This vibrant new eatery is a major new addition to the food scene in this area. Peter Morrell was there for the opening
Audrey’s Cafe Bar is conveniently located on an island site in Flat Iron Square. The early Spring opening is well timed, as there is a lot of outdoor space around the restaurant. It’s shaded by two large London plane trees, ideal for al fresco dining and drinking.
The restaurant has a brasserie style menu, breakfast in the morning, light bites during the day, and more substantial food from 3:00pm ’til late. For breakfast expect everything from bircher muesli with coconut yoghurt and London honey to an exotic ‘Full English’ with the addition of avocado and halloumi. During the day you can enjoy a reuben deli sandwich with salt beef and Swiss cheese, a chicken schnitzel toastie, and a three-cheese toasted sourdough which includes Stichelton, a sublime cheese, the equivalent of an unpasteurised stilton.
I went along in the evening to sample items on the a la carte menu. The restaurant, a stroll from Borough Market, is light, bright, and very buzzy, with cool Jacob Collier style jazz harmonies as the background music. There are two separate dining spaces, and a large terrace outside.
I sampled dishes from the a la carte menu which feature snacks, sharing plates, and sides. From the starter list, I tasted one of the signatures, mutton popcorn, a little cube of coated pulled lamb with a green chilli ketchup. Also, from the list was crispy coated fried gordal olives with jalapeno whipped feta, and a delicate little shell of filo pastry with smoked eel and horseradish. It was easy to appreciate the quality and inventiveness of the food from these first three dishes. There was a pleasing combination of flavours and textures.
The mains were equally as good, the lemon sole carpaccio with peach and marjoram was fresh and uplifting, and my wife particularly liked the grilled courgette slices topped with a butter bean purée and lemon. I was impressed with the pork chop schnitzel with gochujang bean paste, aioli, and pickled kohlrabi. We finished with a flavour packed rare, aged ribeye with artichokes and bitter leaves.
There is a small but well curated drinks list, with an interesting range of cocktails matched to the breakfast, the light bites, and a la carte menus. All the wines are served by the glass including an English bubbly from Rathfinny. There is also a good range of alcohol free and hot drinks. We paired an aperol spritz, birra moretti, and very drinkable 2019 Puglian primitivo with our food.
Audrey’s really is the ideal place to visit and relax, it’s well located, with lots of outdoor space, and offers a great range of food and drinks.
Audrey’s Cafe Bar
1 Flat Iron Square,
Union Street,
London SE1 0AB
Email: hello@audreyslondon.co.uk
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