It would seem, based on a recent(ish) crop of restaurants popping up in Shoreditch – namely Brat, Leroy and the newly opened Counter 71 – that gone are the days of the miscellaneous foams and morsels of molecular gastronomy. The latter of these three is the brainchild of Joe Laker, the chef who until recently headed up the kitchen at the now closed Fenn in Fulham. He puts the emphasis on ingredients – as few as possible – and the highest quality ingredients at that. The 16-cover restaurant on Nile Street only offers a tasting menu of refreshingly simple but sumptuous dishes made exclusively using UK produce.
When I visit, the restaurant has been open for no more than a month, but every seat is taken. Most guests congregate ahead of the 7.15pm sitting in Lowcountry, a dimly lit cocktail bar underneath the restaurant with a menu of tipples inspired by the American South. In unison we make our way upstairs, where the L-shaped, marble clad bar curves around the room, framing the open kitchen. This makes for an intimate setting: there are just three chefs, and diners have the joy of watching as they chop, stir, slice and grate – a kind of organised chaos which takes place quietly in the background. The opposite of the high-octane screaming often portrayed on television shows.
We settle into our stools and are presented with a glass of Blanc de Blanc from Sussex producers Bluebell Vineyards. It’s the perfect way to wake up the taste buds, and just the beginning of a flight of carefully selected wines chosen to accompany the meal. My guest is a non-drinker, but this was no problem for Harry Cooper, the polymath manager and host who doubles up as a bartender-cum-waiter-cum-sommelier. Within no time he’s produced an apricot and vanilla mocktail which is the only alcoholic-free tipple that’s ever gone down well with my guest.
The menu comprises 15 dishes – the first five are little more than a mouthful each but enough to introduce what is to be an evening full of flavour. A langoustine custard with buttermilk and crab is, put simply, sublime. Not to be forgotten, however, is a beetroot and sheep’s cheese tart, and a juicy chicken thigh with carrot and a parmesan-heavy caesar dressing, as well as the moreish beef tartare with fermented chilli and bone marrow.
Taking advantage of ingredients which until recently couldn't be grown in the UK, an English muffin with smoked egg is topped with truffle grown in Wiltshire. Fish lovers will delight in the stewed squid with clams with the surprising but nonetheless welcome addition of girolle mushrooms, whose heady umami flavour underpins the fishiness. There’s a perfectly pink duck breast with smoky charred sweetcorn and little splodges of black garlic purée to satisfy any red-meat cravings.
The real star of the show for both my guest and I, however, was undoubtedly the best sourdough we’ve ever had. It was as spongy and warm (fresh out of the oven) as you could ever want it and served with two butters: wild garlic and whipped.
There’s a surprise course which begins as a homemade brioche that's turned into a bread and butter pudding, fried in butter and topped with cheese. It’s no friend to the arteries but is delicious, surprisingly savoury and a very playful take on a cheese course.
Puddings – and plenty of them – round out the meal nicely. After our yoghurt ice cream, honeycomb and rich chocolate petit fours, we leave well sated and quite giddy with excitement. Not simply because the food was sensational, it was, but also because the atmosphere was so incredibly relaxing. We both remarked on the lack of waiters, the calm nature of the chefs and the easy conversation with chef Joe, who is quiet, gentle and clearly has gone above and beyond to make this restaurant what it is: a place where ingredients and skill are celebrated in a completely unpretentious way.
A tasting menu costs £110 per person, with an additional £75 for paired wines.
Counter 71, 71 Nile St, London N1 7RD
