What: A new all-day kafé and bar in Shoreditch on the site that was once home to Merchants Tavern and more recently Japanese izakaya Apothecary East. Housed in a former Victorian dispensary, the space comprises an 80-cover restaurant as well as a 50-seat kafé and bar, which doubles as a lifestyle space during the day.
Who: It’s the latest opening from Kricket founders Rik Campbell and chef Will Bowlby. Kricket began as a 20-seat pop-up in a shipping container at Pop Brixton in 2015 and has since evolved into a modern-Indian restaurant group with additional sites in Soho, Brixton, Canary Wharf, and White City, which has since closed. The duo also operate cocktail bar brand SOMA, which is located adjacent to their Soho restaurant and also within their Canary Wharf site (with a separate entrance).
The food: Shoreditch marks the first time that Campbell and Bowlby have dipped their toes into the Indian breakfast market. Served from 8am, the early morning menu includes dishes such as fried eggs served with tomato chutney, smoked yoghurt, and curry leaf brown butter; kedgeree made with andhra-spiced rice and lentils topped with smoked haddock and a soft-boiled egg; and The Full Kricket, a reimagined full English featuring smoked bacon chop, mushrooms, eggs, chole, and tamarind brown sauce. Sweet options are available, including shahi tukra, and Indian twist on French toast with rhubarb and custard; and a sesame cruffin with salted date butter (main image). Keen to serve people throughout the day, the pair have also created a snacks menu with highlights including a Goan sausage roll with tomato chutney; crispy squid koliwada with green chilli mayonnaise; and a Bombay toastie with Keens cheddar, green chutney, and piccalilli. The evening a la carte offer is more in line with Kricket’s other restaurants, with a range of grills and curries, small plates and dishes from the tandoor on offer, while on Sundays there’s a lunch featuring centrepiece dishes like murgh musallam - a whole charcoal-grilled tandoori chicken; and lamb raan - a charcoal-grilled leg of lamb, which are served family-style alongside kebabs, black garlic and dried chilli raita, breads, and salads.
To drink: The wine list is natural leaning while signature cocktails include King Lime - a mix of rum, Gondhoraj lime, coconut, and soda; and the Jal Jina, featuring mezcal, blood orange, cumin bitters, and soda. No and low-alcohol options include the Kricket signature fresh lime soda, which can be ordered sweet or salted; coconut and ginger lassi; Pentire spritz with Indian bay; and the Kashmiri Adrift made with Pentire Adrift, kashmiri chilli, lime, and agave. Morning options, meanwhile, include fresh juices, coffee, and masala chai, that can be pepped up with a shot of rum or whisky, and there’s even a selection of morning cocktails that include the Peach & Pomelo Bellini; the Bloody Maharaja; the Naashta Sour with vodka, cinnamon orgeat, and marmalade; and Khoosh in the Morning, a take on the classic absinthe-based Death in the Afternoon that mixes the green fairy with khoosh and English sparkling wine.
The vibe: Bowlby and Campbell, with the help of CAKE Architecture, have leaned into the building’s high ceilings and abundant natural light by creating a bright and modern multi-faceted space. The entire restaurant, including the bathrooms and the exterior, has been painted in various shades of Jaipur Pink, a colour inspired by India’s historic ‘Pink City’, following the ‘double drench’ method, with distinct areas for the kafé and bar at the front and the restaurant to the rear. The duo want their Shoreditch site to have all-day appeal, and are happy for people to use it as a work space during the day, and have created an inviting but modern space accordingly.
And another thing: The restaurant so far has a liquor licence from 10am so very early diners won’t be able to partake in its breakfast cocktails, but the team is working to change this. They also hope to introduce a takeaway coffee and breakfast offer for items such as its bacon pao in the near future.
35-42 Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3PB