Mayfields – review

Lemon sole, citrus butter, daikon and liquorice

There are a lot of top-notch restaurants in Hackney but Mayfields stands head and shoulders above anywhere else I can remember eating recently.

Launched as a joint venture between Borough Wines and restaurateur Claire Roberson with a menu devised by head chef Matthew Young, it’s billed as a neighbourhood dining room.

And so it is. A stylish, understated, but atmospheric little joint near London Fields named after the greengrocer that once stood on that spot.

Everything about it exquisitely pitched, from the glass of coral-coloured rhubarb-steeped gin and tonic we kicked off with, to the music – which gently picks up as the place fills with the hubbub of guests. The doors stand open to Young’s relaxed kitchen where you can see him leading the team sending a succession of stunning plates out into the restaurant.

There are only around ten things on the menu – a combination of starters and mains that come out as they’re ready and vary daily depending on season and availability. First out was a silky piece of vermillion venison carpaccio as tender as the day it stopped breathing. It was garnished with slivers of silvery pickle so finely sliced they were transparent and finished off with a little spoonful of fiery mustard. It was practically a piece of art.

Next came a ceviche-like little bowl of juicy cuttlefish with pieces of smoky mackerel to deepen the flavour in a light grape dressing. I spooned it out of the bowl when the fish was all gone. The pumpkin velouté – which is like a rich soup – was shockingly good. The texture was so fine it barely touched the sides of my mouth and the nutty flavour of the squash was deepened beautifully by the rich disk of charred black pudding floating on top. Not too much, not too little.

It’s topped with a fat dollop of ginger sabayon – which has a creamy, custard-like consistency – and a delicate spray of dried black mushroom powder. As my companion said, dunking bread in it would pretty much have been sacrilege. Part of the magic of eating here is that you don’t know whether what you’re eating will be on the menu ever again. Young re-writes it every day and if they run out, they run out.

There are a couple of stock dishes that are always on there though, like the lemon sole – a delicate little side of fish gently cooked and luxuriating in citrus butter. The sauce is made with blood oranges and grapefruit, with the gentle citrus cutting neatly across the creamy texture of the fish.

I’m running out of room and haven’t even got to the warm chocolate mousse salted with a dusting of dehydrated olives. Or the fresh scoop of creamy rosemary ice cream. Or the John Dory, which looked like it was swimming in reeds of samphire-like emerald green Monks Beard. Save to say, get there if you can.

52 Wilton Way, E8 1BG
www.mayfieldswiltonway.co.uk