Brawn - (Near Tower Hamlets, South East)

5 /5 Caroline Aherne: We went for lunch, and would do it all again. Started with Irish oysters, light cheese puffs covered with parmesan, a zesty orange & radiccio salad, tender veal ossobuco, gremolata & buttery roast potatoes. Followed by sticky pavlova, rhubarb and pistachios on a pistachio sauce. Staff were friendly and efficient. The restaurant atmosphere was relaxed - they also have another room (for bigger groups), from where you can watch chefs in action. Lots of wine choices and cocktails too.

4 /5 Garth S: Fantastic restaurant. The 2 mains (anglotti and the monkfish) were fantastic. The sauces on the dishes were delicious. The tarte tatin for dessert was perfect. Very good service and really nice ambience. Very cool space

5 /5 T C: Food was fantastic. We shared: - Parmesan Fritters - Pear, radicchio, gorgonzola and walnut salad - Raw scallops with bergamot - Squid with puntarelle and anchovy - Nerverti, coco beans and violet artichokes - Delica pumpkin tortelli - Wild boar ragu pappardelle - Brill - Cheese I especially looooved all the starters…❤️ Very engaging and knowledgeable staff. Tempo of service was perfect, which made the overall dining experience even more enjoyable. Great wine selection as well.

3 /5 Travelling Doc: Over prices for the portions! Wines are over priced for the pours and quality! Tucked just around the corner from Columbia Road, famous for its vibrant flower market, Brawn is easy to miss. There’s no prominent sign above the entrance — just a small notice on the door displaying the day’s menu. It feels understated, almost secretive. Inside, the restaurant is arranged in a C-shape. The entrance opens into a cosy front space with tables and the bar. A narrow corridor leads past the toilets to a second seating area at the back, which overlooks the dining room and kitchen. The ambience is relaxed and stylish, with classic wood panelling and wooden tables, though the chairs are noticeably uncomfortable. The menu is presented on simple sheets of paper, divided into snacks, starters and mains, with cocktails and wines by the glass listed at the back. There is a separate wine list for bottles. Wine prices are on the higher side, and all wines by the glass were unfiltered — presumably natural or organic selections — though not necessarily to everyone’s taste. Examples of 125ml pours included: • Fleurs Sauvages – €10.00 • Ca Se Discute – €10.00 • Côte de Flon – £9.50 • La Bruja – £11.50 These were small 125ml servings at relatively premium prices. We began with bread and butter (£4.50), a standard sourdough with regular butter — pleasant but unremarkable. The Calabrian anchovies with rosemary oil (£15.00) were particularly disappointing: five tiny slithers of anchovy served without bread (which had to be ordered separately). With bread, the dish came to nearly £20, which felt excessive for the portion and overall flavour. Next was the octopus with tomatoes (£17.00), again a very small portion. It tasted reasonably good but wasn’t memorable, and the pricing once again felt ambitious. For mains, the monkfish à la grenobloise with spinach and Jerusalem artichoke (£37.00) consisted of a small piece of monkfish as there was a sizeable bone, half an artichoke, some greens, a single yellow boiled potato and a few vegetables. It was well-cooked and pleasant, but the portion size was extremely modest for the price. The walnut and ricotta agnolotti with chanterelles (£22.00) was enjoyable and nicely balanced, though again the portion size did not justify the cost. Service was attentive and professional throughout, and the atmosphere is relaxed and stylish. However, while the cooking is competent, the portions are small and the pricing feels disproportionate to both quantity and impact. A 12.5% service charge is added. Overall, Brawn offers a pleasant setting and good service, but the food feels significantly overpriced for what arrives on the plate — both in portion and flavour intensity.