Living in London is a blessing – with so many cuisines and restaurants around, I am spoilt for choice. I am also a creature of habit eating at the same restaurants and fast food places. But then I come across a place I’ve never been to before and it’s added on to the favourites list. Enter Strut and Cluck – a cute restaurant near Spitalfields Market.
Initially, my first question was erm, ok, what options do I have in a place like this, with a name like that? A few tasty options, that’s what! The food menu reads beautifully, and lots of options in the ‘Earth’ section can be made vegan. The cocktails menu was just as uplifting to read, with combinations of drinks and mixers that I’ve never come across before. My tipple of choice to kick off the evening was the aptly named “Jaffa I’ve Mist You” with rum, elderflower and orange in a variety of guises – bitter, candied syrup and even some orange mist. No pic but take it from me – lush!
My omni friend both chose a couple of dishes to have. She had been here before and wanted to reorder the turkey lettuce cups she tried the previous time, along with some roasted mushrooms topped with harissa, cashews and breadcrumbs, both which she thoroughly enjoyed – the lettuce cups in particular.
I chose a couple of salads – roasted butternut squash with beans, radicchio, pumpkin seeds with a citrusy dressing. First time round – came with the goats cheese instead of without (pic has the cheese, forgot to take one without it, but you get the idea). They were very obliging and replaced it without any drama or hoo haa. Second salad was a mountain of veggies – avocado, broccoli, gem lettuce, chickpeas and quinoa. Now this is a salad. The charred lettuce was wonderful – and in my opinion so underrated! The roasted chickpeas were little crunchy flavour bombs that complemented the soft quinoa and peppers. I polished it off!
We also got some pitta and dips to share – soft, hot pillowy pitta halves with 2 dips. One was like a baba ghanoush – smokey and moreish. The other a tahini dip with a dash of zhoug (could have had a stronger chilli hit) – velvety and smooth. A must order!
Other than sorbet, there weren’t any other vegan or desserts that could be veganised, so my meal ended on a savoury note – no complaints. There are some excellent Turkish, Greek, Cypriot – Eastern Mediterranean – restaurants in London, but I just feel that this place does things slightly differently that make it stand out in a good way. I will be back.
PB Eats, PB Travels 