Wenlock & Essex

18-26 Essex Rd
London
N1 8LN

Wenlock & Essex is a new venture from the people behind The Diner. I certainly like the interiors more than when it was The Living Room – the new décor is funkier, with nice red leather booths in the back for a comfortable dining experience. For the first month, they were offering 50% off the food bill, which made it an attractive gamble. J and I met up there for dinner and ordered salt and pepper calamari to start, followed by lamb meatballs in tomato and chilli sauce for me, and smoked haddock fishcakes for her. We also couldn’t resist a giant bowl of chips to share. The calamari was fantastic – really crisp, greaseless frying skills with a great lemon-yogurt dipping sauce on the side. I also loved my lamb meatballs – they tasted of happy spring lambs and came with great garlic toasts on the side to scoop up the extra sauce. J raved about her fishcakes and the chips were fine – nothing special, but certainly good enough for chips. The waitress noted that we had ordered well, saying that most people were going for the steak and chips on the menu but that she thought our dishes were better. Since I went back with A a few days later and had the steak, I can now agree with her – the steak is not the strong point here – stick to the other dishes on the menu and you can have a very satisfying meal.