Test Driving The Baring - Islington's pub dining renaissance continues

And this is The Baring. 

What can you tell us about The Baring

Islington's been getting a series of impressive new openings recently, The Baring opened just weeks after the launch of another great new Islington pub - The Tamil Prince. 

This pub (which was previously The Poet) has been completely refurbished and reborn as The Baring. In its new guise, it's opened with chef Rob Tecwyn in the kitchen, who was the former head chef of Dabbous and recently Senior Sous Chef at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill. He's joined by General Manager Adam Symonds who has worked at Orasay and Six Portland Road. The two met at Highgate's The Bill and Last a decade ago and now they're running their own pub. So there's a notably good team behind the place and that's certainly a good sign. 

Where can I find it?

You'll find it just off The New North Road, on a corner on Baring Street. It's on the Islington/Hoxton border and as such, the nearest station is probably Essex Road overground (it's about a 10-minute walk from there). 

This is what you're looking for, tucked away on an Islington side street

Can you pop in for a drink or is it just for eating?

There are about eight stools at the bar where you can just pop by for a pint if you fancy which is nice to see in any renovated dining pub. During the day (between the times the main menu is available at lunch and dinner), there's a short bar snacks menu on offer including treats like lamb kofte and taramsalata with grilled bread. 

They say there's a focus on sustainability - how do they achieve that?

We know Hot Dinners readers have a growing interest in this aspect of restaurants, so we asked them to tell us more. 

First up, there's a big focus on managing waste (much gets reused or composted or turned into green electricity), single-use plastics (including things like piping bags) are not used and clingfilm is avoided wherever possible (using containers instead). As Rob Tecwyn told us "All these things sound small but the amount your average restaurant uses is huge. Even the waste oil from the deep fat fryer gets collected and turned into biofuel." There's the same focus on their suppliers. They use the 100% organic Rhug Estate for their meat, Wildfarmed flour for their bread, and ex-Dairy cattle for beef 

As Tecwyn says; "Ultimately it's something I'm very passionate about and we do our best to work with people who share the same passion."

So what's on the menu? 

They describe it as a seasonal menu, showcasing provenance and aiming for a low environmental impact. That's a description that almost everyone seems to use right now, but it does mean it fits in quite well with a current trend with restaurants like Cafe Cecilia and Caravel - good portions, menus that read extremely well, and dishes showcase an element of comfort food (ideal for a pub) backed up by some great expertise in the kitchen. 

Layout-wise, the menu is fairly traditional. While not actually named as such, it's split out in sections that translate as snacks, starters, mains and sides and dessert. Essentially, it's not a small plates affair. 

To give you a taste, here's what we had. 

Ibaïama saucisson (£6) - the perfect snack to kick things off

La Latteria burrata, tomatoes & grilled bread (£12). Simple, elegant and delicious.

Quail shish, garlic yoghurt & pul biber chilli (£10) - This has swiftly become the Baring dish that's turning up on Instagram and it's not hard to see why (that crispy skin is amazing). A must-order.

Salt marsh lamb rump, köfte, aubergine & friggitelli pepper (£27) - a lamb dish and then some. Special mention for the aubergine, which is described as " very much like a baba ganoush but without the tahini -  we blacken aubergines over hot coals to take on a nice smoky flavour, then mix with yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and a splash of Moscatel vinegar". It is QUITE amazing.

Ricotta gnudi, broad beans & girolles (£22) - a particularly great veggie dish packed with seasonal treats.

Grilled Hispi Cabbage (£6). Although you'll have seen this on many a menu of late, it gets special mention here for the added miso dressing and isot biber chilli, which works wonders. 

Buttermilk pudding, strawberries & oats (£9) - creamy pudding covered with crunchy oats and the freshest strawberries. 

Warm almond financier, cherries & cream (£8) - we're very much appreciate the XXL financier here, all chewy and gorgeous.

In addition to the above, there's also a beef rib for two with chimichurri and chips (£76) and a Sunday lunch menu which adds roasts that include grilled pork collar, beef sirloin and a whole roast chicken. 

How is it for vegetarians?

Apart from the above dishes, there was another main - falafel, tahini sauce, grilled spring onion and dill pickle (£20) and another starter of grilled leeks, gribiche and hazelnuts (£10).. 

What about drinks? 

There's a decent-sized wine list (all organic, biodynamic or similar practices) with bottles starting at £29, with about ten served by either glass or carafe (we went for an ever-reliable Melon de Bourgogne ( Domaine De La Quilla 2020 at £34). There are about 10 bottles that are sub £40 and you can head upwards to around £100 if you're splashing out (in this case a Piero Benevetti Barolo 2018 at £110). 

A special mention also goes to the cocktails, particularly the Hogweed Martini (£10).  

The Hogweed Martini (£10)

Overall thoughts

Islington's been having a pretty great time of it restaurant-wise recently. This, The Tamil Prince, Valderrama's and Caravel have all been proper winners. This new pub in particular is delivering an immediately enticing menu that elevates what a pub menu can be while still keeping a strong element of comfort food in there. There's some excellent cooking taking place in their upstairs kitchen and we'd definitely recommend you head down and try it out. 

More about The Baring

Where is it? 55 Baring St, London N1 3DS

When? 12 July 2022

How to book: Book online

Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @thebaring

Hot Dinners ate as guests of The Baring. Prices are correct at the time of writing. 

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