Sustainable fish restaurants are pretty hot topic in London and there appears to be no sign of their interest fading. It’s great timing, then, for Shaun Henderson (founder of one of the UK’s most sustainable fish suppliers) to launch sustainable seafood restaurant Of the Hook in Wapping. The site consists of three elements – a seafood restaurant, a fish and chip shop (to takeaway) and a fish butchery. Using low-impact methods and trusted fishermen, the idea behind the concept is that all the fish on the menu can be traced back to the original fisherman that caught them. Diners will also be able to see which boat the fish was caught on, the method used to catch it and the time it arrived in London with the process highlighted on the menu. This is one of those instances when too much information is actually a good thing.
Examples of dishes include wild seabass sashimi with wasabi, pickles, soy and shiso, Iki-Jime trout with nori seaweed, trout roe and spring onion, dry-aged monkfish with kimchi and fennel and halibut with wild chanterelles, crown prince squash and cider stock.
The drinks offering at Off the Hook also takes inspiration from the sea, with a range of cocktails using ingredients and produce from coast. These include the Messy Martini, made with Cornish Morveren absinthe, Pilgrim & Galaxy hop gin and vermouth and an Oyster shot made with Cornish squid ink gin served out of a Maldon rock oyster.
A separate entrance houses a fish and chip takeaway at the rear of the site. The modern chippie will feature battered hake and chips, crab and chips, lobster rolls and crab mac n cheese.
Within the fish butchery, Off the Hook uses a traditional drying process which involves hanging the fish by its tail and aging it in drying cabinets to enhance the flavour of the fish. A daily selection of seasonal fish will be available to purchase from the Fish Butchery for guests to enjoy at home.