Brat London

Finding Brat is half the charm: look for a modest black awning and a chalk-scrawled board on a Shoreditch side street. Inside, the buzz of conversation fills a wood-panelled dining room, warmed by the glow of open fires and a wood-fired oven. Chef Tomos Parry's Basque-meets-Welsh menu earned a Michelin star in record time - and rightly so.

Everything here carries the gentle kiss of smoke, from charred leeks with Hackney-made stracciatella to blistered anchovy flatbreads. Mains are a communal affair: the turbot, golden and grilled whole, is practically mandatory. Cheerful servers point out the fish's highlights: plump cheeks, rich collar flesh.

Drinks are equally thoughtful: a Laver Martini laced with Welsh seaweed is a bracing start, while the wine list champions interesting, often surprising, producers. Don't miss the embers-roasted potatoes with hay-smoked butter, or the burnt cheesecake to finish - a proper nod to Basque traditions.


Service can occasionally stretch thin, but the good humour never falters. Yes, it's fashionable, achingly Shoreditch, and not exactly cheap. But none of that matters when the food is this good: seemingly effortless, deeply satisfying, and worth every bit of the hype.