Beagle

I first heard about Beagle on twitter a few months ago and was straight away intrigued due to the location... Revamping railway arches seems to be the new East London thing (see Hackney Downs Studios). I then got to try a sample of their food in March at Feast in Tobacco Docks. Their buttermilk fried rabbit being our favourite dish of the night. I reserved a table at the first chance I got.

Fast forward nearly 2 months and after debating whether or not my mother's dress showed too much cleavage, we wondered up to Hoxton station to search out the restaurant. The design is very good - clearly a lot of planning has gone into the place. The outside area makes me think that Beagle will really come into its own in the Summer (you know.. that time of year which is meant to come around this time of year).

Once seated we chose some cocktails. I had heard great things about the cocktails. My sister went for the rhubarb bellini - a success. I went for the Tisane. Now I don't like really sweet cocktails and prefer them to be too sour rather than too sweet. On the other hand, I wish I had taken a picture of my mother's face when she took a sip. The grapefruit juice was just too acidic, making it hard to really taste anything else.

We went for 3 different starters to share. The pigeon and prune terrine, octopus with potatoes and grilled courgette salad with Ticklemore. Surprisingly for us carnivores, the real winner was the courgettes. The dressing was perfect and the cheese added a feta like saltiness which worked perfectly with the slightly bitter courgettes.

For main, I had a sole with Monk's beard and braised cucumber. The fish was nicely grilled and I discovered I'm a huge fan of Monk's beard - you learn something new everyday. The other two opted for the onglet steak with horseradish and duck fat chips. On my way to the bathroom, I quickly noticed that the majority of the rest of the customers went for the same choice. The steak was cooked rare as ordered and the chips were amazing. The fresh horseradish added a nice kick though some might find it a bit overpowering. 

Overall the food was near faultless - as you might expect from the ex Rochelle Canteen chef who has taken over the kitchen. The place has obviously had some serious money and thought put into it - the design of the place is impressive and I often judge a place by the loos - and at Beagle they are as smart as they come. However, maybe I'm just too used to smaller cosier places these days which made the slightly higher end dining at Beagle a little too polished for me. Having said this I think I'm going to pop back on a sunny day (if we ever have one) and enjoy another tasty meal in the sun. 


Beagle 
397-400 Geffrye Street
London
E2 8HZ