From the team behind beloved London Fields restaurant Papi comes The Golden Tooth, a new pub-restaurant on Green Lanes, just north of Newington Green. Taking over the site that used to house the historic Leconfield pub, chef Matthew Scott and wine merchant Charlie Carr have reimagined the space as a neighbourhood pub and dining room specialising in nostalgic British classics.
A beautiful wooden bar takes centre stage, where guests can watch oysters being shucked to order. Original tiled fascia, warm wood panelling, vintage bentwood furniture and hand-painted signage give the place a timeless, lived-in feel, and true to Papi form, the loos are a characterful shade of vibrant red.
The room splits into a 55-cover dining room and a more relaxed pub space for casual drinking and grazing. The bar side keeps things fun and snacky: freshly shucked oysters, currywurst, fried ox tongue, a Bedfordshire clanger with Thai-style gooseberry jam, and mussels toast with house lardo.
While the restaurant menu is where Scott's cooking hits its stride, built around grilled meats, chops, pies and sharing plates. Smaller dishes include the likes of veal sweetbread saltimbocca, Montgomery cheese puffs with sun gold tomato ketchup and steak tartare with lacto cep and mushroom crackers. These sit alongside larger plates such as turbot tranche with raw crème fraîche and grilled peas, Old Spot pork with quince and kid goat chop with ezme salad.
Naturally, classic puddings are the star of the show, ranging from childhood favourites like an Arctic roll with sour cherry to a steamed quince pudding with crème fraîche. To round off the week, the team turn their hand to an opulent roast dinner on Sundays.
Drinks lean into low-intervention wines, courtesy of Carr's Wingnut Wines, alongside Guinness on tap for those who fancy a pint.