Having been late to get to Spuntinos (I think I was probably the last person in London to go) I was determined to get to Russell Norman's latest venture, E.Mishkins, as soon as possible after opening. After it opened on the Friday I was there bright an early on the Saturday lunchtime with the a friend and was promptly told that it was still their soft opening and to look elsewhere...
Undeterred I went back again on the Wednesday night with the Fashionista. Like Spuntinos there is a bar at the front which is unreserved, but at the back there is a large seating area for reservations so you don't just have to turn up and hope. The decor is classic Russell Norman, pre-stressed wood, retro wall papers, strip lights on the wall - needless to say, as always, it works!
The Fashionista started with a gin martini - no olive served as standard which was a bit disappointing. After a bit of a delay we ordered the smoked eel with apple sauce and latkes, the meat loaf, lamb and pistachio meatballs and cod cheek pop corn.
The smoked eel was delicious, the latkes (crispy Jewish potato cakes) very good and the apple sauce worked well.
I had heard good things about the meatloaf and was not disappointed - very well seasoned mince wrapped round a soft boiled egg that oozed yolk, very good.
I was excited by the cod cheek popcorn but they were a little disappointing - underseasoned, they needed the chili and the lime they were served with to kick start the flavours.
The lamb and pistachio meatballs were missed off our order and we had to ask for them a while after the other dishes had been finished. When they arrived, served in a rich tomato sauce, they were delicious.
Although we probably didn't need it, in the interests of trying as many things on the menu as possible, we ordered the duck hash and fried egg and a half and half (half onion rings half chips). The duck hash on its own with the fried egg was simply okay, but when the liqueur (a rich gravy), as it was called on the menu, was added it became very tasty. The onion rings were light and tasty, the chips average.
As you would expect from a Russell Norman venture, Mishkins oozes style. The food is mixed, some of it very good indeed, some of it not much better than average. The prices are, however, very forgiving which means that even if you make a couple of errors along the way, you will leave having had at least a few dishes which will have put a smile on your face.
Undeterred I went back again on the Wednesday night with the Fashionista. Like Spuntinos there is a bar at the front which is unreserved, but at the back there is a large seating area for reservations so you don't just have to turn up and hope. The decor is classic Russell Norman, pre-stressed wood, retro wall papers, strip lights on the wall - needless to say, as always, it works!
The Fashionista started with a gin martini - no olive served as standard which was a bit disappointing. After a bit of a delay we ordered the smoked eel with apple sauce and latkes, the meat loaf, lamb and pistachio meatballs and cod cheek pop corn.
The smoked eel was delicious, the latkes (crispy Jewish potato cakes) very good and the apple sauce worked well.
I had heard good things about the meatloaf and was not disappointed - very well seasoned mince wrapped round a soft boiled egg that oozed yolk, very good.
I was excited by the cod cheek popcorn but they were a little disappointing - underseasoned, they needed the chili and the lime they were served with to kick start the flavours.
The lamb and pistachio meatballs were missed off our order and we had to ask for them a while after the other dishes had been finished. When they arrived, served in a rich tomato sauce, they were delicious.
Although we probably didn't need it, in the interests of trying as many things on the menu as possible, we ordered the duck hash and fried egg and a half and half (half onion rings half chips). The duck hash on its own with the fried egg was simply okay, but when the liqueur (a rich gravy), as it was called on the menu, was added it became very tasty. The onion rings were light and tasty, the chips average.
As you would expect from a Russell Norman venture, Mishkins oozes style. The food is mixed, some of it very good indeed, some of it not much better than average. The prices are, however, very forgiving which means that even if you make a couple of errors along the way, you will leave having had at least a few dishes which will have put a smile on your face.
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