce, sage, and
pecorino then move onto slow roast belly of pork with mash and green sauce.
109 Commercial St., E1.
&
020/7101-1751.
www.theluxe.co.uk. Main courses £13.50-£28. AE, MC, V.
Restaurant Mon-Fri noon-3pm; Sun noon-4pm; Mon-Sat 6-9:30pm. Cafe-bar Mon-Sat 9am-11:30pm;
Sun 9:30am-10pm. Tube: Liverpool St.
CLERKENWELL & FARRINGDON
Moderate
Bistrot Bruno Loubet
FRENCH A collective cheer went up among Lon-
don's restaurant-goers when Bruno Loubet returned to the capital after 8 years in
Australia. And when this star of 1990s' London opened Bistrot Bruno Loubet in the
adventurous and funky
Zetter
(p. 192), nobody was disappointed. The all-day bistro
hits the spot with a short, gutsy menu. Classic bistro dishes are given a twist in start-
ers like guinea fowl boudin blanc on a pea soup, or terrine of pork and leek with
pomegranate dressing, while a main dish of hare with macaroni and spinach gratin,
and a classic, perfect bouillabaisse demonstrates that London restaurants are the
equal of Paris's best.
St. John's Sq., 86-88 Clerkenwell Rd., EC1.
&
020/7324-4455.
www.thezetter.com/en/restaurant.
Main courses £14.50-£19. AE, MC, V. Mon-Fri 7-10:30am, noon-2:30pm, and 6-10:30pm; Sat 7:30am-
3pm and 6-10:30pm; Sun 7:30am-3pm and 6-10pm. Tube: Farringdon.
North Road
CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN/SCANDINAVIAN Nordic
cooking is notoriously under-represented in London, but this venture from Danish
chef Christoffer Hruskovase should convince Londoners to look north. Suitably
Scandinavian and minimal, the restaurant is both welcoming and smart. The Nordic
influence comes not so much with the ingredients (which are British), as with the
cooking approach, which uses less butter and cream and the
sous-vide
vacuum
method (cooking in airtight plastic bags in a water bath) to keep the essentials of
ingredients intact. Start with Dorset shrimp and carrot, followed by veal with celeriac,
celery, and wild thyme. Norfolk deer with beetroot comes rolled in hay (a Viking
preservation technique), giving a smoky taste that's enhanced by smoked bone mar-
row. Desserts also surprise: Try the
Flavours of Woodland
—birch bark, walnuts,
chestnuts, and wild herbs. Vegetables and foraged herbs are used extensively. You'll
find the clean, light tastes here refreshingly different.
60-73 St. John St., EC1.
&
020/3217-0033.
www.northroadrestaurant.co.uk. Reservations recom-
mended. Main courses £10.50-£16. MC, V. Set lunch 2 courses £18, 3 courses £20; chef tasting menu
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