Test Driving Tavern, a modern Shoreditch spot with foot-long pork scratchings and perfect dessert bites

The front counter at Tavern

So what do we need to know about Tavern?

This is the Shoreditch restaurant formerly known as Nest and run by the team behind Restaurant St Barts. The sous chef at the latter, Kirsty Easterbrook, has moved across to become Head Chef here. The food offering has moved to more of a British bistro vibe with a menu that hits all the usual snacks, small and large plates that Londoners will recognise.

Where is it?

It's useful to note that when you Google Tavern and Shoreditch a whole heap of results come up in Google Maps, none of which are this restaurant. You'll actually find it on the bit of Old Street between Great Eastern Street and Shoreditch High Street, right beside The Clove Club. Old Street and Shoreditch High Street are your closest stations.

This gives you an idea of where it is

Where should we meet friends for a drink first?

Our strongest recommendation would be the nearby Without Papers Bar, which is an absolute gem of a place and one that's just as good for a glass of Italian wine as it is for a great martini. That said, you might also want to consider that the pre-batched cocktails at Tavern are pretty good too.

Carrot Gimlet (£12) - we thoroughly approve of cocktails that help you reach your five-a-day target.

And where should we sit?

The answer to that depends on what kind of vibe you're going for. As you enter, there's a large area for counter dining, which would be great for solo dining. Then the restaurant split into two distinct dining rooms. The front is brighter and maybe better for smaller groups; the back area is dimmer and better for larger tables.

Left to right: The front and rear rooms at the restaurant

So what's on the menu?

They say they focus on seasonal British produce, with an emphasis on cooking over fire. Here's a selection of what we had to give you an idea of what that means on the plate.

The Chunion Puff (£8 for two) - a cloud of umami that's impossible to scoff without covering yourself in Parmesan, stuffed with Lord of the Hundreds cheese & confit onion custard.

Smoked Cod’s Roe & Pig Skins (£8) - who wouldn't want foot-long pork scratchings to scoop up their tarama with?

Isle of Skye scallop with a lobster knuckle and cobnut XO sauce (£16 each) - if you're wondering whether to share one of these. Don't. You'll only begrudge every mouthful you miss out on.

Raw Welsh wagyu beef tostada with fermented chilli and quail egg (£15) - a bit of a letdown. We were enticed by Insta photos showing this covered in pretty nasturtium flowers, but ours came bare, and the tostada could have been crispier.

Cornish Cod, Cockles, Peas, Beans & Laverbread (£30) - beautifully cooked fish with a very intense cockley sauce.

St Bride’s Duck Leg, Sunflower Seed Satay & British Pak Choi (£28) - this was our fault for ordering a dish that would have been better if it hadn't been pushing 32 degrees outside. Maybe swerve this until it's a cooler day.

Room for dessert?

We were tempted/persuaded by our waiter to get two of these mini delights and we were so glad we did.

Mini brown butter cakes (£4 each) made even better with a twirly topping of panela sugar and crème fraiche chantilly.

Overall thoughts:

There's a lot to like in this bright new Shoreditch restaurant that's serving up the kind of food Londoners like to eat nowadays. The staff were an absolute delight and the room itself is also very nicely done, making it just the sort of place to repay repeat visits.