BRAT

Now that I've financially recovered from my recent trip to Innsbruck, I struck out into Shoreditch (again, for my sins) to try the Michelin-starred BRAT for lunch. Having won acclaim not only from Michelin but from the guys at San Pellegrino who put together The 50 Best list (they're not in the top 50, but are in the top 100), I was eager to try the basque-inspired plates on offer, as well as see their famous grill in action.

While the star of the show is the Turbot, which is grilled in its own juices, this is really meant for 5-6 people, as exemplified by the price of £150. Excessive to have all to myself, I instead opted for the Anchovy Bread (another signature dish), Smoked Potatoes and Roast Duck.

The Anchovy Bread and Smoked Potatoes came together first, with the Anchovy Bread being everything I had hoped it to be. The bread itself was very airy, and more of a puffed up pitta in that there wasn't a lot of dough inside the bread. This made it easy to tear (but for the heat), and much lighter than a sourdough loaf would have been. The smoked potatoes were al dente, which is a touch harder than I typically like them, and the seasoning was really nothing special. This would have all been great alongside the duck, but unfortunately the waiter got my order wrong, brining me Wood-Roasted Greens instead. Not one to complain, the greens were a pleasing, umami change of pace after the starchy potatoes.

To finish, I had the Burnt Cheesecake with Rhubarb. The rhubarb added next to nothing, but the burnt Cheesecake was the star of the entire meal; soft, pillowy, and deliciously creamy. I would eat that again in a heartbeat.

Despite the strong ending, I wasn't enthralled by my visit to BRAT. The service seemed quite average, the food not much better (albeit for the Cheesecake, which I dare say you can find as good if not better cheesecakes elsewhere in London). 

Value for money? Just over £50 for three plates, a dessert, a glass of Tenerife red wine (the most expensive single item I ordered) and service charge. At another restaurant that would be exceptional value, but I felt that the food was somewhat unmemorable. 

Would I return? No.