Foxlow in Stoke Newington: restaurant review

How fashionable is being late? How late is fashionable? 
One of our party arrived half an hour late, so we started a bit without him and treated ourselves to some snacks.

Now let's focus on the restaurant review. Foxlow in Stoke Newington, comes from the Hawksmoor Group and therefore I was expecting and wanting meat and lots of it. The menu offers this in good quantity but also gives fish options which were more than welcomed too.

Cured Salmon

Based on Church Street in what looks like an old country house, Foxlow welcomes you into their home. When we got in we randomly and worringly heard that another customer had received raw Chicken. To be honest, this didn't bother me too much as I was not going to order chicken anyway. Also it didn't make me feel worried that my food would be off either.

Thankfully, this seemed like a random occurrence and the food we ordered was all good. Between us we ordered the lamb ribs, cured smoked salmon (my dish) and crispy squid to start. All the starters were a bit costly at about £9 each, but not overly expensive. I got to try the lamb ribs and squid and along with my salmon they were all very tasty. Sticky and tangy the ribs were really good, my salmon had cracked red pepper on it too and along with the herbs it gave it a nice extra kick. The squid was lightly battered and had a good crunch. All starters were encouraging and had me excited for more. I would say that the lamb ribs, the dish I would expect to be their forte was the best and therefore helped me decide my main course too.

Rub fillet and bone marrow

Steak. Rib fillet steak to be precise. It had to be done and I'm glad I ordered it. Tender and juicy; drenched in my chosen peppercorn sauce, gave the steak that extra zing I was looking for. Cooked medium rare and with bone marrow on the side, it was a simple dish done correctly.

I tried a bit of the hake which my brother ordered. Flakey and meaty the fish was tasty, however I felt like he was missing out on some quality meat. I let him try some of my steak and I think he liked it. Along with the hake came with a romesco, this was seasoned and spiced well with a Turkish flavour, which worked well considering we were down the road from many great Turkish restaurants. They knew their audience well here and this was a subtle touch in introducing Foxlow to the area.

We weren't finished after main courses and all went for some dessert too. Strawberry cheesecake, salted caramel tart, polenta cake and a sticky toffee pudding. Can anyone guess which one I ordered?

The sticky toffee was my favourite of the desserts. As the most expensive, I wouldn't have expected anything less and it did deliver quality. A rich thick sauce accompanied the pudding which was moist and delectable and perfect for my palate. The other desserts were all good too, especially the strawberry cheesecake. Based on first looks, i thought it was a sundae, but the flavours layered together came to provide a good taste with a soft cheese, resh strawberries and a crunch from the biscuit.

I will definitely come back to Foxlow. The good weather and the venue itself combined to create a relaxed evening. The staff were attentive, relaxed and professional. Good work from the hawksmoor group and if they wanted me to come back they did a good job in making me feel welcome and appreciated. The £50 per person for three courses and a couple of drinks did hurt a bit initially, however when you eat as much as we did and being in London, these things are to be expected. I will be back but not so soon, only because the contents of my wallet are very limited and this blog work doesn't pay as well as I had hoped.

D'oh.