Bars & Pubs

By Guy Dimond

'You should have come tomorrow night,' our waitress confided. 'Kelly Osbourne is having her birthday party here - and bringing her family.' Of course she is. Where else would the Osbournes hold a birthday party, except a black-painted Donnie Darko of a bar that's decorated with animal skulls?

Found has risen from the grave of a Turkish restaurant, and still bares its traces. With 12 days between Savarona closing and Found opening, The Ottoman-style wrought ironwork barely had time to be concealed by a lick of paint the colour of eye-liner; even the same Turkish-pattern plates have been reused, as Found's owner, Gary Fairfull, bought the the lot. Mr Fairfull was (the press release says) 'previously best-known for his high-octane, after-hours parties'. With PR like this you might reasonably expect the restaurant's nourishment to appear lined up on mirrors, but in fact our meal was perfectly edible.

Slivers of raw beef (carpaccio) seemed an apt choice and were of good texture. Sizzling prawns were disappointing, as there was more emphasis on dramatic presentation than flavour. The Elwy Valley lamb was excellent quality, and perfectly cooked, served with couscous. But the best dish by far was a panna cotta - a perfect wobbly texture, and delicately flavoured. But while the food satisfied, other aspects of the operation were far less professional.

Fairfull also inherited most of the wine cellar from the previous restaurant, and cheerfully told to me he had 'no idea' what mark-ups he is using. The Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve pinot noir 2004 is a very drinkable wine you can buy for £8 per bottle online; here it sells at £27, which - at more than 330 per cent - is the sort of mark-up you don't often see outside clip joints.

I was told the basement bar is about to become 'private members' from Thursday to Sunday, though no one stopped us going down to explore the least-happening bar in Shoreditch that Thursday evening: a few mates in a cluster, the rest of the place empty. Details were not finalised, but Mr Fairfull told me it should cost £150-£200 per annum to join. For that sort of money, I'd want The Osbournes in residence.

Time Out London Issue 1891: November 15-22 2006