The Lagana dining room
I'm seeing this Lagana everywhere. Is this currently the most-hyped restaurant in London?
If you've so much as glanced at social over the past few weeks, you'll probably have seen someone going to eat at Lagana. With the previous restaurant makeovers in the Pachamama London group including such viral hits as Bottarga and Nina, it's not surprising that the latest addition would also attract a lot of attention.
As for the space itself, it's taken over what was Pachamama East and been given much more of an industrial look and feel. Gone are the curtains and chintzy lampshades. It's now lighter and brighter with mosaic-tiled counters, and both sections of the restaurant have been opened out.
Where exactly is it?
If you'd previously been to Pachamama East in Shoreditch, then you'll know the location. If not, you need to head to Shoreditch, where you'll find Lagana tucked away on Willow Street, off Great Eastern Street (opposite where Nobu Shoreditch used to be). It's roughly halfway between Old Street tube and Shoreditch High Street station.
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
You've got two standout spots nearby. There's Passione Vino in the next street, which is always great for a good glass of wine. And the Princess of Shoreditch at the other end of Willow Street is a really nice pub.
So what kind of food are we talking about at Lagana?
They describe the menu as having a Greek influence, and the restaurant itself is named after a traditional Greek flatbread. The menu price points denote whether you're looking at a small or large plate. But, and we'll give you a word of warning here, you only have that table for 90 minutes, so you'll need to bear that in mind when working out what you want to order.
Where's a good place to sit?
We were in the main dining room at the back of the restaurant, but if you're here at lunchtime, that first section might be a brighter place to sit, particularly if you fancy a bit of counter dining.
Tarama with olive oil (£6) - you're going to want to pair this with some of their great grilled pitta, which is £4.
And what should we eat?
Well, here's a selection of what we managed to try during our dinner here, for inspiration on what to order.
Tarama with olive oil (£6) - you're going to want to pair this with some of their great grilled pitta, which is £4.
Beef tartare with kokkiniso ketchup (£18)
Anthotiro with thyme oil and fresh honeycomb - all the scents of your most recent Greek holiday summed up in this combo of fresh Greek cheese with an intense thyme oil and sticky honeycomb.
Prawn saganaki flatbread (£14)
There's a large section of grilled meat options, but by this point we'd run out of table space and time, although managed to try one dish.
Lamb belly with cumin yoghurt and tomato sauce (£12) - expertly cooked with the fat beautifully rendered and the skin nicely crispy.
What's on the menu for vegetarians?
Vegetarians are well catered for at Lagana with a whole host of options. We could also have tried corn with chilli butter, spicy feta with red peppers or cheesy flatbread and still had plenty more to choose from. But here's what we did have.
Courgette tempura with red pepper sauce - loved this butch version of the wafer-thin courgette fritti you're more likely to find in London restaurants.
Room for dessert?
Sadly, we ordered ours too late to get our hands on the must-have dessert, which is their baked cheesecake with toffee sauce (so bear that in mind if that's your must-order), but the lemon tart wasn't a bad runner-up prize.
Lemon tart (£9) - we thought this was going to be a classic lemon tart rather than the more bouji lemon meringue pie we got, but we definitely weren't complaining.
Overall thoughts:
Other central London restaurants might have had a quiet day of it in the middle of the recent tube strike, but Lagana was absolutely packing them in on a Tuesday night. With a dining room full of larger groups, friends meeting up for a natter and the odd date night, there was a palpable buzz in the air. It's not a place to linger, that's for sure - but if you're after a rather nice place to grab a cocktail and a series of small plates, then you could do a lot worse than getting a table here (that is, if you're lucky enough to secure a booking).
More about Lagana
Where is it? Shoreditch - 73 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HU
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @laganalondon.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Lagana. Prices correct at time of publication.
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