young turks at ten bells, e1

there’s been a lot of hype and i know that what i’m going to say is hardly original, but the food being served up by the young turks at ten bells really is very wonderful.

i first came across this collective via ben greeno who hosted a wonderful pop up over 18 months ago. ben has since moved on to become head chef at momofuku in sydney but the food that is being cooked by the young turks team is not suffering from his absence.

it’s a pop up with very little time left (28th april is the latest end date) and due to the praise that has been heaped on the cooking, bookings are difficult to get . but if you do make it, this four-course menu plus snacks is the sort of food you might be eating

blood cracker, pear and lardo

monkfish cheek & seaweed

duck heart & jerusalem artichoke

***

monk’s beard, squid and ink

purple sprouting broccoli, duck egg and anchovy

cod, grilled leek and potato

***

rhubarb and buttermilk

everything i ate was delicious and if i was offered the chance to eat it again, i’d say yes to every single dish. i did have favourites though – rich offally duck hearts, served with a smear of jerusalem artichoke puree, meltingly tender squid tossed with wild garlic and crunchy monk’s beard (which reminded me about the jar of pickled agretti which is still sitting in my cupboard – it will see light of day very soon, i promise!) and the intense rhubarb sorbet which accompanied pink poached stems and buttermilk, served in both ice cream and crisp format.

the only dish which caused voices of dissent to be raised was the duck egg – the sous vide slow cooking at a low temperature produces a very gelatinous egg white which can be off putting; there were also mixed views on the enormous pile of silky anchovy mayonnaise that accompanied it (which i adored and happily scoffed, in its entirety, with the purple sprouting broccoli).

the other truly wonderful thing about the young turks was their wine list, around half of which are natural wines which creates allows you to try to some very interesting drinks. they are also fantastic value – the ouest 2001, mas coutelou from the langedoc was a steal at £26, for example!

so, there you go – delicious food, good value wine and with a limited run, it’s not surprising they are busy. a good alternative might be to try some their recipes for yourself.

young turks at ten bells

first floor, 84 commercial street, london e1 6ly

t - 07530 492986