Ellen Parr and Pete Kelly have been popping up across town for the past few years with Lucky & Joy and now the duo have opened a permanent place in Clapton, just a few doors down from Yard Sale Pizza and P Franco. There’s a retro, kitsch aesthetic, with check box menus, bright neon chopsticks and colourful artworks on the walls so it’s a fun place to be especially when it’s full to brim (which it was on a recent Friday night).
On the menu can expect similar Chinese-inspired dishes to those served up at the pop-ups, with all ordering done via a paper checkbox system. We were absolutely loving the fresh spicy salads such as the Yunan smacked cucumber and the tiger salad (tip: keep both the bowls with all the extra dressing and pour it over your rice at the end).
Elsewhere, we’d definitely recommend the cold sesame noodles, the cumin-drenched mushroom skewers, the roasted aubergine, and the amazing fried brussel sprouts chopped with plenty of chilli and coriander. The only dish that fell a bit flat for us was the lamb belly but all the veg, noodles and rice were bang on.
Lucky & Joy is also shaking up cocktails influenced by the Ellen and Pete’s travels around China and South East Asia, like the Yunnan Flavour (coconut-washed vodka, ginger, lemongrass and coriander) and Lucky’s G&T (Sichuan peppercorn-infused gin, clear pomelo and tonic).
All in all Lucky & Joy is a super fun spot with a great atmosphere and some banging dishes – a great new neighbourhood spot for Clapton.
95 Lower Clapton Road, London E5 0NP
luckyandjoy.co.uk