Brunch at Oldroyd

03-10-2016 Local Black Bookangel, British, brunch, carbonara, croquetas, European, Islington, italian, London, Oldroyd, pasta, recommendation, Restaurant, review, small plates1 Comment

I don’t believe Oldroyd needs any introduction.

I have already written about it several times, and yet here I am again, writing about it once more.

You might want to call this a bad blogger syndrom, and you wouldn’t be wrong.

But then again, what’s a girl to do when one of her absolute favourite locals starts doing brunch eh?

With about 30 seats and simple yet tasteful decoration, Oldroyd is a dream no matter when you visit.

But if you asked, I’d say Sunday is probably the best day.

Because it’s Oldroyd’s brunch day and they serve up their signature fettucine carbonara.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, so first things first.

And by that I mean Bloody Mary, obviously.

As a matter of fact, the very best one I’ve ever had in London (and trust me when I say beating The Smokehouse‘s Chicken Salt delight was no easy task)!

Spicy and very pickle-y, it’s not one for the faint-hearted but still the very best way to get the brunch party started.

Though a tall, icy glass of Earl Grey iced tea does rather nicely as well!

Croquetas have been a feature on Oldroyd’s menu since the restaurant opened and they’re an absolute must-order.

This time, they were filled with mushroom, served with a generous dollop of truffle mayonnaise and as delightful as ever.

Zucchini fries are always a good idea too.

Feather-light, thin & crispy, they’re utterly irresistible.

But if you’re there for brunch, you might as well make the most of it.

The Bacon & egg fettucine, with confit garlic & berkswell, is out-of-this-world good.

It has eggs and bacon and carbs, it’s rich and creamy and comforting and basically all of your brunch dreams come true.

And if you want more, the Braised ox cheek with polenta & gremolata is an excellent choice.

Melt-in-the-mouth meat never goes out of fashion as far as I’m concerned. Warming, comforting and satisfying, it’s winter food at it’s finest.

The only issue is that it might well rule dessert out. Don’t worry chocolate mousse with raspberries & salted pistachio praline, I’ll be back for you!

I can never stay away for very long anyway (and if you want to make sure you don’t have to fight me for the last table, you better book here)!

Oldroyd, 344 Upper Street, London N1 0PD

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The joys of a good local at Oldroyd

10-05-2016 Local Black Bookangel, British, European, Islington, London, Oldroyd, recommendation, Restaurant, review, small plates1 Comment

There are the restaurants you go to for the novelty of it.

Be it a potato-focused café or that place everyone loves for reasons you simply don’t see, the probability of you re-visiting them is actually quite low, because there’s always going to be something newer and more exciting to try instead.

But then there is a handful of true gems that you keep going back to times and times again.

Restaurants you’d pick over the excitement of trying something new.

The places you’d rather not bring your camera to so you can truly enjoy the experience.

The ones that make you commit every #BloggerCardinalSin under the sun but you leave with a big smile of your face and a renewed faith in the restaurant world.

Truth being told, there are not so many such restaurants on my list.

A couple of places in France, Morito, The Smokehouse… and Oldroyd.

Oldroyd, London | Cake + Whisky

Oldroyd, the first solo restaurant from former Chef Director of the Polpo Group Tom Oldroyd, opened its doors about a year ago and it’s been a favourite ever since.

It basically ticks all the boxes when it comes to a good local restaurant: quick to get to, excellent value, stunning service and food that’s not just good but also varied and interesting, so every visit brings some element of surprise.

Rabbit & dijon rillettes w/ pickled carrots is the perfect example of Oldroyd’s playful take on a classic.

All the elements of the French Lapin à la moutarde, and yet something completely different and absolutely brilliant in its simplicity.

Smoked haddock croquetas aka crunchy/melty heaven in a mouthful.

Nettle & ricotta malfatti, broad beans, berkswell & crispy sage.

Delicate gnocchi/ravioli hybrid parcels and proof if there ever needed one that vegetarian food can be truly stunning.

Oldroy’d menu is rather light on the meaty side, but the few meaty dishes are well worth ordering.

Proof is in the Lamb sweetbreads with peas and bacon; a great example of bistro food at its finest.

Finally, my favourite of all dishes: Norfolk asparagus, brown crab rouille, Cornish white crab & chervil.

Basically Spring on a plate.

After chatting with the staff for a little while (and a few spoonfuls of the homemade tiramisu…), we said our goodbyes and headed home already dreaming of the next time we’d be heading to Oldroyd.

Want to make them your local? Find them here

And if you ever need somebody to go splitsies on any of Oldroyd’s crab dishes, give me a ring!

Oldroyd, 344 Upper Street, London N1 0PD

Oldroyd | Islington, London

30-07-201530-07-2015 Local Black BookBritish, Islington, London, Oldroyd, Restaurants, review, small plates10 Comments

This whole “small plate” concept is one I can definitely get behind.

For people like me who struggle to pick only a few items out of a menu, it’s a godsend as it allows us to try a bit of everything, all in the name of sharing and being social.

Not that you need to be a big group to justify ordering the entire menu at Oldroyd…Which is rather a good thing as I wanted to order every single dish.

In my book, this is the sign of a really good restaurant indeed. Not that I was expecting anything else from Tom Oldroyd, formerly of the Polpo fame.
We started off the meal on a high indeed with Summer radishes, smoked cod’s roe & celery salt.

Crunchy, peppery, smoky… So good it got the BF reaching for more (and he doesn’t even like cod roe!).
But the best was still to come. More specifically in the form of the Crab tagliarini provençal with brown crab rouille.

A stellar dish and one of the best things I’ve ever eaten (and you know me, I do not say that lightly!)Lamb & almond meatballs with salsa romesco was the ultimate comfort food and the pickled garlic slices made for an interesting, refreshing twist on the old classic. Last (but not least) of the savoury dishes was the Grilled pork ribeye with borlotti beans, chard and hazelnut pistou.

The meat was cooked to perfection and the sweetness of the hazelnut pesto complemented it very well indeed! And so did the zucchini fries! Cake + Whisky | Oldroyd We moved onto pudding with the Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse with salted pistacchio praline and fresh raspberries. But most importantly, we finally got our (admitidely greedy) hands on the Stone fruit & brioche pain perdu, which I’d had my eyes on since the beginning of the meal. And there’s only one word to describe this dish: GLORIOUS!

That dessert alone could easily convince me to pass the doors for another meal at Oldroyd.

That is, if I’m ever organised enough to get a table… the rest of London seems to be well aware of how good a restaurant it is! So if you’re planning a visit, it might be safer to book a table…

Oldroyd, 344 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0PD

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Oldroyd | Islington, London