Possibly one of the most unique restaurant locations we’ve visited in a while, newly opened Crispin is housed in a glass and zinc pavilion on a quiet corner of Spitalfields. It has a submarine feel to it, minus the notion of sea. From the outside, it’s a large origami capsule, and the inside, an industrialists paradise.
The exterior/interior isn’t the only thing to grab your attention… the foods not too shabby either. We visited last week as we’d heard Dan Wilson was in town. Hosting his guest residency at Crispin, he was serving an Italian inspired menu with the option to order ‘One of each’. Naturally, we did.
First came the bread, massive chunks of doorstop sourdough from our faves, The Dusty Knuckle – if you haven’t already, get yourself down to their bakery in Dalston for some insane focaccia sarnies – paired with salted butter and pistachio mortadella, it was a hefty start to the meal.
Drinks began with a pomegranate sour and a spiced orange and bay spritz. We peruse the wine list and followed up with a couple of glasses of Purulio Blanco – a Spanish wine made with 10 varieties of grape, 5 days skin contact and aged in old oak.
The pickled pumpkin was sweet and warm, comforting whilst the rain pailed down outside. This hit the table along with an overtly sloppy burrata and perfectly roasted potatoes. The latter was our favourite dish of the lot, served with vibrant Nduja, a perfectly runny egg yolk and a dollop of Crème Fraîche to balance the spice of the Italian sausage.
We’d certainly hit our feeding quota for the evening after that lot, but soon remembered a further two dishes were to complete the ‘One of each’ menu offering. The milk baked poussin looked juicy and succinct, however a little bland in flavour. It was almost a shame to rip off it’s perfectly tucked wing, before delving into the rather large plate of Rigatoni all’Amatriciana sat alongside it. Both were hearty dishes with a homely feel.
Dessert was a loose (veiled attempt to avoid the term ‘deconstructed’ here) panna cotta with blackberry and a sweet, sharp coulis. By this point we were indeed ready to roll out of the glass cabin and on to the tube.
It’s a shame we missed head chef Henry Freestone on our visit (he’s currently touring with his band!) but Dan’s menu was an amicable replacement for the evenings feasting. We’ll be back soon to say hi to Henry and sample another ‘One of each’. If you’d like to book a table at Crispin, visit their website here.
Pavilion on The Corner
White’s Row
London
E1 7NF
