Found on bustling Brick Lane, Raw is a multi-hyphenate venue consisting of a seafood restaurant, cocktail bar and fishmongers (there is also a second site in Fitzrovia). The light-filled dining room is done out like an upscale fish and chip shop, featuring blue and white tiled walls, wicker pendant lights hanging from the ceiling and a partially open kitchen towards the back of the room where guests can watch the chefs at work.
The menu at Raw is a celebration of all things fresh fish and seafood, with the food offering featuring a mixture of classic seafood dishes alongside a variety of plates with international influences. The a la carte is split between oysters, buns and tempura, dishes ‘from the sea’, sides and desserts.
To begin, opt for a helping of sourdough bread with seaweed butter or shuck Maldon oysters.
Next up, you can choose to order a few dishes from the buns and tempura section to share between your table, or just skip straight to the ‘proper’ main courses. The former sees the likes of salt cod croquettes dipped in spicy miso mayonnaise or a tuna tartare bun stuffed with burrata and spiced tomatoes, while the latter features dishes such as miso Cornish monkfish with garden peas or red prawns carpaccio with ponzu dressing and white truffle oil. To pad out your meal, choose from sides such as crushed spiced potatoes or a fresh tomato salad.
There are just two desserts to choose from on Raw’s menu: yuzu mousse or coffee mousse with chocolate meringue. There is plenty of opportunity for liquid afters though, thanks to Raw’s list of house cocktails, which includes novel twists on famous sips. Take the Squid Ink Mary, which adds squid ink infused vodka to a classic Bloody Mary recipe, or the Nori Pisco Sour, pepped up with a nori seaweed syrup.