Seafood
After learning his trade under Nathan Outlaw, both in Cornwall and in London, Tom Brown launched his first solo spot, Cornerstone, in 2018. It’s seafood-focused, with sharing dishes like trout pastrami; hake kiev; raw mackerel with lime pickle, coconut yogurt and crispy garlic; marinated squid with black pudding, blood orange and a brown butter dressing; and ox tongue served with salt cod, tomatoes and gremolata. There are strong links with Cornwall both through the sourcing of the fish and a partnership with Cornish distillery The Wrecking Coast who created a bespoke gin exclusively for the restaurant.
Fishmonger by day, seafood restaurant by night, Prawn on the Lawn is one of our favourite places in London. Now moved to bigger premises just around the corner from its original location, it can now offer a bigger range of dishes due to the fact that it actually has a kitchen this time around. You can get whole fish from the fishmonger counter, great for bigger groups, plus a whole host of fishy small plates. Highlights include lightly seared tuna served with an Asian-inspired dip of soy, mirin, spring onion and chilli, and the brightly-coloured sea trout sashimi with tomato and red onion. Hot dishes are excellent too: try the whole prawns cooked in a spicy Szechuan seasoning, and the fillet of pollock, with salsa verde and capers. Although we loved the charm of the original Prawn on the Lawn, even with all its limitations, the new incarnation is the restaurant it was meant to be. And we’re still big fans.
Having started small in Covent Garden, Oystermen is now thankfully a bit bigger thanks to them getting the next door premises and knocking the wall down. Here you can get oysters and pretty impeccable seafood in smart but relaxed unpretentious surroundings without emptying your wallet either. They’ve got more than oysters of course, with dishes like anchovy toast with confit garlic and lemon; Portland crab thermidor; Newlyn hake with Cornish mussels, devilled mussel veloute and lovage oil; and braised cuttlefish orzo with braised onions, aioli and red butterfly sorrel.
Not only does Wright Brothers cook up a delicious fish dinner but its recently started serving a pretty damn tasty brunch too. Based at the Battersea branch, the weekend menu is full of fish-inspired brunch dishes including the lobster croque monsieur and Devon crab omelette as well as trusty favourites like avocado on toast and eggs Benedict. Located on the edge of the Thames it’s the perfect spot to brunch before a stroll in Battersea Park.