The main dining room at Town
What do we need to know about Town?
This is the first big new London restaurant from popular chef Stevie Parle since he opened Joy at Portobello back in 2020. If you haven't tried his food before, then let us give you a quick potted history. Parle first came to our attention with the amazing Dock Kitchen restaurant (also at Portobello, in the same space he later opened Joy). He also used to run the very popular Rotorino in Dalston and is behind the central London fast pasta restaurant Pastaio. Now he's back in the centre of town, having joined forces with restaurateur Jonathan Downey.
At Town, Parle is continuing the work he started at Joy by forging incredibly close relationships with growers. He's also keeping it in the family for the cheese course, using his brother and sister in law's cheese from Ireland.
Where is it?
You'll find it in the new Drury Lane development that also houses Caravan - Town shares the Drury Lane street frontage with Caravan. The nearest tube would be either Covent Garden or Holborn. It's quite the looker, too. We hadn't seen any official photographs before we got there, so the room design really made an impact with its space age style open kitchen hatch and retro backlit ceiling. It's not a surprise to learn that the designers, Northend, were also behind the look of Ambassadors Clubhouse.
Looking towards the bar at Town
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
Our personal favourite in this area would be Baudry Greene on nearby Endell Street, which is always a great option. But there is a large, standalone bar space here at Town. And when the drinks are by Kevin Armstrong, who's also the owner of Satan’s Whiskers, you'll probably want to try a cocktail here anyway. Drinks are pre-batched, making service very slick and the list is divided into martinis, classics, chargers and wine-based options, along with two non-alcoholic cocktails.
Botivo Presse with elderflower and grapefruit (£8) and Direct Olive Martini (£12)
Where should we sit?
There are three distinct places to dine and, for our money, the best bit is the central section which looks into the open kitchen.
So what kind of food are we talking about?
It's an ingredient-led, and by dint of that, seasonally-focused menu, so one that any London foodie would recognise. Split classically into starters, mains and desserts (with quite a long snacks section) there's a lot to try, which probably rewards return visits. Here's what we had to give you an idea.
Smoked Trout Caviar (30g), beef fat crisps & crème fraiche (£30) - while we're always a fan of the crisps and caviar combo, this seemed punchily priced for trout caviar.
Isle of Mull Scallop, smoked chilli butter (£9.50 each) - loved that punchy butter.
Kashmiri Saffron Risotto, roasted bone marrow (starter size £17) - We're not sure what made this risotto Kashmiri, but it tasted amazing with wobbly scoops of that marrow.
Butterflied Day Boat Fish, which in this case was sea bass, served with anchovy & rosemary sauce (£25 - half)
We mentioned earlier that the restaurant is making much of its connection with A-grade suppliers. A good example of that is the beef being served here. You might have seen Wildfarmed flour being used at bakeries like Jolene. The same farm (owned by Andy Cato of Groove Armada FYO) also has a herd of grass-fed cows in Oxfordshire, and Town is the first restaurant to serve their beef.
Ribeye Wildfarmed steak served with green sauce and Town house gravy (£44) - a beautifully cooked steak that we can't stop thinking about.
What on offer for vegetarians?
Anyone looking for vegetarian or vegan options will find themselves very well catered for here, with options including a charred Baby Gem with peas and Spenwood for starters and Chargrilled hispi, with pickles, seeds & Hodmedod lentils for mains. We also tried the following:
Fried Sage Leaves, heather honey, chilli (£5). It's interesting how the method of deep-frying totally takes away the intensity of the sage leaves. A good snack.
100-Acre Radishes, Hodmedod miso (£6) - Recently, it seems to be the law in London that radishes come with cod's roe, so we're delighted to see a new iteration. That chickpea miso is a welcome departure as an accompaniment.
Room for desserts?
Make room, because the desert menu here is probably one of the more interesting ones we've encountered in a while. If we'd had more time, we might well have opted for the Morello cherry clafoutis which sounds amazing, but you'll need to allow 20 minutes for that.
Buttermilk Pudding, honey roasted nespole, elderflower granita (£12) - We loved the texture of this pudding, which would be a great dessert choice for those of you who don't have a sweet tooth.
Nikka Whisky Kashi (£3 each) - these whisky scented canale-style treats would make a perfect sweet addition if you're having a post-dinner coffee.
Overall thoughts
Town is one hell of an endeavour. It's a huge restaurant and bar of the kind that hasn't really been seen in Covent Garden for a while. And, frankly, the area could do with it. We're always after a handy new place to drink, and we can see this sexy dining room drawing in the crowds. If we had a quibble, it would be that it's a little all over the place in terms of identity and concept. But, with such an ingredient-led menu, we presume that dishes will change frequently, so it'll be a good place to return to again and again while it works that out.
More about Town
Where is it? 26-29 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RL
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @town.restaurant.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Town. Prices correct at time of publication.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
