BRAT London, delicious next level perfection and then some

Lunch in London.

Needless to say that we are absolutely spoiled for choice here in this city.

But we do need to make a choice at some point.

And this time we tried a place we heard about just 2 weeks ago.

Michelin star restaurant BRAT London, in Shoreditch.

This restaurant has 2 venues. One in Redchurch Street, and another Brat x Climpson Arch in London Fields.

Both restaurants offer a seasonal menu with strong Basque influences and a rustic Spanish flair. Their specialty are ingredients cooked on an open wood fire grill.

Super 8 Restaurants

Brat London is part of the Super 8 Restaurants group.

It was founded by directors Brian Hannon and Ben Chapman and it has a total of 4 London restaurants: Smoking Goat and Brat in Shoreditch, Brat at Climpson’s Arch (Hackney), and Kiln in London’s Soho.

We recently read about a fifth restaurant the group is going to open in the Soho area that will be lead by BRAT’s Michelin star chef Tomos Parry serving similar Brat specialties and dishes.

What all the restaurants have in common is the use of top notch British produce and ingredients, seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Brat London, Shoreditch

How did we get to know about this restaurant?

If we recall it well, Brat London was on an episode about must try London restaurants on Netflix.

No wait, it was an episode of “Somebody Feed Phil” where Phil went to have lunch at BRAT London with Nigella Lawson.

And coincidentally, we had booked a trip to London 2 weeks later.

The dishes that Phil and Nigella ordered were absolutelyt spectacular.

We loved the look of that savory anchovy bread and the whole wild turbot (£140) grilled on the open wood fire grill.

Turbot

Lawd, what a whopper fish that is!

Brat London has a variety of meats on offer, but it is mainly known for its freshest seasonal fish and seafood.

This is what it says on the menu: “Our fish is wild, native and is sustainably caught by day boats using targeted and specific methods of fishing. We continue to pursue our vision of traceability and the commitment to a responsible understanding of sourcing and stock levels.”

If we take a look at the seasonal menu right now, you can for instance get oysters, anchovies, spider crab, langoustines, mackerel, plaice, join dory, sole and turbot.

What a lovely selection!

We went to Brat London for lunch and had a hard time choosing because all the dishes sounded amazing.

The turbot wasn’t really an option, one whole turbot feeds 3 to 4 people. The two of us wouldn’t have put a dent in it which would have been a real shame.

Seasonal cooking

We were there in May.

On the menu were seasonal dishes containing velvet crab, scarlet prawns, hake cheeks and mussels.

Meats were fresh chorizo, beef tartare, lamb chops, roast duck and beef sirloin or ribs.

It is a little before noon when we walk in and manage to get a window seat without reservation.

We tried to make a reservation online, but didn’t seem to get in. No worries, the restaurant always hold space for walk ins – if you are fast.

The place is almost empty when we sit down, but not for long.

We receive a free bottle of tap water and the menu.

A very friendly young man walks us through it and suggests we take a few dishes to share.

We definitely go for the anchovy bread (£8).

And we love the sound of the spider crab toast (£9,5), grilled peas (£7,5), lamb chop with grilled sweetbreads (£14,5) and plaice pil pil with clams (£21,5).

For drinks we order a London pale ale called Five Points (£5,5).

For wine lovers, BRAT London also has an extensive wine list.

Grilled peas

We chose these peas because of its simplicity.

Not sure what to expect but we are in good hands here.

And we were not disappointed.

On a plate were a good handful of pea pods, charred and blackened due to the open wood fire grill.

A sprinkle of olive oil, coarse salt and a fresh herb mix containing parsley, mint and dill.

The peas were super sweet and flavourful, creamy and fat.

What a lovely appetizer!

We were so in love with this dish that we have made them at home several times since then and they were a huge success. Thanks for the inspiration, BRAT London!

Gorgeous start of our lunch, yum!

Anchovy bread

Next we meet the anchovy bread.

Here we knew what to expect since Phil and Nigella had set their teeth in this delight.

And it sure looks like a real delight already.

Puffy fresh bread, topped off with 4 succulent anchovy filets, melted butter and a bunch of freshly chopped chives.

The bread is light and airy, more like a flatbread or naan type of bread.

Delicious.

The anchovies are melt in your mouth soft and velvety.

We ear the bread into bits and don’t mind licking our fingers.

Excellent.

Spider crab toast

We love crab.

And sure we want to try the crab toast here at BRAT London.

On our plate are 2 pieces of homemade bread grilled on the open wood fire grill.

On top of it is a generous mountain of finely sliced and lightly sautéed cabbage and chunks of crab.

As you bite into it, the toast is crunchy and a little smoky.

That together with the creamy crab and slightly salty cabbage, we are delighted.

Another excellent lunch appetizer!

Plaice pil pil with clams

And then come the main courses.

Grilled plaice with pil pil sauce and clams it says on the menu.

The grilled fish is thick and generous again, nicely seared on both sides.

Next to it are quite a few perfectly cooked clams with samphire.

The sauce is a mixture of the clam juices and olive oil we think, perfectly seasoned again.

Pil pil is a Spanish sauce that is usually served with fish such as salt cod and consists of garlic and olive oil.

The fish is super fresh and meaty, packed with flavour. Again perfectly seasoned and with a tiny little smokey touch to it.

Delicious.

Lamb chop with grilled sweetbreads

We decide to order one fish and one meat main course.

And the vote unanimously goes to the lamb chop with grilled sweetbreads.

Sweetbreads, love them.

Very interested again to see what chef Tomos Parry’s twist is.

The lamb chop is perfectly pink on the inside.

The bone has been separated from the meat, but we can’t help gnaw the remaining lamb meat off of it.

The fatty bit is already diced and to our surprise it is totally edible and full of flavour.

A delight!

The sweetbread is slightly breaded and crisp on the outside and again very soft and creamy on the inside.

This is how to perfectly cook sweetbreads.

The lamb chop comes with succulent roasted leeks, endives and capers.

And don’t forget that strong meat jus!

What a feast, perfection.

Would we go back to BRAT London?

Absolutely.

We can’t wait.

Would we recommend BRAT London?

Again absolutely, without a doubt.

You won’t be disappointed.

We paid for our lunch at BRAT London and didn’t get or ask anything in return for this review.

Address

BRAT London
4 Redchurch St
London
E1 6JL
United Kingdom