Floyd’s Review - Dalston - London - The Infatuation

"Call us old fashioned, call us your mum or dad, call us callous, murdering beasts, but, when given the choice, there aren’t that many restaurants in London that we’ll head straight to the vegetarian and vegan options over more meaty and fishy ones. At Floyd’s though, this is very much the case. It’s an unassuming place that, somehow, manages to retain a neighbourhood vibe despite only being a five minute walk from Stoke Newington and Kingsland Road. This is the kind of restaurant you can imagine visiting daily if you lived or worked nearby. You’d walk in, say ‘alright Floyd’ (is he called Floyd? We don’t know), sit down and order a spicy quinoa cake, or something. Now we know this sounds a bit airy fairy and a bit affected, but Floyd’s is neither of these things. It’s unpretentious and welcoming and this is mirrored by the menu. It rotates daily, for lunch and dinner, and while some things are forgettable, other things are quite unforgettable. That spicy quinoa cake for example (it does actually exist) is a crispy, spiced, light pillow of a lunch, served up alongside a zingy slaw. That’s not to say the meat and fish options are a write-off, they do a decent chilli con carne, as well as a cod and salmon fish cake that sits in a wonderful sea of tartare sauce alongside a soft boiled egg. This isn’t complicated cooking because Floyd’s isn’t a complicated place. It’s easy and friendly and exactly what every neighbourhood needs." - Jake Missing