Casa Fofó — Restaurant in London

Casa Fofo offers a tasting menu focused on subtlety and quiet experimentation rather than bold or deeply memorable flavours.

While there are flashes of creativity, the overall experience may leave diners expecting more from a Michelin-starred establishment.

Getting to Casa Fofo from central London is a bit of a trek: a 10-minute Overground ride from Liverpool Street to Hackney Downs, followed by a 5-minute walk through quiet suburban streets.

The restaurant sits inconspicuously off a side street—no visible signage for number 158, just a modest facade that could easily be mistaken for a local café.

Doors open precisely at 1:00 PM on Sundays. Arriving even slightly early means waiting awkwardly outside, as we did with several other groups. Inside, the space is compact and minimalist, more in line with a low-key bistro than a Michelin-star venue.

There’s a small bar facing the interior seating , close-set tables, and a street-facing window. Loud music plays initially but is dialed down once service begins.

At the back, there’s a semi-enclosed outdoor area with brick walls, garden features, plastic sheeting, and heat lamps. In summer, it’s pleasant enough, though details like cobwebs on the wood panels detract from the ambiance. Seating here includes six tables for two and two tables for four.

The set tasting menu is served without a printed list or dish descriptions, which adds mystery but limits context—especially for curious diners.No printed menu is given after either.

The house-made kombuchas were excellent: • A cloudy orange version with lapsang tea and plum had rich honeyed and fruity notes. • A second glass made with mint had a sweet, refreshing base—both delicious, though on the sweeter side, which may not suit all palates.

The Food: • Amuse-bouche: A chilled maitake mushroom dashi, served in a small sake glass (bowl for others), tasted more like a mushroom-infused palate cleanser than a soup—earthy but underwhelming. • Bread course: House sourdough with butter and a miniature sourdough pastry topped with fish mousse and pickles. Bread was caramelised but otherwise unremarkable. • Octopus with creamy smoked mackerel sauce, chrysanthemum, black mint leaf , and beans: The thinly sliced octopus had a ceviche-like tang. Creamy and balanced, with small cubes of celery adding texture. One of the more enjoyable dishes. • Grilled courgettes with green strawberries and pumpkin seed sauce: Crunchy courgettes and an interesting sauce, but the overall impact was muted. • Tomato-filled pasta in tomato water with geranium and raspberry: One of the highlights — the contrast between the sweet filling and sour, herby liquid was thoughtful and well-executed. • Cornish pork loin and pork belly with kumquat sauce and green peppers: Unfortunately, the loin was dry, the pork belly overly fatty, and the skin lacked crispness. The bitter peppers were a nice foil, but the dish felt unbalanced and lacking in sauce, an unwhelming dish for a star restaurant. • Palate cleanser: A standout—fermented yogurt and tomato skin granita with fig leaf and puffed sushi rice. Creamy, sour, salty, and crunchy all at once. Inventive and memorable. • Dessert: A mix of fermented milk ice cream, cucumber, strawberries, white crumble, and crisp crackers. A refreshing end, with interesting textural contrasts. • Petit fours: A yuzu crunch and a small slab of chocolate to finish.

Optional cheese supplement (£12pp) was skipped.

Casa Fofo’s tasting menu leans heavily on subtle, often cerebral flavor combinations. Some dishes land well while others are less successful—particularly the main meat course, which fell below expectations and I will not tempted to visit for a second time.

The setting and overall presentation don’t quite match the elevated standards typically associated with a Michelin star. Those seeking bold flavors or luxurious ambiance may find the experience lacking. Still, for those who enjoy thoughtful, low-key fine dining in a casual space, it offers moments...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Casa Fofò, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and the experience was nothing short of incredible. The food was exceptional, and the atmosphere was casual yet immersive, making it feel intimate and exciting. One of the highlights was the opportunity to see the chefs in action, cooking with passion and engaging directly with guests, presenting dishes straight from the kitchen and explaining them in detail. This personal touch made the experience all the more special.

The menu at Casa Fofò is ever-changing, sometimes even during the night, which keeps things fresh and exciting. Head chef, an Italian with a love for Mediterranean flavors, also incorporates bold Asian influences, with a notable use of fermented ingredients—an excellent sign of minimizing waste and making the most of every ingredient.

The meal is a six-course tasting menu that began with some unforgettable snacks. The house-made sourdough bread with a crunchy dark crust and rich butter was so good it vanished as soon as it hit the table. Next, a tartlet filled with pickled vegetables and cheese foam stole the show, setting the tone for an exciting dining journey ahead.

For the first course, we were served a sashimi of aged seabream with pickled radish and fermented asparagus juice. While the fish was firm and fresh, the pickling flavors were a bit overpowering, masking the seabream’s natural taste. Still, it was a refreshing dish to follow the creamy snack.

The second starter, a rich umami-packed dish of grilled girolles, egg cream, burnt onion broth, and cured British Wagyu, was one of my favorites. The warm broth melted the Wagyu fat, creating a beautifully balanced flavor profile that was unforgettable.

The main courses were equally stunning. First, bottoni pasta filled with almond paste and glazed in roasted pepper juice reminded me of romesco sauce, with a glossy finish that paired perfectly with the filling. Between mains, we enjoyed a fish stock soup with curry fig leaf, a deceptively simple dish that cleansed the palate with its rich coconut and lemongrass flavors.

The final main course featured grilled Cornish pork, marinated with roasted pepper leftovers and paired with pumpkin and pumpkin seed pesto. The pork was tender and cooked to perfection, balanced by the sweet and savory notes of quince and dates sauce—a fitting climax to the savory part of the meal.

Though not part of the main courses, I opted for an extra cheese plate, and I have no regrets! The presentation was stunning, featuring sourdough crackers, caramelized onion ice cream, and melted cheese—an innovative hot-and-cold contrast that was both sweet and salty.

The pre-dessert was a refreshing frozen yogurt ball combined with tomato skins and Sichuan pepper, which pleasantly numbed the mouth and reset the palate. This prepared me for the final dessert: a corn mousse paired with fermented strawberry grapes parfait, a delightfully unique and well-balanced combination.

The only downside to an otherwise perfect evening was a small but concerning incident: I found a piece of broken glass under my arm, which caused a minor cut. It was surprising and disappointing that, despite being aware of the broken glass, the staff didn’t warn me beforehand. A heads-up would have allowed me to be more careful, but unfortunately, that marred an otherwise flawless evening.

Despite this, I had an incredible time at Casa Fofò. The restaurant offers a unique, seasonal dining experience that is both affordable and executed with great skill and creativity. I will...

I've had this place on my radar for a while and am so glad we went when we did. It's absolutely tiny and has such a lovely vibe. I wish we'd managed to get a seat in the garden as that looked gorgeous, but the main dining room is good for people watching the road outside.

The menu seems to change daily and was a steal at £45 for 6(ish) courses. We started with sourdough and dreamy whipped caramelised butter - I could've kept eating that all meal but it wasn't refilled (probably a good thing as I'd have filled up on bread.) First dish was a gorgeous sea bass ceviche, then aubergine cooked in lamb fat, followed by truffle pasta. Main was perfectly pink lamb with a side of congee (textured like a risotto rather than a gloopy breakfast dish). Dessert was a highlight with a refreshing yogurt jelly with sweet strawberry ice, followed by treacly black garlic ice cream and crumble. Portions are small, so it's definitely not a tasting menu where you leave stuffed, but we were very satisfied and loved every dish.

We adored the wine pairings as well and I absolutely recommend getting this. It's super affordable at £38 (less than a bottle) and you get 6 really interesting glasses. We split one between two of us, as I'm a lightweight, which made it even better value. We started with an Italian sparkling, then a refreshing white that paired beautifully with the ceviche, then a light red, then a super interesting palomino white (tasted like sherry), then a very dark red and finished with a gorgeous French dessert wine. Some of them paired better than others, but the entire experience was the absolute highlight of the meal.

Definitely some areas to improve. The service isn't quite spot on and seamless although it was clear one of the waiters was new. The pace of the meal also slowed down a lot at one point as it was clear the kitchen fell behind, but this didn't bother us. We also were never given a menu with the dishes that day (there was one up by the door, but it was an old menu) which was annoying as we never saw what we were eating. I'm sure it was increase in popularity (and price) soon though, so I highly...