Shoreditch has slowly but surely become one of London’s leading restaurant destinations, so it seems only right that chef Tom Brown has moved in with this exceptional seafood restaurant. Offering a more relaxed and nostalgic vibe than his previous projects, Pearly Queen specialises in familiar flavours executed in ways you’ve never seen before.
Unlike his first haunt Cornerstone, the decor here is a little more novel. The restaurant is laced with oyster memorabilia - think pearl lights and oyster artwork - as well as purple neon lighting, and even a portrait of the man himself (although there's a good chance you'll see him in the kitchen too).
The menu offers luxury ingredients with a surprisingly modest price tag; expect oysters in various forms, caviar, and some of the best fish the UK has to offer. While we usually prefer oysters in their natural form, the crispy fried buffalo oysters with ranch dressing appear to be the exception to the rule. Reminiscent of crispy chicken wings, the crunchy snack is heavily doused in tangy buffalo sauce and a cool ranch dressing, adding further depth to an already knockout dish. How has nobody thought of this before?
Everything else is pretty faultless, from cured fish to scampi and BBQ monkfish which all demonstrate perfect seafood cookery. Vegetables, too, play a major role. A dish of hispi cabbage, for example, combines slightly bitter charring with sweet crab and an umami-rich miso sauce.
Desserts follow a less is more approach with just a few options. We opted for sticky toffee Madeleines with sea salt and clotted cream, which does what it says on the tin but with added finesse. Don't sleep on one of its signature cocktails - we can personally vouch for the ‘Cornerstone’ with whisky, rock salt, pepper and peat.
There’s no doubt that Pearly Queen deserves its royal title, and we’d head back in a heartbeat for the buffalo oysters alone.