Restaurants: Brat, Shoreditch (London)

Website: https://bratrestaurant.co.uk/redchurch-st/

I’ve been a few times to Brat, but not as often I should have been to this Michelin one-star restaurant in Shoreditch. A previous visit in 2019 is written up here. The most recent visit was excellent, for a relaxed lunch with two colleagues.

The focus of the restaurant is open-fire cooking, with a Basque theme. The name ‘brat’ is an old term for turbot, and if your wallet and appetite stretches to it, whole turbot from the grill is the signature dish. But the menu is quite diverse and we found lots to eat without opting for this, or for the beef rib, another fire speciality. [I’ve tried both of these before, and they are memorable.]

The dining room is on the first floor, and has an informal, stylish feel to it. It just feels good to be here, and pretty much everything about the experience is spot-on, including the wine list. wine list. This is a brilliant selection of intriguing wines, with a strong natural/authentic focus. It’s not the cheapest place to drink in London, but the prices are very fair, especially in the £50-80 range where there’s a lot of good action. One of the best wine lists in London, I reckon.

Brat is part of the Super 8 Restaurants group, which includes another more informal Brat at Climpsons Arch, plus well regarded newer openings Mountain, Kiln and Smoking Goat, an excellent Thai restaurant with another good wine list also in Shoreditch.

This is a superb Spanish white from https://wineanorak.com/2023/03/07/the-wines-of-bodega-frontonio-aragon-spain/
The brilliant pale red Liatiko from Lyrarakis in Crete https://wineanorak.com/2020/11/09/lyrarakis-visiting-this-leading-winery-in-crete/