Leroy
Shoreditch, London
Billed as a 'wine bar and restaurant', Leroy is just the sort of place you might hope to stumble upon in Paris. Somewhere to go for a glass of wine, some nice music, and a few plates of simple good food. In London, in restaurant-dense, concept-crazy Shoreditch, Leroy’s Parisian-inspired insouciance feels positively pared back, certainly on a weekday lunch, when the only menu is a (good-value) prix-fixe with just two choices per course. Cheese and charcuterie plates are optional extras. We admired the common-sense restaurant economics and humble Italian comfort food, although picky diners may not feel the same way. It’s true, Vesuvio tomatoes on toast or veal meatballs with soft polenta are perhaps not the dishes to inspire punters to go deep into the wine list; however, they should enjoy the variety by the glass (from Lambrusco to Nuits-Saint-Georges) and the sheer range on offer (from classic to modern, England to Oz). At lunch, Leroy is a wine bar or even a canteen; by night, it’s a fully fledged, fizzing, buzzing restaurant. The old records and empty magnums that line the shelves speak of many a good evening. Chef Simon Shand (Frenchie, Wild Honey etc) draws inspiration from the Mediterranean: smoked eel Caesar salad with chicken skin, and a pairing of white asparagus with San Daniele ham and sherry hollandaise are typical of his intelligent, inventive approach.
