The Engine Rooms

Are there many places more soulless than a car showroom? Tiled floors, large open spaces, the smell of new upholstery and rubber tyres. Before our booking at The Engine Rooms we were ready to be disappointed, having learned that the restaurant - which opened in the summer of 2021 - is situated in a car showroom in East Finchley.

Arriving, there is little doubt of your location as you enter through the showroom to the large purpose-built restaurant at the back. Once seated, the walls of car memorabilia don’t exactly make it easy to forget the setting but the atmosphere is entirely different - warm, bustling and welcoming - the split kitchen and mezzanine seating area is a place you want to eat.

But if you weren’t feeling reassured just yet, the Engine Room’s menu is sure to convince you this place isn’t just for a test drive. Beginning with a warm plate of homemade focaccia, bread and a generous serving of Moroccan Douce black olives, washed down with a cocktail of negronis and spritzers, we’re pulling away from the starting line in style.

For starters the grey mullet ceviche with confit tomato, cured egg yolk, samphire and pistachio is one of the best things we’ve eaten since lockdown lifted, and the Robata grilled octopus with cauliflower puree and romesco sauce is testament to a chef who knows exactly what they’re doing with seafood. We could have eaten both multiple times over.

For main the pappardelle with Cornish crab and courgette was delicate in flavour but satisfying, and the Merrifield duck breast with pear and cavolo nero was a must-try for any diners. By this point you’ll be feeling full but do make room for the tasty vegan chocolate mousse - in fact plant-based eaters will feel well catered to throughout the menu.

The prices are reasonable for this quality of food and fresh ingredients, and the staff are friendly and omnipresent in that way that makes you feel cared for rather than watched. It is clear there is already a familiar crowd here - many of the tables seemed to know each other. Granted the location is a little unusual, but if you can get past that the menu is well worth your time.

London is no stranger to novel restaurant concepts, but The Engine Rooms is certainly among the most unique: the all-day Mediterranean restaurant is housed inside a classic car showroom.

The Engine Rooms is the brainchild of Paul Michaels, who is the owner of Hexagon, one of the finest classic car dealers in Europe. The restaurant is situated alongside Hexagon’s showroom, which houses luxury vintage cars that sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The dining room itself is split between a ground floor and mezzanine level, following an industrial-chic aesthetic which sees black and white tiled floors, exposed pipework and an extensive collection of modern art which lines the walls. Outside, there is a heated courtyard area, which comes complete with an electric canopy roof, allowing for alfresco dining all year round.

As for the food at The Engine Rooms, the kitchen is headed up by chef James Harrison, whose CV includes Japanese restaurant Taka in Marylebone. The all-day menu is split between starters, seasonal salads, and stone-baked pizzas alongside main courses of fish, vegetables, and meat. Harrison is passionate about using the best of seasonal fish and signatures include grey mullet ceviche served alongside confit tomato dressing, cured egg yolk, samphire and pistachio.

Elsewhere on the menu, you can find dishes such as steamed Cornish hake with fennel and carrot escabeche, smoked cod roe mousse, salty fingers and shellfish oil or Salt Marsh farm Cornish lamb rack with toasted fregola, peas, broad beans and green sauce. Vegetarian diners meanwhile can opt for the likes of mandilli pasta with wild garlic dressing, West combe salted ricotta, white and green asparagus, broad beans, snow peas and toasted pine nuts.

Sweet-toothed guests can end their meal with seasonally changing desserts which might include apricot frangipane pudding with orange blossom or pistachio cream mille-feuille. If you’d rather indulge with liquid afters, instead explore The Engine Room’s impressive list of sustainably sourced wines.