Open Kitchen
40 Hoxton Street, Hoxton, London N1 6LR
There aren’t too may bargains to be had in Hoxton and Shoreditch, but this is definitely one of them: it’s an outlet for budding trainee chefs enrolled at the London City Hospitality Centre. The restaurant features lime-green and pink furniture, pale patterned wallpaper and wooden floors, and is more stylish than institutional. And the food is both dirt cheap and reliably good: they aim to use local, seasonal and Fairtrade produce where possible. It’s open for lunch and dinner – mains might include steak and kidney pie, grilled salmon, or mushroom stroganoff tart. They also run cookery evening classes and specialist courses in bread-making, fish-preparation and knife skills.