Really interesting British influenced tapas style dishes. Loved the Scottish mussel tagliatelle. So good I had to order some bread to continue to enjoy the sauce. Definitely will be back next time I come to London.
Oldroyd Islington is the newest venture from Tom Oldroyd, one of the founding chef directors of Polpo, who saw it grow from a single restaurant in 2009 to the multi-branch chain it is today.
Oldroyd, the first solo restaurant from former Chef Director of the Polpo Group Tom Oldroyd, opened its doors about a year ago and it’s been a favourite ever since.
It basically ticks all the boxes when it comes to a good local restaurant: quick to get to, excellent value, stunning service and food that’s not just good but also varied and interesting, so every visit brings some element of surprise...
My two biggest passions in life are Otis Redding and eating good food. Put these two together and I’m as happy as a lark! This is just what happened when I spent last Sunday afternoon at Oldroyd with my good friends Louise and Tony. I was excited to see them as it had, yet again, been way too long since our last get-together. Saying that, on my way there, I had been protesting to my brothers that I was absolutely NOT going to drink that afternoon. (I’ve been trying to reign the drinking in a bit). Of course, as soon as I saw them, and hugs and squealing was exchanged, I immediately ordered what they had…prosecco with pear vodka. An absolute delight, and the perfect way to kick off the afternoon.
I know I'm beating a well banged drum but if I'm heading out for a meal I don't want to spend half of the night stood in the rain or to have to drop loadsa money on pre-dinner drinks whilst squeezed into a cramped restaurant bar. This is the reason why I've never visited Russell Norman's acclaimed Venetian small plate restaurants Polpo & Polpetto. Twice I've visited on a Friday night. Twice I've been told there would be a long wait for a table.
Think about your dream neighbourhood restaurant. It would have a chef-owner who spends real time in the kitchen. It would be around the corner, so that you could stagger home, if and when necessary. They would know your name, so that when you called they would always manage to squeeze you in. The food would be fresh, simple, seasonal, but not overly so and cooked from the heart. Front of house would all have real personalities. It goes without saying that it would be sensibly priced.
Managed to squeeze in a last minute booking to the tiny but tasty Oldroyd. & it was top marks all round.
Crammed but cosy in an upstairs table arrangement, with excellent, friendly staff that exemplified homely but professional service.
A short but sweet menu: the mushroom croquets (to start) came with a divine truffle mayonnaise that might be the closest thing to ambrosia I've tasted; the seaweed and cider saucisson was quality, accompanied by posh mini gherkins that were an absolute beaut.
Finally overcoming a stigma towards Steak Tartare instilled by Mr Bean, I grabbed the large version of the dish - loads of food, and proper delicious, just the right level of richness.
The Gambas Pil Pil (basically seafood and chorizo stew/soup) was brilliant too. Perhaps a little on the rich side, but quality prawns and a divine sauce to dip into after.
(Good wine and beer too ofc)
Lovely place overall, get yer bookings in and try a few of Oldroyd's banging plates.
I recently checked out Oldroyd in Angel with fellow foodie, Connie. A few days before we were meant to meet we were deciding where we should go for dinner. Always wanting to try somewhere new we both suggested Oldroyd. Although we were only meeting on a Wednesday, this is a popular new spot with minimal seating (it’s teeny tiny) so we could only get a table at 6pm. Yes, that’s right – you can actually book here, hurrah! I arrived a little early and sat at one of the few stools down stairs whilst some diners finished off their late lunches.
For people like me who struggle to pick only a few items out of a menu, it’s a godsend as it allows us to try a bit of everything, all in the name of sharing and being social.
Not that you need to be a big group to justify ordering the entire menu at Oldroyd…
Which is rather a good thing as I wanted to order every single dish. To be prefectly honest, I pretty much did and I regret nothing.
So my advice would be, grab a couple of friends and GO (do NOT skip dessert).
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The restaurant is small, the tables are small, they serve in small plates style... but they are all big on flavour and quality! We squeezed into our little corner table and managed to devour a couple plates of food in between the catching up! Who says bloggers only focus on the food?!
The pork belly and pea croquettes were an excellent way to start the meal, though simple they were simultaneously meaty and light, and quite delicious. We also enjoyed the special of sardines on toast with a tangy chutney type sauce, the lamb and almond meatballs were not at all stodgy as meatballs can be, and came in a fantastic romesco sauce which I would happily pour over everything. Including the crisp and skinny courgette fries.
The highlight of the meal was the cornish crab tagliarini; so much crab flavour packed into this plate... it was creamy, the tagliarini was soft and light... I probably could have eaten the whole thing on my own if I'm being really honest.
As we were too busy chitchatting, we'd forgotten that Oldroyd only give you 1.5 hours at your table... so get those plates rolling in thick and fast. We'd run out of time... but the staff were really lovely about our faux pas and moved us into the two seats at the tiny bar so we could have dessert. The chocolate mousse was absolutely worth teetering precariously on those stools for (as a shorty, bar stools are not my friend...).
We only really scratched the surface of the menu so will be back again for some of the more meaty, richer dishes - perfect as autumn and winter roll round!
You’ll find Oldroyd in Angel on the exact same strip of road as some of the most average meals in London dining – Giraffe, Pizza Express, All Bar Ones, Wahaca, Byron, Masala Zone and one of those Brazilian restaurants that you saw in the film Bridesmaids. But in an unsuspecting space, what I would think was previously a 2 level townhouse, up pops Oldroyd to help change the landscape.
Despite getting several bouts of leg cramp while eating at Oldroyd (anyone above 6 foot tall would- it's very small!), I enjoyed the experience a lot. The cooking cannot be faulted from what I ate; lamb meatballs were moist and covered in the most moorish of tomato sauces. The slivers of garlic over the top were a great touch too. Then the peach panzanella salad was the star of the show and a good portion too. It's not cheap, with little tasters at £4, starters between 7 and 9 and mains at 11 to 15, but the cooking deserves the price. Specials were enticing but would have to wait, especially the white crab gazpacho which sounded delicious when described.
Oldroyd is the first solo restaurant from Tom Oldroyd (ex chef director for the Polpo group) and it’s based on Islington’s Upper Street – not a road exactly known for its culinary delights. It’s a super cute restaurant; downstairs has an open kitchen and a cafe-vibe (available for walk ins) and upstairs the cosy dining room takes bookings – hoorah! It might be small (and a little hot) but a clever arrangement of tables meant we didn’t feel wedged in.
Oldroyd is the first solo restaurant from Tom Oldroyd (ex chef director for the Polpo group) and it’s based on Islington’s Upper Street – not a road exactly known for its culinary delights. It’s a super cute restaurant; downstairs has an open kitchen and a cafe-vibe (available for walk ins) and upstairs the cosy dining room takes bookings – hoorah! It might be small (and a little hot) but a clever arrangement of tables meant we didn’t feel wedged in.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
We went to the last night of the fully booked soft launch yesterday. The owner is ex-Polpo striking out on his own. Was quite impressed by the food, but a little let down on the number of covers squeezed into a small space. It meant that on a warm summer evening, it was really sweltering in there, with all those bodies packed into that small dining room upstairs. Even the slim waitresses looked flushed. In hot weather it is probably most comfortable to get the one table for 4 that's out front on the pavement. Otherwise ask for a table next to the window.
The quality of the food was worth a little discomfort though. From the small £4 dishes we shared radishes with smoked cods roe, and salami. The cods roe was like a drier more intense version of taramasalata. Loved this dish. Though I would have preferred heritage radishes with it, as modern strains are a little too mild for my taste. I wished we had had some bread with this dish. Salami was good but not extraordinary, and served with gherkins and little pickled onions.
From the larger plates we first got the peach panzanella. Full of flavor with cow curd, mint, frissee, and blanched haricot vert as well as grilled peaches. My only suggestion would be about the bread, which was torn and toasted, so chewy but not crisp. It might not be authentic, but I prefer a panzanella where the bread has been sauteed into croutons, which adds a contrasting crunch.
The crab tagliarini was the next plate to arrive, and it had a lovely pronounced crab flavor. My companion, who is extremely fussy about food temperature thought the serving plate, though warm, could have been hotter.
Next we got our side of zucchini fries. Beautifully executed in that they were light and delicious and not at all greasy. Rather a tempura of spiralized courgette. We did ask for lemon wedges which lifted this dish to another plane. I would recommend ordering this dish with a wedge of lemon or lime on the side.
Our last dish was the lamb and almond meatballs with romesco. Lovely melting texture with respect to the meatballs and I liked the spike of harissa in the sauce. At this point we asked for bread to soak up the lovely romescu. Our server explain that bread was only provided when asked for. I would really suggest you ask for bread as soon as you sit down here.
I am rather sorry we didn't order the clams with chorizo, as the guys at the table next to us were cooing over it. I'm usually wary about portion sizes in a small plates restaurant but they were really generous here, and a fair reflection of the menu price. We were too full for dessert. The flavor palate tended to be subtle and refined rather than big and punchy style I normally go for. Really good, well balanced food.
It is the most unlikely of restaurant. A small space tastefully done up to feel like a wood cabin. A even smaller kitchen producing spectacular food. The ingredients scream quality. The food is nuanced and cooked with car. The lunch menu is excellent value for money. And a big thank you for the waitress and chef, who really made sure that the food was gluten allergy. A brilliant place if you have food preferences, restrictions or allergies.
Fantastic little place, all of the food was cooked incredibly well. We visited on meat free Monday and found all of the dishes (bread, potatoes in aioli, artichoke and leek, mushroom tagliatelle and spiced cauliflower) all fantastic. Finished off with honeycomb mousse. Two full up and satisfied customers. Highly recommend and very good value for money!
The menu is creative and shows a lot of effort put in. The menu changes quite often so you're unlikely to try anything you see in the pictures. We loved the grilled baby gem and smoked eel. The skate wing in brown butter was tasty, but perhaps a tad too oily. It needed something sour to cut through the oil. The steak was good as well, but could be more tender.
I highly recommend this gem of a place. It's in a great location on Upper Street, just a couple of mins from Angel Station. It's a very unassuming looking place, I've lived in the area for a couple of years and never noticed it. It's a clean and minimal setting but the food is truly excellent. The menu isn't big and is designed to share so you can taste lots of things. I believe the menu changes frequently but if the croquettas are an option when you go, get them!
Really small place with unexpectedly good food. We ve been there for a quick monday lunch and found their meat free 10 pounds lunch offer.
We ordered:
Starter(5£extra)
- peas and mint croquettes with (probably homemade)mayo :3/5
( good tasting and smooth texture, show of technique but very small portion )
Mains
-peach,raw and roasted zucchini, peashoots , grated almonds, light basil pesto and sour cheese sauce : 5/5
( portion was small too but very nice balance, this dish tells a story, if i wanted to be really critical i would say it just needed the zucchini to be roasted on a harder flame to retain same texture but deeper roasting and some maldon salt on top)
-tagliatelle with parmesan/garlic sauce, roasted leeks, parsley 4/5
(Again nice taste, not as eclectic as the peach dish but equally satisfying ,very rich sauce, to raise criticism level i would cook the tagliatelle one minute less)
The lunch was too brief to evaluate floor service
we will definitely be coming again :)
Delicious food, looks fresh, well dressed, fair portions. The place is small or cosy, you decide. Good service. I loved it.
A few choices of starters and mains, only one dessert, but everything is fresh and beautifully cooked. Nice service.
Great little place in Angel, small but tasty menu mainly composed of modern British and European dishes. Cozy though you end up sitting very close to your neighbours. Nice to be able to see the chef's cooking. Lentils and croquettes are great for starters. The malfatti for main have a bit too much spinach and could be smoother. The Babette steak is good. Overall good quality for adequate price.
Very delicious and creative food, a gem for the neighborhood. For the price and ambience, would prefer slightly larger portions. More suitable for couples, small groups rather than big parties.
Delicious food! Had a great lunch there and would definitely come back.
Fresh ingredients and super tasty dishes. Had wild mushroom croquettes with truffle aioli for starter - highly recommend! The squid ink risotto was one of the best I tried in a while. Courgette fries is another must (when available as they do have a seasonal menu)
Had a gorgeous veggie tasting menu here, the food is incredible! Lovely staff and great service, too.
Absolutely fantastic! Delicious food. Delight staff. Great place to sit and watch the Angel go by. Recommend very highly.
Perfect every time I go for dinner.
Nice and seasonal menu, curated in every single detail.
The desserts are always a favourite, but the croquettes are a must.
If you're reading this and wondering if going, order some!
They also do meat free Mondays with a very good veggie menu.
Also great service from the staff, friendly and professional.
Best restaurant in Angel
Really fun restaurant with some great tapas food options and an awesome lunchtime set menu. The service is fast and friendly and the atmosphere is really chilled. The drinks are good but some of the wines are a bit pricey, thankfully there is a good selection so it doesn't matter.
My one complaint is the temperature! This restaurant has no air con and as a result it gets unbelievably hot in the summer. I mean like sauna temperatures! Eater beware!
Very very good food, unusual, small British eats, a foodies heaven. I was so excited, that as there were five of us we had the whole menu and it was all very good. Perhaps, a little too salty here and there but overall delicious.The service was perfect and deserves five stars, I am not a huge anchovy fan and after explaining this, they kindly subbed it for a delicious wild garlic sauce. The restaurant was cozy, the wine was exquisite. All in all the evening is around £40 per head, mid range value, but worth it. However, I don't know if I recommend it to big groups of people, of course, the food is amazing although the way it was presented meant it was quite hard to share especially when there are five people on a small table, we ordered the entire menu and I still came out feeling not hugely satisfactorily full. Saying this, If you are in the area on a date to impress, this is worth it.
Great food, really good value and very nice staff. The wild mushroom croquettes are amazing, we had a venison dish and a squid ink risotto with grilled squid which were also really good. It's small so best suited to 4 or less people. No complaints at all.
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