Inside the new Holy Carrot Bistro
What can you tell us about Holy Carrot Bistro?
The original Holy Carrot launched in Notting Hill a couple of years back, in its first permanent space after a series of supperclubs. For that opening, owner Irina Linovich brought in ex-Acme Fire Cult's Daniel Watkins to run the all-vegan kitchen, and he's behind the menu in this second restaurant too. The original Holy Carrot, with its inventive menu and great design, proved to be a big hit in Notting Hill. But for this opening on the other side of town, they've made one key change, adding vegetarian dishes for the first time.
Where have they opened the second restaurant?
It's just beside the southeast entrance to Spitalfield Market. It's an area that has long held a restaurant on one side of the entrance (most recently 65a). However, this has opened in a smaller (and more manageable) space on the other side of that entrance, which was previously clothes shop Nobody's Child. Inside, it looks very different from its Notting Hill sibling, with (paper) tablecloths and moody candlelight throughout, giving a very different vibe.
It's also worth noting that there are two dining rooms in this restaurant. There's the main room, which you can see at the top of the page and another looking out onto the market itself:
At the back of the restaurant is this extra space looking out onto Spitalfields Market.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
There are a few stools at the bar here, so if you're a bit early, that's certainly a possibility. There's the Ten Bells if you just fancy a quick pint, and inside the market itself, we're fans of Alfi, which does have a separate drinking space. And if you're up for a short walk, The Hawksmoor Spitalfields bar is probably the best bar in the nearby area,
So what's on the menu at the Spitalfields restaurant?
The menu here is a very different beast from the one over in Notting Hill. A quick comparison of both menus shows that there are very few crossovers between the two. So if you've been a fan of the Notting Hill restaurant, you should definitely book a table at Spitalfields, as there are lots of new dishes to try.
And as far as their newfound vegetarianism goes, the majority of the menu is vegan, with just six dishes (at the time of writing) marked as containing dairy and egg (we've tried a few of those below). It's a similar approach to the one we've seen at Tendril in Mayfair, which takes an "almost vegan" approach to its menus.
Here's a taste of what we had on our visit:
New season peas & courgettes, wild garlic (£15) - the pizettas are the biggest change to the menu, and there's only one non-vegan version available.
English ricotta, radicchio, truffle koji honey (£10) - lurking under the radicchio is the non-vegan ricotta, elevated by the sweetness of the koji honey.
"Sexy" tofu - smoked carrot xo, mustard greens (£14) - kind of a tofu croquette.
British king oyster mushroom vol-au-vent, peppercorn & dulse sauce (£19) - another of the non-vegan options, a very indulgent vol-au-vent.
Japanese potato salad (£10) - you can get chips and aioli, but we'd instead point you to this excellent potato salad
And what about dessert?
The main non-vegetarian dish for dessert is a sharing tiramisu (serving 3-4 people for £24). We've had rather a lot of tiramisu of late (thanks to all those Italian restaurants that have been opening recently), so we swerved that, opting for the following, both vegan options:
Sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce, Anglaise (£10) - A perfect example of a dish where you can't understand how they've made it vegan. An excellent example of a sticky pudding.
Choc crêmeux with malt caramel (£8)
What about drinks?
Previously, the cocktails were largely pre-mix and had been created by a Bar with Shapes for a name, but this time they're all created in-house, with each cocktail highlighting the overall taste profile, from Umami to Heat or Smoke, and all are in the £14-£15 price point. There's also a strong selection of soft drinks, from mocktails like the 0% Holy Carrot Spritz (featuring carrot molasses) as well as a range of in-house softs like Roobos Kombucha (£8). As for wines, the focus is on low-intervention, with the house starting at a very reasonable £38 (a Sicilian Catarratto on the white side and a Cinsault/Grenache/Merlot mix for red.
Overall thoughts
We really enjoyed our first visit to Holy Carrot in Notting Hill, and were keen to see how it translated to East London and what is, to be fair, a very different crowd. Making it vegetarian instead of vegan is only part of the story - the menu has changed significantly, as has the whole setting, and it feels almost like a different restaurant. That said, if you loved the original, you'll love this, and if you're after well-crafted vegetarian food in East London, you will have to check out Holy Carrot.
More about Holy Carrot Spitalfields
Where is it? 61-63 Brushfield Street, London E1 6AA
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @holycarrotrestaurant.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Holy Carrot. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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