Reviews Bird Of Smithfield

The verdict: Stunningly presented food that’s outstandingly good. The homeliness of the townhouse was very appealing, and the interior is really tastefully designed and comfortable. Service wasn’t great but I’ll definitely be back to try more of this menu.

Smithfield in London has long been famous for being the home of one of London’s largest and oldest meat markets, where meat has been bought and sold for over 800 years. Nowadays Smithfield is much more than a market and has become a hub for bars, restaurants and nightlife. It’s not an area I visit often – since my days of clubbing at Fabric are behind me – but I was excited to head to this historical area of town to check out a menu of British food at Bird of Smithfield.

I absolutely love it when I come across hidden little gems, and yes Bird of Smithfield is one of those. Alan Bird is the head chef/owner here (clue is in the name) and comes from a previous position as former executive chef at The Ivy, the man knows his food. From the outside Bird of Smithfield is quite unassuming, but it’s very attractive as you get a closer and inside it’s rather huge which isn’t expected. Set within an old Georgian townhouse and spread over five floors, it even comes with its own roof terrace which overlooks Smithfield Market. Some of the rooms here are perhaps a little plain and could do with a lick of fresh paint but the dining room upstairs is a lovely hidden retreat, especially come an evening when dimly lit by candle light.

A (somewhat belated) happy birthday to Bird of Smithfield and cheers for the brilliant self-hosted bday par-tay! I had a blast and loved exploring your multiple floors of foodie fun – especially hanging out at your Veuve Clicquot roof terrace taking in the views of Smithfield Market and Clerkenwell.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit I missed the takeoff two years back and that it’s taken me all this time to make it round for a peck of something yummy at Bird. Boy, have I been missing out!

It’s a keen space. Yes, the terrace is lovely on a warm evening. But the private dining room is special too. I loved the mid century modern elements with a splash of quirky accouterments. Still, it was the food and drink that has me hankering for a return. Luckily enough, I’ve got a foodie friend throwing her own birthday bash soon at Bird. A repeat is fast approaching! Woo hoo. Making up for lost time! 

Chef Owner Alan Bird does a whiz-bang job serving down to earth but scrumptious dishes. Nibbles such as crispy monkfish cheeks with spiced tartar sauce really do it for as. Same can be said for Cornish crab with pearl barley, parsley and brandy cream. Fancy a steak? The restaurant’s right across the street from the city’s age old meat market.

While at the shindig I slipped in on a wine pairing hosted by The Knotted Vine, new “young and dynamic London based wine importers” from just round the corner at Cow Cross Street “dedicated to working exclusively with hands on, quality driven winemakers from across the globe.” From what I’ve tasted, the fellows are importing some fine quaffs indeed.

Bird of Smithfield is located at 26 Smithfield Street, EC1A 9LB. Find out more at birdofsmithfield.com.

Sandra's Meals. Best venue in East London.

I had a great time in the private dining room and the roof terrace!

Love the cocktails too!

Can't wait to go back.

My friend Don told me that his cousin Alan was going to open a new restaurant in Smithfield and that we would have to try it. I was a bit worried, in that what if it’s really rubbish way. I’d have to be polite and say the right things. Not my forté. What he didn’t tell me was that “Alan” was Alan Bird, formerly head chef at The Ivy and whilst not yet a household name in the Jamie sense, he is certainly well known in the foodie community and given his pedigree, I clearly had no need to worry. The restaurant is in Smithfield, in a former pub. You wouldn’t know that though. In the basement, the Birdcage, a nightclub-style bar; on the ground floor a casual café space where you can order small plates of food or just a coffee; on the first floor, the main restaurant; on the second a private, sophisticated, dining room with a separate seating area and on the top, an open roof garden. Something for everyone.

Bird of Smithfield, named after its owner Alan Bird, opened in April 2013. Mr Bird was formerly chef director of Caprice Holdings, and was executive chef of the Ivy for almost 19 years, until the end of 2009. The restaurant is a multi-storey affair, spread over five levels including a roof terrace of a Georgian town house overlooking Smithfield market. The menu is British, with staples such as fish and chips and steak and kidney pie. Starters ranged in price from £9 to £15, main courses £15 to £38 with side dishes at £3.50, and desserts £6 to £8. Mr Bird was not around at the particular service when I visited.

The wine list had just under 50 choices ranging in price for £19 to £233 and a median price of £47. Example labels included Viognier Domaine Montmarin 2012 at £25 for a wine that you can find in the high street for £8, Crittenden Chardonnay 2009 for £49 compared to a shop price of £30, and Durfort Vivens 2001 at £105 for a wine that retails at £42.

The first floor dining room was simple but quite cosy, with jazz playing in the background. Bread is bought in from Flourish in Islington, and the sourdough loaf had good texture, served warm (14/20). A starter of crab and avocado with sorrel lacked much flavour, the crab not having the sweetness that it should have, the dish under-seasoned (11/20). Mackerel was served in three ways: seared, soused and as a tartare, with beetroot, apple and rhubarb. The vegetables were OK but the mackerel did not appear to be very fresh given its lack of flavour, and the soused element was overly sour (10/20).

Fish and chips brought the meat to safer ground, the fish cooked through well, the batter reasonably crisp; chips were not the best I have tried but were pleasant enough (13/20). Goosnargh spring chicken was served with girolles and wild garlic, and was cooked properly, though the bird did not have a great deal of flavour, while the mushrooms were a bit limp, and the edible flower as garnish seemed odd (just about 12/20). A Bramley apple and blackberry pie was better, served with rhubarb and custard ripple ice cream. This had decent pastry and a pleasant level of sharpness from the Bramleys (13/20).

The food service was perfectly competent, though ordering the wine proved rather surreal. I spotted a particular wine that I wanted and ordered that via the waiter that took our food order. A little later what I presume was the wine waiter appeared and said “ why don’t you try this wine instead?” pointing to a significantly more expensive bottle on the list. Er, no, I explained that I would quite like the wine that I ordered. He went away, and then came back with a completely different bottle of wine again: “how about this one?”. I assume that they had somehow mislaid the one I wanted, but this was never actually stated, and we ended up drinking a pleasant New Zealand Pinot Noir instead. I suppose this little exchange served to pass the time while the starters were prepared.

The bill came to £40 a head for the food (on later reflection it seems the wine disappeared from the bill, so I given up trying to understand the vagaries of the beverage service). With a modest shared bottle of wine a typical bill for three courses and coffee would come in at about £60 a head. Overall I wanted to like Bird of Smithfield more than I did. The room had a nice atmosphere, the menu was appealing and the service, wine aside, was capable, but the cooking was inconsistent. Any restaurant where the bought-in bread is the best item is just not trying hard enough.

Wedding reception there was handled beautifully. Food was excellent, all agreed. Staff helpful, friendly and attentive. Set over 4 floors. The top is a roof terrace, below that a large dining room, a pub in the ground floor and a small nightclub in the basement. Alas the building is not accessible due to being rather old and not terribly large - however staff were always at hand to assist (We had a child in a pram). Manager excellent too, helpful and very friendly. Big thumbs up to all who work there!

This is a review for the restaurant upstairs. We went for our anniversary dinner on a Saturday night. It was very quiet and relaxed in Farringdon early Saturday evening as you'd expect with the area, which lended to an intimate, attentive evening. The staff were very professional and courteous and the food was excellent. We had the tomato salad which was full of fresh heirloom varieties followed by the Chateaubriand which was prepared tableside. I must have casually mentioned it was our anniversary so they made sure to include a lovely note on the dessert, going above and beyond! We finished with the cheese board with whisky pairing which was excellently matched. My only feedback would be for the waiter to study up a little more on the differences between the whiskies. The rest of the venue seemed casual and easy with a small rooftop bar that was reserved for a private function at the time. Would definitely come back for dinner.

Exceptional service and food. Oh my god this place is amazeballs

Staff are amazingly polite and service is great. Lovely food and great set menu for dinner. The egg starter was interesting to try. The seabass was lovely and sticky toffee was really yummy too. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. You definitely need to get the sides with the meal if you're a little bit hungry.

The service was the best we've ever had in London. The venue is very classy & the food delicious. The hosts the Nicoli's looked after us very well. The decor is fabulous & there are also some great art works. We will come regularly

The food was very good - I had the mackerel to start followed by the salmon. Both were perfectly cooked and the accompanying vegetables had some subtle but interesting flavours. I had the Bakewell tart for desert which was fine if uninspired. The room was nice enough - classic heritage London dining room. The service was prompt and attentive. However the meal was expensive - £54 a head (mains were £20+) inc service and we only had soft drinks. At that price point I'd expect something pretty spectacular food-wise, a more edgy space and certainly Aircon..

I booked this restaurant for my Dads birthday, and I'm so glad we did!! The atmosphere was lively and fun, the portions of food were generous but also delicious and special, and the staff were amazing. The staff were the ones who really made the night, as they pulled out all the stops to ensure my Dad had a great evening. Thank you very much :)