“A major hub for tech startups”, says the AI description that auto-generates when I Googled “Old Street”. The area — a mural-coated, gum-littered, trendy in some places, corporate in others district — lives in the heart of London’s borough of Islington. To me, a cosy neighbourhood tavern is slightly out of place in a buzzy beehive such as this, but perhaps I have pigeonholed my boroughs, as London’s newest tavern, Tavern, has surprised me. 

A portal into a restaurant more akin to Tolkien’s reality than our own, there is little rhyme, no reason and yet every sense in what arrives.

Mallory, Junior Food & Drink Editor

What sets it apart

Tavern, the buzziest of this month’s London openings, caught me off guard, not only by its portal-like doors from grey London pavements to some make-believe alpine escape, but also with its somewhat confused Victorian-era menu. Tavern presented me with something far from pigeon-holed. It was not necessarily British, nor was it French, Austrian, Czech, Thai or Indian. I had no finger on the pulse of what might come to my table, despite having had full control of my order. 

The interiors are cosy and simple, but with a sharper eye, they are also edgy and unique. Heads of streetlights hang from the ceiling, serving as makeshift chandeliers. Jars and stacked plates and mugs line the ceiling-high shelf, wooden chairs do not match, and some lucky non-booth-seaters will rest their behinds on sheepskin. To some, it reads like effortless, rustic, thrown-together elegance; to others, it looks like a smart, sophisticated, and swanky dining room that probably took months to get off the Pinterest board. I say this with all praise. This is a dining room of dreams, with dishes to match. 

Tavern’s food is magical, the cocktails innovative, the interiors mystical, and the staff charming. Together, they have formulated an enchanting haunt unlike anything in their silicone neighbourhood.

What we ordered

In the beginning, there were drinks, as all beginnings should have. There is something for everyone despite there only being 5. A beef fat washed old-fashioned is hard and strong, smoky and punchy. A carrot gimlet is sweet and mellow, bright and fruity. Further, a pickleback martini — a trend I’ve had really horrible experiences with recently — is the best iteration so far. A snack with your drink is great. A snack in your drink? Even better. 

Carrot gimlet
The ‘pickleback’ martini

At my table, little bites saw devilled pig skin with smoked cod’s roe arrive in a chalice, stretching up to the ceiling. I am not normally one for theatre at dinner, and this was a spectacle, but one of taste and of simplicity, one that lacked embarrassment or disruption. 

Chunion puffs, which I can’t say without giggling, were another best of a repetitive trend. Profiteroles and puffs doused in cheese are on many a menu, but this one was not what I expected (shock), sweet from caramelised onions and satisfying, warm and balanced.

Might this be a hat trick for best-in-trend?

Further, bread… might this be a hat trick for best-in-trend? Because this flat bread with a wild garlic pesto was mind-bogglingly delicious. A winner, because I often find flatbreads very good but also quite stodgy and after the third bite, boring. At Tavern, though, things are anything but boring. 

smoked cods roe & pigs skin
Fire bread & wild garlic and the chunion puff

Onto mains, which they recommend about 7 of and could rack up quite the bill (perhaps best seen in the £90 sirloin of beef last listed on the menu, and yet, it’s on my wishlist.)

We had chicken satay skewers, which were fabulous once you got over the anxiety that they might be undercooked. Rest assured, the visuals are a result of the brine and I did not get sick. 

The Cornish crab with Nutbourne tomato salad felt slightly cheeky — tomatoes are still over a month off their moment — but if Tavern is transportive, this dish proved it. It landed somewhere firmly in coastal summer: fresh-picked crab, green oils, and salty-sweet tomatoes that, frankly, left no room for complaints.

The baked Barra scallop was a standout, as I believe it got from oven to lips in well under a minute. Salty, buttery, almost umami with a mint leaf to finish. Unconventional, necessary, and not one to share — learn from my mistake.

St Brides chicken skewer with british satay and cornish crab & Nutbourne tomato salad
Baked barra scallop & cobnut XO

Food is not bound by labels, regions or tradition; instead, it is potentially conceived by someone who mistook shroom chocolate for their almond butter Hů…

The tandoori quail was exactly what you think it is: a spatchcocked quail placed in a puddle of tandoori curry sauce, made better by a bowl of crisps for dipping. Talk about unconventional. Everything about the action of dipping chips in a curry — side of quail — felt sacriligeous. But lest we forget, Tavern is a magical place where rules do not apply. Food is not bound by labels, regions or tradition; instead, it is potentially conceived by someone who mistook shroom chocolate for their almond butter Hů… and who happens to be fabulous at cooking.

Tandoori mallard moat quail

Verdict

Tavern is, and I’ll say it again, a portal. A portal into a restaurant more akin to Tolkien’s reality than our own, there is little rhyme, no reason and yet every sense in what arrives. Salami in deep martinis, mushrooms on roasted yeast and barley, turbot with cockles and cardamom margaritas make a world of sense when the world is created from scratch. Tavern’s food is magical, the cocktails innovative, the interiors mystical, and the staff charming. Together, they have formulated an enchanting haunt unlike anything in their silicone neighbourhood.

Where: 374-378 Old Street, London, EC1V 9LT
Website: www.tavernlondon.co.uk


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