The restaurant section - a lovely place to eat that's separated out from the rest of the space here.
This is the wine pub you've been telling us about?
That's certainly one element of this impressive new Spitalfields operation. The first part, the wine 'tap room' opened up just before Christmas. Now that's been joined by a separate restaurant and there's also a large seating area in the market itself next to Alfi's robata grill-led outside kitchen.
Who's behind it?
That's Ben Hodges and Alex Lewis (who are also part of the team behind Players Social in the market too). They've brought in chef Lorenzo Brigandi which is where it gets even more interesting. He's worked at The Hind's Head and The Waterside Inn in Bray before, most recently, being at Restaurant Story.
Out in the (covered) market, you'll find the huge heated terrace. This will do very, very well when spring properly arrives.
Where is it?
You'll find it on the west side of the covered part of Spitalfields Market, sandwiched in between Brother Marcus and The Grocer - it's taken over the space that used to be Leon. The nearest tube is Liverpool Street and it's also close to Shoreditch overground.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
Definitely here! The wine bar here obviously features a large choice of wines on offer with 10 on tap at any one point, along with an extensive list. But they also do a nice line in cocktails too.
All the wines on tap at Alfi
What's on the menu?
That depends where and when you're eating. In addition to a brunch menu at the weekends, the bar menu changes up from small plates and filled focaccia during the day to a greater range of dishes in the evening. We were here to try the restaurant menu which is different again. It splits into what isn't called, but is priced as starters and mains, with the former being in the teens and the larger dishes going up to £30.
Here's what we had to give you an idea of what to expect:
Baked scamorza, sourdough, sauce vierge (£12) - a strong recommendation for ordering this while you work out what you fancy from the wine list. It arrives still bubbling. Heaven.
King Prawns, chilli & garlic oil, lovage mayo (£16) - three large prawns all smoky from the robata to dredge through that lovage mayo.
BBQ smoked bone marrow with salsa verde and crostini (£10)- another dish that really benefits from the smokiness of the grill. Scoop out the marrow, load it up on the crostini and add the salsa on top.
Cauliflower with bagna cauda and toasted hazelnuts (£12)
Beef tagliata, aged for 28 days, and served up with morels and a bordelaise sauce (£28)
What's on the menu for those looking for plant-forward dishes?
There was plenty to choose from, from a small dish of Jerusalem artichokes with morels and edamame puree to larger dishes of grilled aubergine with gremolata and almond ricotta and paparedelle with a 12-hour tomato sauce along with various salads.
Room for dessert?
Dessert's an easy one as there's just one on offer.
Chocolate cake with Madagascar vanilla ice cream (£7)
Presumably the wine list is good?
It is and definitely rewards being more adventurous than you might normally tend to be. Staff are happy to give you tasters to entice you away from your usual tipples.
In addition to the wines on tap there's a longer wine list too with around 100 bottles on offer. Highlights for us on the night included an organic and biodynamic Riesling and a really good orange wine on tap.
Don't miss out on the cocktails too - these were their By The Fire cocktails (£13) with spiced rum and both chocolate and coffee liqueur.
Overall thoughts:
As a mixture of wine bar, alfresco space and restaurant in Spitalfields, Alfi may have a lot of elements but it manages more than capably to hold it all together. Instead of wondering which bit you should try, we'd suggest doing both the bar and restaurant to really enjoy it. Maybe book in with a group of friends to the bar and opt for dinner another time in the restaurant to give the kitchen a try. It's a very good opening with an experienced team just bursting with enthusiasm that deserves to do well.
More about Alfi
Where is it? 3 Crispin Place, London E1 6DW
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @alfi_spitalfields
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Alfi. Prices correct at the time of publication.
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