The bright, modern dining room at Noisy Oyster
There are a lot of new openings in Shoreditch at the moment. Where exactly is this one?
You'll find Noisy Oyster in the same development, Norton Folgate, as Osteria Angelina, Kolamba East and Xi Home Dumplings. If you haven't been to it before, it's right opposite Shoreditch High Street Station, but not the easiest of places to find. This new opening is opposite Osteria Angelina.
What sort of place is it?
They set out their stall as a modern seafood bistro, with a strong focus on martinis. The duo behind it are Madina Kazhimova and Anna Dolgushina from Soho spot Firebird. From the ultra-modern design to the soundtrack, this is a world apart from the classic oyster shack - we want to be "stylish, upbeat and a little rowdy", they say.
Where should we sit?
There's a decent amount of counter space if that's your thing, otherwise tables inside are well spaced out. But the terrace is going to be the big draw on summer days as it gives you all the Shoreditch vibes but with none of the traffic fumes.
There's a large terrace here at Noisy Oyster set away from the road
Martinis are a thing here, so are we starting with them?
Definitely. We were dining here on one of the hottest days of the year, so the challenge to keep these martinis icy cold was always going to be hard. But we're delighted to say Noisy Oyster delivered on that front. There are two ways to approach this part of the list, either going for one of their mini martinis or a classic martini with your choice of interesting gins and vodkas.
Oyster martini (£9) from their mini selection this was made with Sapling gin, Otto's Athens vermouth and fino sherry and finished with an oyster leaf. Can very much recommend.
And presumably there are oysters on offer?
There are two options for oysters - either served classic with shallot vinegar and lemon, or the dressed kind, which is what we had and would urge you to try.
Dressed oysters with smoked tomato water and served with horseradish creme fraiche (£5.50 each)
After this, the menu is split into raw, starters and mains. Having worked our way pretty extensively through the menu on our visit, our recommendation would be to stick to the raw and small plates, which were definitely the strongest offerings. Here's what we enjoyed.
Maritozzo and caviar (£10) - savoury doughnuts stuffed with whipped ricotta and oscietra caviar. Cute and an easy snack to go with your martinis.
Red caviar toast (£17) - Guinness bread topped with whipped butter and Yarra Valley salmon roe. One of those dishes that manages to both be supremely Instagrammable but also a brilliant combination of flavours and textures.
Chalk stream trout aguachile with yellow peach aquachile and mint (£16) - gorgeous trout and we appreciated the kick of that aquachile.
Monkfish skewers with colatura de alici XO (amazing Italian take on fish sauce) and lardo (£17) - one of the best small seafood dishes we've had in a while.
Room for dessert?
There were two desserts on offer. We tried both and while we weren't all that enamoured with the rum baba, we did rather like this pavlova dish.
Gooseberry pavlova (£9.50)
And what about the wine list?
As you might expect from a seafood restaurant, the list here leans more towards sparkling options and white. As with Osteria Angelina opposite, the entry-level wine starts at exactly the same price (£38) which here gets you a bottle of Sicilian white. There's a particularly strong selection of natural options and our carafe of skin contact South African Chenin Blanc (£48) proved to be a good pick.
Overall thoughts:
If you're looking for a well-made cocktail and some interesting seafood-focused small plates, then you can't go wrong at Noisy Oyster. Service was very friendly, if a little chaotic - but we're sure they'll iron out those timing kinks. Get yourself a table out on the terrace on a hot day and you'll be very pleased with yourself.
More about Noisy Oyster
Where is it? Norton Folgate, London E1 6DB
How to book? Book online.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @noisyoyster.london
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Noisy Oyster. Prices correct at time of publication.
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