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We had high hopes for this King’s Cross newcomer. In spite of the pubby name, its marketing blurb declared that ‘hot coal cooking’ was a speciality, with ‘drinking as a sideline’. But when we visited, having starved ourselves accordingly, it wasn’t the impression we got. It looked like a bar and felt like a bar, with food shoehorned in. It’s just not set up for dining: there are too few tables, with most of the space given over to standing or perching.
We ordered drinks at the bar and were invited to order food, but only once we’d found a table. None were free. When one finally came up (to share), we ordered from a perfectly lovely waitress who looked bemused when we also asked for drinks. She rushed off to pull them herself. When we asked for the bill, she happily brought it. But we could only pay at the bar. Suffice to say it was all a bit confusing.
This was a shame, as there are some genuinely good things about this place. Of the beers we tried from an impressive 15 on tap, each was excellent (especially a dangerously quaffable Lagunitas IPA, £6 a pint). The food – much of it cooked on a Josper – was mostly good, too. We enjoyed smoky, blistered padron peppers and some moreish wings served with a lovely little pot of adjika – a spicy Georgian dipping sauce, here heavy on the coriander. But tepid sweet potato fries really sadly let the side down.
We feel the Resting Hare would be best off catering to the ale-hounds, but even then it still needs to rouse itself if it’s not going to get left behind by the competition, just like its namesake.