A restaurant in a carpark down the side of Maccy D’s is about as East London as it gets, but the food at Acme Fire Cult ain’t nothing to turn your nose up at, no matter where you’re travelling in from. Unless of course you’re turning your nose up to follow the smells and smoke coming from the huge outdoor live fire grill where most of the dishes are cooked, before being covered in an array of sauces and ingredients from across the globe.
Coal roast celeriac is drowned in mushroom-kelp XO and white bean miso; fermented squash hummus is livened with citrus and crunchy macadamia nuts; and smoked potatoes are piled high then coated in tahni mayo and seed rayu. Meanwhile, Dorset crab on toast with bone marrow, salted cabbage and jalapeno verde is a beautiful dish, beat only by the seven day-aged red mullet with crab caramel and wild garlic – you’re gonna need to order extra Ararat flatbread with lashings of marmite butter and pecorino cheese to wipe up that sauce.
It’s flavour bomb central and definitely plays to the strengths of the two chefs behind the restaurant, Andrew Clarke and Daniel Watkins (previously of St Leonards), who have been popping up around East London with the concept and have now teamed up with Steve Ryan from 40FT Brewery to take Acme Fire Cult to a new level.
This partnership is evident when it comes to the special beers on offer, created especially for the food being served. Don’t miss the Acme Dark Lager, a schwarzbier with chocolate, dark malts, and flavoured with ancho chillies if it’s on the menu. The beer and its by products also feature in some of the dishes, including the super rich hazlenut chocolate ganache with beer molasses and creme fraiche. A very good end to a very good meal. If this is what a cult looks like in 2022, we are all in.
Abbot Street Car Park, London, E8 3DP
acmefirecult.com
Photo credit: Steve Ryan