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Merchants Tavern

  • Restaurants
  • Shoreditch
  1. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  2. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  3. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  4. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  5. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  6. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  7. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
  8. Merchants Tavern (© Patricia Niven)
    © Patricia Niven
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Time Out says

On a Saturday night at Merchants Tavern, Angela Hartnett stood by the open kitchen beaming from ear to ear. Understandably so – this new Shoreditch restaurant cuts a fine figure with its retro curved green leather booths, comfy chairs and exposed brickwork. And the team involved is star-studded.

Hartnett is joined by her partner Neil Borthwick, who previously worked at the acclaimed Restaurant Bras in France, and the founders of British restaurant mini-chain Canteen – Dominic Lake and Patrick Clayton-Malone.

Head chef Borthwick’s menu marries elements of British, French and Italian cuisine with plenty of seasonal ingredients. Our venison loin was served pink-middled, draped with a savoury sliver of lardo and accompanied by sweet braised red cabbage, quince slices and sprouts. A main of roast cod with salsify was also cooked skilfully, though the accompanying chicken broth was a little too salty due to flecks of ham hock. A heather honey tart worked better. Resembling a poshed-up treacle tart, it was laced with citrus and served with malt whisky ice-cream.

Service started friendly and efficient, but as the night progressed became less attentive, though we were in no hurry to vacate our spot – for a cavernous space, it’s surprisingly cosy.

Teething problems aside, Merchants Tavern is a restaurant with a lot to offer – we’ll be back to try some cocktails at the bar.

Details

Address:
36 Charlotte Road
London
EC2A 3PG
Transport:
Tube: Old Street tube/rail or Shoreditch High Street Overground
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