What do we need to know about Jago?
Jago is the first venture from Head Chef, Louis Solley (formerly Head Chef of Ottolenghi, Notting Hill), Hugo Thurston (formerly General Manager of Morito) and entrepreneur Vinny Burke. Given the backgrounds of Louis and Hugo, it fits that Jago’s menu of small plates focuses largely on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours.
Where is it?
At Second Home, a new creative workspace located on Hanbury Street, just off Brick Lane. Jago takes its name from the colloquial title given to the area stretching from Shoreditch High Street to Spitalfields in the nineteenth century.
Where should I meet friends for drinks first?
Plenty of options in this part of London. Pubs such as The Culpeper and The Ten Bells are both close by and, if it’s cocktails you’re after then the bar at Hawksmoor and Discount Suit Company are a short walk away.
Where should I sit?
Most of the tables at Jago are located in a long, curved and clear-roofed extension to the main building which has a bank of bench seating running along the back of it and just one line of tables in front. As such, there’s not much to choose between them, apart from the fact that each end is a little cosier in the corners.
So what should we eat?
Most of the dishes are small plates for sharing, plus a couple of larger mains. The style of food is a perfect fit for sharing and we opted for a few small dishes plus one main, which was a good amount for two people.
Best of the small dishes was ‘pulled brisket with cabbage and beetroot slaw’, a very pleasing mound of thinly shredded slow roast beef with sharp and crisp homemade slaw. A close second were juicy sardines, simply dressed with olive oil and lemon, placed on a thick slice of toast covered in a rough tomato paste. We also enjoyed the roast scallops, served with onion puree, roast shallots and black truffle shavings, and also the crunchy florets of cauliflower served with tahini, almonds and pomegranate.
Our main was pressed pork belly with hispi cabbage and salsa verde which was simple but executed very well. Desserts again were fairly straightforward but it was hard to find fault with pannacotta and poached rhubarb and the sea salt chocolate tart.
And for drinks?
The drinks list is short but sweet, with a few classic cocktails, beers from Spain and from Kernel in London, and a well-crafted European wine list that includes a few sherries. Most wines are available by the glass and bottles start at around £20.
Overall thoughts
The consistently good succession of plates we tried at Jago shows that Louis Solley clearly knows what he’s doing in the kitchen – nothing on the menu is overly-complicated, resulting in simple, flavoursome dishes. Those that work in the building might just have one of the best office cafes in the area; for everyone else, Jago is well worth seeking out.
Jago is at 68–80 Hanbury Street London E1 5JL. Find out more about Jago
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Jago. Prices were correct at the time of writing.
