Tucked on a quiet street just by Barbican tube station, London’s newest pop up restaurant is definitely a gem worth getting your fork stuck into.
Only seating 16, the Little Quiet is intimate and cosy, with good food and good vibes at its heart. It’s masterminded by the Disappearing Dining Club, a culinary group I’ve been following for years for their innovative approach to dining out.
Stepping in from the cobbled back street you’re instantly transported to a world of candlelight and pleasant scents topped with a dash of bon vivant.
The quaint venue, previously an unused office space, invites guests to sample a two, three or six-course tasting menu.
To whet the appetite, a welcome cocktail is served. I’m not usually a fan of bubbly cocktails, but this one mixed with cognac and sugar was divine and dangerously moreish.
After working up an appetite, we opted to the six-course tasting menu. It was a Thursday night and the place had a good buzz. There were a few candle gazing couples and a group of friends. I liked the way there was no music and the chatter of voices provided a pleasant soundtrack.
Before our menu was served we were treated to some chunky smoked salmon pate with rustic cut bread.
It was deliciously hearty, and the rest of the dishes followed this theme.
To start, we had a delicately balanced gazpacho with pops of goats cheese permeating through, followed by an equally fresh coupe glassful of dressed crab.
Punching a heavier weight was the pig’s head rillette on toast, followed by two sizeable main portions of pan-fried plaice on fennel bulb and juicy cuts of lamb rump.
The crockery was mismatched like being at your grandma’s house and the food was oozing with the same kind of home-cooked goodness. Instead of wine, I went for a French 75 cocktail infused with gin.
The whole thing was rounded off with a bowl of chocolate brownie, its crust drizzled with caramel sauce twinkling in the low lighting. I was fit to burst.
This place might be called Little Quiet but the hearty food and convivial atmosphere definitely speak volumes.
The Little Quiet is located at 24 – 26 Newbury St, London EC1A 7HU, UK
To book a table call +44 20 3793 0202 or visit www.disappearingdiningclub.co.uk
