The Dolls House: The Pearl

Situated in the heart of trendy Hoxton Square, The Dolls House is a beautiful warehouse conversion full of character and good vibes. The outside maybe discrete and very easy to walk pass; however inside is full of character featuring a very Shoreditch-esk interior. 

 

Stretched across four floors; the latest edition ‘The pearl’ is the new in-house restaurant from the guys behind the successful Check On; serving up delicious British small plates on the first floor of The Dolls House. 

 

The settings are far from romantic or intimate however this eatery is definitely for real food lovers who sincerely enjoy indulging in real hearty British food. 

 

The Pearl has a tapas approach with their eclectic catalogue of pies, allowing you to sample a delightful selection of bite sized treats. Everything from duck, chicken, lamb, rabbit and even their citrus infused apple pie all with a unique twist are on offer. Admittedly I’m not the biggest pie fan however I won’t ever turn food down, plus the menu was very tempting and if I’m honest the flavours used in each pied exceeded anything I could have imagined. The delicacy of the pastry was more than enjoyable. 

 

What I ate:

Lamb, apricot and cumin pie – This pie was packed full of flavour with the well season lamb; so delicate in texture with the sweet apricot softening the meaty lamb flavour. 

 

Roast Celariac, Parmasan and hazelnut pie – surprisingly my favourite of all the pies. The nuttiness of the hazelnut and parmesan were uniform in flavour, complementing each ingredient perfectly. Highly recommended!

 

Duck and Rhubard pie – The pie was nice however was not as ‘epic’ as the other two. Even though the flavours of the duck were distinctive, I wanted to receive an undertone flavour to help bring out the sweetness of the rhubarb.

 

These were accompanied by braised red cabbage and long steam broccoli with garlic and walnut.

 

To finish I opted for the apple, earl grey and orange zest pie – The tartiness of the apple’s blended with the citrus orange zest and infusion of earl grey was married together beautifully. This twist on the old classic works very well and is somewhat moreish…opt for two!

 

Overall this cool and quirky new Shoreditch restaurant is highly recommend for a social hangout amongst medium to large groups of friends or even co-workers. Please note – this restaurant is far from fancy however it still features beautiful interiors and all round hearty food. Would I come again…yes…in a heart beat! I had a great time at The Pearl, the surroundings, the cocktails and food were top notch. If you happen to be in the Hoxton/Shoreditch area this place is highly recommended.

 

Also its value for money with meals costing between £20-25.

 

Check them out for yourself here: The Pearl

 

By Riccardo McMillan-Wright