Brawn
London, Bethnal Green - European - Restaurant - £££
Stylish European cuisine from a Columbia Road stalwart
Brawn has matured like the street on which it stands. Once a pig-focused pioneer in the hipster hangout of Columbia Road, it's now a long-standing institution, catering to professionals of this coveted London postcode. To step inside, however, is to find a place still young at heart – old school hip-hop blurts out of vintage speakers, a forest of empty wine bottles adorns the whitewashed walls, mid-century chairs clatter about a dining room that’s packed even in the midweek doldrums. The menu rotates almost as quickly as the vinyl records here, but there are classics at the heart of things: among them Parmesan fritters – little crispy balls of white-hot cheese, lost under a heavy snowfall of Parmesan shavings. The kitchen is adept at stylish presentation: notably in a delicious starter of crab amid thickets of agretti and blood orange. By contraast, meaty mains on our visit had a bias towards the rustic: braised rabbit agnolotti with rosemary or veal blanquette with ...
Brawn has matured like the street on which it stands. Once a pig-focused pioneer in the hipster hangout of Columbia Road, it's now a long-standing institution, catering to professionals of this coveted London postcode. To step inside, however, is to find a place still young at heart – old school hip-hop blurts out of vintage speakers, a forest of empty wine bottles adorns the whitewashed walls, mid-century chairs clatter about a dining room that’s packed even in the midweek doldrums.
The menu rotates almost as quickly as the vinyl records here, but there are classics at the heart of things: among them Parmesan fritters – little crispy balls of white-hot cheese, lost under a heavy snowfall of Parmesan shavings. The kitchen is adept at stylish presentation: notably in a delicious starter of crab amid thickets of agretti and blood orange. By contraast, meaty mains on our visit had a bias towards the rustic: braised rabbit agnolotti with rosemary or veal blanquette with wild mushrooms, perhaps. A highlight was a hefty Barnsley chop, served alongside crispy torpedo-like pink fir potatoes and the tang of anchoaïde.
Desserts might include a much-loved vanilla panna cotta happily sozzled in Campari – although a sight to behold on our visit was a tall, teetering stack of rhubarb and custard mille-feuille. An expansive wine list goes big on French and skin-contact offerings. 'Very cool, but not pretentious,' is one verdict.
VENUE DETAILS
49 Columbia Road
Bethnal Green
E2 7RG
020 7729 5692
OTHER INFORMATION
Wheelchair access, Family friendly, Credit card required