Pidgin

Once the young upstart in upwards-trending Hackney, Pidgin has aged from greenhorn to industry veteran over the course of eight years. Perhaps most impressive of all, the restaurant has stuck faithfully - or stubbornly, depending how you see it - to a philosophy of serving a weekly-changing tasting menu where no dish is ever repeated.

Naz Hassan is the new man in charge of Pidgin’s long-running streak, and he brings an eclectic, international vibe to the menu, which shimmies and weaves between global influences. Bangladesh-born Hassan grew up in Milan and has worked at the likes of BiBi and Crispin, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the menu is equally well-travelled.

Inside, Pidgin is a picture of wabi-sabi, earth-toned shabby-chic. The natural wood floors are pleasantly worn in a boarding school sort of way, and dishes arrive in magnificent bits of crockery that proudly wear signs of their use. A window seat is a lovely spot to enjoy one of the signature Kampot Negronis and watch the comings and goings of Wilton Way outside.

A light, crisp onion bhaji starts us off very nicely, before we swing straight into a bowl of tofu with century egg, and a trio of plump prawn wontons with prawn head bisque and chilli dressing. The twists and turns of the menu have the potential to be a little jarring, but if there’s one thing you can guarantee at Pidgin, it’s excitement. Among lots of good things, a pair of classic European rabbit dishes - a hefty croquette with lovage puree, and a braise with borlotti and nasturtium - are stand-outs.

Delicious though everything is, not everything has the precision you might expect - a final dessert of pear, matcha and verbena is a play on tea and biscuits, but it has a homespun feel that perhaps is the result of Pidgin’s overriding concept. Coming up with - let alone testing - a completely new menu every seven days is seriously challenging, and it seems inevitable that some ideas will hit the menu that aren’t quite fully formed. The sheer creativity is admirable, though, and those quirky idiosyncrasies make Pidgin all the more charming.

Pidgin is a restaurant in Hackney that serves a weekly-changing tasting menu, with dishes taking eclectic global influences. The restaurant is well-known as one of East London's earlier fine dining restaurants and it once held a Michelin star.

A number of well-known chefs have started their careers at Pidgin before going on to do well with their own restaurants. Elizabeth Haigh won a Michelin star whilst head chef of Pidgin, before going on to create Mei Mei in Borough Market, and the likes of Drew Snaith and Adolfo De Cecco have also held the position. 

The restaurant itself sits in a relatively small space on Wilton Way - a Hackney backstreet close to Hackney Downs and Hackney Central stations. The atmosphere is cosy and intimate, with drinks made at a bar area in the restaurant and dishes coming out of the adjoining kitchen area. Pale blues and greys give the interiors a calm, serene vibe, whilst a well-stocked wine shelf runs all the way around the restaurant's upper wall, lending to Pidgin's neighbourhood restaurant atmosphere.

Pidgin is famously built on a philosophy of never repeating a dish twice across a tasting menu that changes every week. To date, the restaurant has never served the same dish twice, and has served well over 1000 unique dishes to date. As a result, guests know that every visit guarantees entirely new dishes on the menu, and dishes take on myriad international influences. The menu at the time of writing includes monkfish with parsnip and grape, a grouse shami kebab, an onion bhaji, and potato with dulse and creme fraiche.

The restaurant also serves wines by the glass and bottle, a wine flight to accompany the tasting menu, and a compact cocktail menu that includes an Oyster Shell Martini (gin, oyster shell, miso), Toasted Rice Martini (vodka, toasted rice, pickle) and a Kampot Negroni (gin, Antica Formula, Campari, kampot pepper).