Cloth

"Eating at Cloth feels like being inside a very rich person’s house during a power outage. Candlelight flickers against antique-looking paintings of horses and pheasants, bottles of riesling are broken out, and you get the sense that a well-stocked pantry has been raided for snacks—like tasty, cold asparagus salad, hunks of bread with salted butter, and croquettes with apple mustard. The European spot sticks to the tried and true small plates formula of mozzarella with lovely bits and dainty portions of cappelletti, plus obligatory tropea onions. While the menu isn’t inventive, the experience feels very special." - sinead cranna, jake missing

"Two wine importers and an ex-Levan chef open a spot on the edge of Smithfield Market—what sounds like the beginnings of a niche food joke looks to be a very serious modern European wine bar and restaurant. The Grade-II listed building has been decked out with chic antiques and vintage-looking artworks. There’ll be a £29 set lunch that involves mussles, sausage and chickpeas, and a warm chocolate mousse; a feasting menu; and a dinner menu with dishes like braised cuttlefish, duck terrine, and Dorset crab. We recently checked out Cloth. Read our first thoughts here. " - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak

"If it weren’t for the sheer volume of diners wearing oversized, frilly, gingham scrunchies, eating at Cloth would make you feel like an eligible singleton in a Jane Austen novel. Candlelight flickers against antique-looking paintings of horses and pheasants, bottles of riesling are broken out, and low ceilings and wood panelling create a warm, cocooning effect. This charming, European small plates spot in Farringdon is the perfect date night spot for your own wet shirt Mr. Darcy meet cute. Just know that you might need a phone torch to read the menu and see the dainty portions of cappelletti in front of you. " - rianne shlebak, jake missing, sinead cranna

"Two or three courses: £24/£29 The best thing about this charming Farringdon European small plates restaurant is the experience of eating here. It feels like being inside a very rich person’s house during a power outage. Candlelight flickers against antique-looking paintings of horses and pheasants, and the 12-3pm prix fixe lunch feels like a fair price to pay for it. The food gives the sense that a well-stocked pantry has been raided for snacks—satisfying, cold asparagus salad, hunks of bread with salted butter, and croquettes with apple mustard. " - jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak

"The European small plates at Cloth are very good, but the best thing about this charming Farringdon restaurant is the experience of eating here. It feels like being inside a very rich person’s house during a power outage. Candlelight flickers against antique-looking paintings of horses and pheasants, bottles of riesling are broken out, and you get the sense that a well-stocked pantry has been raided for snacks—tasty, cold asparagus salad, hunks of bread with salted butter, croquettes with apple mustard. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch A storm could be raging and wheelie bins flying in the air outside the Grade II-listed building, and you’d never know. That’s how successful the cocooning effect is at this low-ceilinged, wood-panelled bolthole. If it weren’t for the sheer volume of oversized, frilly, gingham scrunchies on display, you’d feel like you were an eligible singleton in a Jane Austen novel. It’s the perfect date night spot for your own wet shirt Mr Darcy meet cute, or to prove to your parents that you’re a sophisticated adult—although they may need a phone torch to read the menu. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Cloth sticks to the tried and true small plates formula of mozzarella with lovely bits—sometimes soft, sweet white peach and other times crispy artichokes—and dainty portions of cappelletti, plus obligatory tropea onions. While it isn’t inventive, it feels very special. Food Rundown photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Pig’s Head Croquette, Apricot Ketchup A croquette is a croquette, surely. No. This pig’s head one is built differently. The crispy outer layer is so thin that we pressed down too hard on the first one and fired it across the table. It’s crunchy but delicate, and the pig’s cheek falls apart in the best way. The apricot ketchup brings some nice sweetness and is satisfyingly thick and smearable. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Chips With Espelette Pepper You might read this menu item and think, “Is nothing sacred in a small plates restaurant? Can’t a chip just be a chip without dressing it up in a Patagonia sweater and Birkies?”. But the espelette pepper is actually a sweet, spicy dusting that improves and doesn’t overpower the chips. The chips themselves are crispy and fluffy, and essential for the monkfish dish below. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Roast Monkfish, Prawn And Ginger Bisque If you only get one dish, make it this meaty monkfish which is nearly overshadowed by the scene-stealing support act—the bisque. It’s equal parts smoky, sweet, and tomatoey, and we spent a large portion of our evening here chasing the ginger bisque down with our chips. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Cappelletti Of Ricotta With Pecorino, Sarawak Pepper This cappelletti dish was OK but we wouldn’t order it again as the flavours were a little washed out." - Sinéad Cranna