Brawn

Today we payed our first visit to Brawn and what a fabulous lunch we enjoyed to. Set in the heart of Columbia Road , East London is where you’ll find this trendy casual dining restaurant. The menu has a mediterranean theme that is designed for sharing although the sizes of the mains gives you the opportunity to have a starter , main and dessert if you so desire.

We entered to receive a nice friendly welcome and as we looked around the restaurant was full with a good buzzy atmosphere. We were then escorted to our table which was in fact through the other side where you would also find the open kitchen. Once seated we were greeted by Victoria our waitress for the afternoon and who did a fabulous job in looking after us. We started with a cocktail while taking a look at the menu. After chatting to Victoria about the menu and her recommendations we placed our order.

We started with a selection of snacks including Bread & Butter , Salame Campagnolo , Parmesan Fritters and Rabbit Rillete Toast. They were absolutely delicious and we couldn’t wait to see what would be coming next.

It was now onto our starters where we would share an amazing Cuttlefish , nduja , chickpea , aioli along with a Cornish Crab , violet artichoke , celery , red chilli before finishing with Grilled Lamb Heart , friggitelli pepper , yoghurt , pistachio , mint. The flavours in each dish were perfectly balanced and a delight to eat.

We then moved on to the main course where we were in for a real treat with two stunning dishes. My wife chose the Duck Leg with sprout tops , celeriac and pear. For myself I chose the Pork Loin with hispi cabbage , agen prune and mustard that was simply divine. We really were enjoying some amazing food all washed down with a fabulous Momento Mori 2020 Fistful of Flowers natural wine with flavours of pink grapefruit , peach and apricot.

It was now time for a little break before moving on to Cheese and Dessert. This started with a selection of two cheeses with jelly and crackers. We followed this with the Quince Posset , biscotti and grappa as well as the heavenly Chocolate Tart with creme fraiche.

We finished with a coffee to bring to an end a fantastic first visit to Brawn and one that I would love to repeat soon. The food and wine was amazing and our waitress Victoria was excellent so yes I would highly recommend a visit.