London isn’t exactly short on pubs, but it famously only plays host to one Michelin starred spot, so high-end examples can be harder to find than you might expect. Luckily, The Baring is one such spot, serving up a gastronomic menu stuffed with crowd-pleasing plates.
The duo behind the operation - chef Rob Tecwyn and general manager Adam Symonds - come to the pass with more than a decade of experience behind them each, having met ten years ago at the Bull and Last in Highgate, another of London’s best pubs. Following their meet, the pair then parted ways to work at a number of other top hospitality ventures including Dabbous, Kerridge’s Bar and Grill and Orasay, before coming together again to work on this Islington venture.
Here there are stripped-back yet warm interiors, painted brick walls and waxed wooden tables with green accents and feature lighting. The location between Islington and Shoreditch ensures a steady stream of locals who span trendy through to well-heeled.
Rob’s cooking is stalwartly unfussy, with a focus on flavour first. You’ll find humble ingredients given the all-star treatment as well as a long list of small-scale suppliers highlighted on the menu. Start with a selection of snacks with a drink or two from the bar before moving onto starters like smoked eel and pig cheek terrine with horseradish and daikon or quail shish with garlic yogurt and pul biber chilli. Mains are a short but smart run and might include roasted gurnard with onion and taramasalata or salt marsh lamb rump with kofte, aubergine and shishito pepper. A couple of sweets complete the offering and are typically something along the lines of an oven-warm financier with whipped cream or a buttermilk pudding with strawberries and oats.
In line with the food menu, the drinks on offer have also been sourced from small-scale suppliers. There’s a rotating selection of beers from the UK’s best petite breweries as well as a solid wine list and a good, if limited, selection of cocktails.