When you think of a Shoreditch restaurant, TT is the kind of place that comes to mind; all stark wood and exposed brick, with a roof terrace featuring decor that isn’t a far cry from nearby Shoreditch House (think hanging bamboo lampshades, loadsa plants and rattan furniture). The ‘ditch might not be as cool as it once was, with tech bros and finance workers encroaching on its graffitied streets, but it’s still packed full of creative directors, plucky advertising interns and streetwear designers. TT is the kind of place where execs and hipsters can exist in harmony, and both have a nice time doing it. On a midweek evening in spring the place was packed with fashionable couples, after-work friends and preppy young professionals.
Formerly known as TT Liquor, a bar with regular guest chef residencies, they’ve recently upped the food offering to become a full-blown restaurant. In the kitchen is ex-Oren head chef Sam Lone – he’s curated a menu of small and big woodfired dishes. Given that TT used to be a straight up cocktail bar, drinks were fabulous. The Violet Tendencies was floral, delicate and a mystical shade of blue. Its polar opposite, but equally delicious, was the sultry Lucifer; a rich concoction of bourbon and chocolate bitters. A mature drink.
Chargrilled aubergine was sweet, smokey and wonderfully gooey
On the food front, things were a bit hit and miss. Let’s start with the good. An impressively big and pillowy focaccia was a serious statement dish, thanks to its larger-than-life presence on the table. It was also an excellent vessel for delivering mounds of burnt aubergine with a tart brown butter yoghurt base into my mouth. The chargrilled aubergine was sweet, smokey and wonderfully gooey, with a fun bit of texture from pomegranate seeds and crushed almonds. Octopus skewered on a rosemary sprig looked very pretty on a bed of tomato and olive oil, and the woodfired cookery complimented the octopus’ natural sweetness.
Unfortunately, the good dishes were let down by a dry pork belly in a ketchup-y barbecue sauce. Flaky grilled cod was tasty, but it overpowered by a too tangy lemon-herb dressing. Advertised as a ‘butter sauce’, it wasn’t the delicate buttery liquid I’d hoped for, instead having a yoghurt-y taste and consistency. But the biggest damp squib was the sticky toffee pudding. Borderline stale (and tough), the slab of cake arrived unceremoniously swimming in a generic toffee sauce soup, and not much better than a bog standard dessert at the local pub.
The staff were all sweet, but it seemed that service kinks were still being ironed out: the wrong dish was brought to our table twice, and plates took a long time to be cleared. Dinner at TT is also pretty spendy – with cocktails, wine and food, it was nearly £100 a head. At those prices, you’d expect more. I think TT’s got potential, but it’s not quite there yet.
The vibe Woodfired eats, cocktails and wines on a swish Shoreditch roof terrace.
The food Smokey, from-the-grill European-inspired small and large plates.
The drink A decent wine list, but the unique and carefully blended cocktails are where TT really shines.
Time Out tip There’s a chic cinema in the basement. Why not check out a screening of a cult classic after dinner?