We all have hobbies. Maybe for you it’s dressing your puppy in cute costumes or life drawing classes. Or maybe it’s finding the best value for money brunch and cocktails for the weekend. If it's the latter, then you should know about Shutters.
Straight from the rugged Cornish coast to the business hub of London, Shutters opened its doors in Canary Wharf in December 2021 in the new Conran-designed, hotel-styled ground floor of One Canada Square. The central concept of Shutters is to celebrate local Cornish produce fresh from sea and land, inspired by the energetic, sun-kissed living of Southern California.
To kick us off from the fish-led menu were the tacos. Tempura lobster in a blue corn tortilla with slabs of colour from the fiery Salsa Roja, lettuce and pickles, a perfectly delectable hand-held start to the meal. This was swiftly followed by the fist size Cornish crab cakes with bois boudin, burnt baby leeks and briny anchovy mayo as well as the globe artichoke and aubergine fritti with labneh and small shards of dehydrated yogurt and fresh honeycomb woven in. Both equally toothsome.
Continuing down the savoury route (well sort of) was the Croque Madame with maple bacon, Gruyère cheese, miso bechamel and a fried egg — a hefty sandwich, dense and beguilingly sweet.
Along comes the frizzle chicken with southern style biscuits and smoked sausage gravy. The hero was the chicken coating, it had that kind of thunderous crunch that fills your ears with noise when you bite down, releasing the juicy chicken from its armour. When you then add the gravy, you shoot up a rank or two in terms of chicken; no longer a Colonel, we're talking Lieutenant General's chicken.
The headline here is the dutch pancake, arriving on a lagoon of sea salt dark chocolate caramel and melted butter. So good that you’ll want to press your face down to the plate to whisper goodbye afterwards. I must mention the cocktails; ranging from £7-£9 you'll be hard pressed to find anything that affordable within a 5 mile radius. Ultimately, I would strongly nudge you to try Shutters and the bar upstairs named Cartel for your next dizzy night out.
Shutters is a year round treasure, perfect for any occasion, be it a date, dinner-with-the-relatives, or throw-down group brunch hang. And no, your wallet will not be significantly emptier by the end of it either.
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Chatting Food Contributor: Erica Pilavaki
Growing up with the aroma of meat grilling over open coals, views of vine wrapped mountains and surrounded by the abundant seas of Cyprus, Erica has food and drink in her heart and soul. Contact Erica about London restaurant recommendations and the latest products in food and drink.
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