If you’re looking for no-frills, fire-led cooking in the capital then call off the search – at Brat in Shoreditch chef Tomos Parry gives a masterclass in grilling on a stove that looks like it’s been plucked straight out of medieval times.
Named after the Old English word for turbot, Brat burst onto the London dining scene in 2018 when it opened above Thai restaurant Smoking Goat. While turbot grilled directly on the coals in a metal basket is the restaurant’s signature dish, there’s much more to the menu than just whole fish.
The restaurant is modelled on the family-run, fire-powered restaurants of the port town of Getaria in northern Spain. Brat’s menu showcases Parry’s love of simple but delicious ingredients in dishes such as smoked cod’s roe; grilled peas; oysters roasted with seaweed; and asparagus with fresh cheese, many of which are cooked either on the stove or in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven.
No meal is complete at the buzzy dining spot without a huge piece of meat or fish grilled to perfection, however – sorry vegetarians. While the restaurant does serve individual portions such as roast duck, wood pigeon and lemon sole, it is with its sharing dishes of beef rib and whole turbot where true satisfaction can be found. Pair either of these with Parry’s peerless smoked potatoes and bitter leaf salad and you’ve got a meal you won’t forget in a hurry.
