Crispin — Restaurant in London

We decided to go out last Sunday and just try to have a bit of normality in these strange times. I hadn't heard of this place but my wife insisted that we try it. We managed to get a same day booking as we were going for brunch rather than lunch.

When arriving the first thing you notice, is that this place sticks out- literally! A strange looking building but don’t let that put you off.

After checking our online booking, we were shown our table and given some complimentary water. This pandemic has definitely changed the way that we dine out and rather than being given a menu we were provided with a QR code which we scanned with our phones and were able to see the weekend brunch menu.

We chose the Burrata (with San Marzano & Datterini tomatoes) and two flatbread brunch plates (the salmon/scrambled eggs and the halloumi with harissa, eggs and pickles).

We didn’t have to wait too long before the attentive staff brought out our meals.

The salmon flatbread was just the right size with a generous amount of scrambled egg and slightly thicker cut salmon pieces and the other flatbread had longer chunks of halloumi on top (but underneath the egg) and each dollop of harissa was placed on top of some cooling yoghurt so you tasted the heat and coolness at the same time.

The Burrata ordered by my son was extremely flavoursome and I'll be honest if any tomatoes fell off the toasted bread, they ended up on my fork ;-)

All in all the food was great albeit a little bit on the expensive side but the portion sizes were just right and you come away feeling like you’ve eaten but not stuffed.

I would definitely come back but maybe at a slightly later time of day to see what their dinner...

Anatomy of a £15.50 dish at Crispin, and one of the two available clearly vegetarian options: The base is a single slice of sourdough from the Dusty Knuckle bakery. This is the same bread, from the same hackney bakery, you can find in the crisis cafe across commercial street for 2 pounds, but at Crispin it'll cost you 4. On top of this lone and fragile firmament, a handful of bare borlotti beans with no discernable seasoning, with the visual appeal of a 99p tin of chickpeas roughly emptied on top by an angry chef. Two poached eggs (£2.50 each), while perfectly cooked, are unable to save this dish.

This used to be my favorite brunch place in London and one I happily recommended to others. As a veggie I appreciated that you could get beautiful daal (daal! for brunch!), greedy and decadent berkswell toasties, dishes with incredible heritage cherry tomatoes luxuriously spread over burrata with leek oil (the current incarnation on the menu is not the same quality). Now my options are reduced to paying the guts of 20 pound for tasteless beans on a single slice of toast. I suppose I could have ordered the poached eggs with hollandaise on toast (hold the salmon or the ham) for £13.50, but cmon. It truly gives me no pleasure to say Crispin has changed, and I sincerely hope next time I visit it's a better experience. I bloody well miss it enough to write this review! One star for the food alone, however the service, the coffee, and the pastries are as excellent as ever so overall its two stars from me, an...

Probably my favourite spot in London. I would visit 3-4 times a week for my coffee fix - their coffee is sensational, a well balanced medium roast. Perfect in an oat flat white or ice latte (their iced latte ratio is spot on, you can actually taste the coffee).

I would consider this place a hidden gem, off the beaten path as far as Liverpool Street and Spitalfields goes. It's tucked away on a quiet street away from the bustle of the main roads and the market.

There is a lovely outdoor seating area, a lovely way to enjoy the sun during the summer or be warmed by several patio heaters and ample cover during the winter. The staff and service is amazing, they almost became extended family.

It doesn't stop there! The food is fantastic! A menu of few, carefully selected and excellently executed dishes, served Wednesday onwards for lunch and dinner. I am a massive fan of the handmade ravioli (which I've often walked past to see the chef constructing) and the slow cooked lamb (I'm not usually a lamb eater but this literally melts in your mouth and is bursting with flavour) - though the menu changes from time to time, but you will definitely find a dish that will blow you away at all times.

The weekend brunches are excquisite. The burrata is one of the best I have had in London, the halloumi dish with their homemade harissa is just fantastic, even the avo on toast is one to write home about (the avo's are so well selected for flavour and ripeness). Please visit then proceed to become a...