If ever a restaurant could be described as a "hidden" gem, the newly opened Hat & Feathers surely qualifies. Tucked away at the least gentrified end of Clerkenwell, its sleek dining rooms are shielded by a frontage of frosted glass and minimal signage. But once inside, it is clear that this is no old man’s boozer or bangers and mash joint.
Wooden flooring, reclaimed from a Jesuit seminary, and flickering vintage gas wall lamps evoke a period Victorian atmosphere, while calming beiges and browns showcase the black leather chairs and, along one edge of the modest dining room, giant mirrors ensure that even wall-gazers get a view. Hang on, are those ostrich-leather banquettes? Thankfully not: I am assured they are faux.
We are shown to a window table overlooking Goswell Road’s slightly desolate junction with Clerkenwell Road but the double glazing is miraculous and we are left in peace. The tranquillity is heightened by the fact that there is only one other diner in the upstairs restaurant during our mid-week lunchtime visit. It’s still early days for the Hat & Feathers, which only opened in its present guise in December 2006.
Once a traditional Victorian pub, the building lay empty for 16 years while its precious backyard real estate brought in a good income as a parking lot. The car park is still open, though thankfully out of view, and there are plans to open a hotel on the site if the planning department is feeling kind. The makeover has been no small undertaking, with the refurbishment taking three years to complete at a cost of £1.5m.
It’s not only the decor they have got right. The food is pretty special too and is, if anything, undersold by an at times ludicrously understated menu. Who would have guessed, for instance, that the surprisingly cold “horseradish” promised alongside the slow-roasted beef would, in fact, be horseradish ice cream? I might have gone for the beef just to try the horseradish ice cream if it had actually appeared on the menu. As it was, we assumed the sauce was still defrosting.
As a starter, I opt for an extremely creamy but delicious poached smoked haddock risotto with chives and a saffron foam. Though the texture is more akin to Ambrosia creamed rice and contains unimaginable numbers of calories, I scrape every last unctuous mouthful from the presentable square bowl. My lunching partner is more adventurous and dips her fork into a lively salad of shredded confit duck, roasted beetroot cubes and a parmesan wafer. Her generous salad is given an unusual, sherbet-like zing by the innovative inclusion of baked orange zest; described on the enigmatic menu as “orange powder” but compared by my friend to “neat Lemsip”.
One appealing feature of the menu is that a suggested partner wine is printed beneath each dish, priced by the glass. With my risotto I should be drinking a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc at £3.75, while a £4.50 Rioja Navajas Tinto is recommended for the Lemsip duck salad.
So far, so merry. On to the mains, and I can’t resist a mention of chocolate, let alone toffee, so I order the loin of venison with celeriac puree, despite the refreshingly honest waiter telling me he doesn’t like it. Someone has to hate truffle oil, I suppose, and it does rather overpower the celeriac. But the dish is beautifully presented, the potato tower crispy and the venison, chocolate and toffee a menage a trois made in heaven. My companion opts for the “uniformly excellent” four-hour roasted beef with anchovy crumb, onion puree and the surprise horseradish ice cream.
By now we’re wise to the no-frills menu listings and go for a banana split and “3 strawberries”, safe in the knowledge that what you see is unlikely to be what you get. Indeed not, and the banana dish proves a fantastic and playful exploration: a delice, a dried slice, a jelly and more zinging "powder" are accompanied by raspberries and a good dollop of rum-and-raisin ice cream.
Head chef Adam Culerwell (formerly of Le Meridien Waldorf and the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel) clearly knows what he’s doing here and isn’t afraid to have a little fun. The execution of standard dishes is excellent and the style and flavours far exceed expectations for the price, while the fresh twists certainly keep things interesting. Now all they need to do is bring a little common sense to the menu … and invest in a street sign.
· The Hat & Feathers Dining Rooms, 2 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5PQ
Tel: 020 7310 8579; hatandfeathers@btconnect.com). Two courses at lunch or dinner are £22.95.
The upstairs restaurant is open Monday to Friday from midday to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10.30pm, and on Saturday for dinner only from 6pm to 10.30pm. The Hat & Feathers will soon open for Sunday lunch from midday to 2.30pm.
The downstairs bar, also serving some pretty fancy bar food (eg confit duck risotto, mussels, steak sandwich and fish and chips), is open from midday to midnight (sometimes later), Monday to Saturday.