A Hot Dinners exclusive
Big news for lovers of Islington's Prawn on the Lawn, they're about to move into a much bigger spot - and it's just a short hop away from the original, taking over the spot where LeCoq used to be.
If you're not familiar with Prawn on the Lawn, it's half fishmongers and half wine bar serving up cold bar seafood dishes. So, up until now. that means plenty of prawns, ceviches and the like. But the move to the new spot means that they'll have a proper kitchen for the first time in London (as they also have a restaurant in Padstow).
So you'll be able to select your fish from the front, tell them how you want it prepared (filleted or whole) and how you want it cooked. So they'll have more traditional styles of lemon, garlic or rosemary as well as Thai-style marinade with kaffir line and lemongrass. And expect more new dishes, many taken from the Padstow menu. Some examples of recent dishes from the menu include:
- Hake, paprika butter beans, coriander
- Plaice tempura, curry sauce, crispy shallots
- Scallops, Thai marinade, Thai basil
- Seared tuna, chili, spring onion, soy and mirin
- Octopus, cuttlefish ink cannellini beans, chermoula
- Raw carabineros, basil oil, orange zest
- Brill steak, truffled lardo, onion
- Whole mackerel, N'duja, Nasturtium
That's just a taster, mind. The menu will change all the time, depending on the day catch that comes from Cornwall. Plus there will be shellfish stew, which varies depending what we they have but typically mussels, clams, cockles, prawns and scallop steamed in a tomato, saffron, thyme, garlic and white wine sauce.
As for the look of the place, part of the floor is dedicated to the fish - and you'll still be able to pop in and pick up the freshest fish to cook at home. They'll keep some of the wine barrels to sit around with a bite and a glass of wine, they'll be adding more tables and will have a lot more bar space too, including some by the kitchen. So it sounds like an ideal space for dinner or just to pop in for a snack. And they'll be keeping the downstairs private dining room if you fancy getting up to 20 people together for a fish supper.
It's a short turnaround too - the original place closes on Saturday 22 April, and they should be up and running in the new spot on the following Thursday.
What: Prawn on the Lawn
Where: 292-294 St Paul's Rd, Highbury East, London N1 2LH
When: 27 April, 2017.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @PrawnOnTheLawn.
