Decided to try forge & co as they accepted my tastecard for 50% off food. And they meant 50% - it applied to starters, sharers, mains, desserts and sides - basically everything but the chateaubriand which is understandable! We had warm flatbread with homous, ratatouille and yoghurt dips and beef croquettes. Both pretty good although fairly on the small side. However the mains made up for that with a huge burger and fries and veal escalope with a side of rocket and Parmesan salad. Very full after and no room for dessert! Menu also had various steak options and fish. Nice atmosphere in the restaurant and have read they do a good boozy brunch at the weekends. Also good attentive service.
I’ve got a bit of a love-hate relationship with Shoreditch. It’s home to so many hidden gems, but my patience is often worn thin by the abundance of the nauseatingly kitsch, and establishments that seem to be trying a little too hard (the new porridge cafe, anyone?). So I was more than a little sceptical when I was invited down to Forge & Co, a new restaurant on Shoreditch High Street that markets itself as ‘a unique social establishment in the heart of Shoreditch’, with a ‘canteen’ and a ‘lounge’ focusing on the ‘artisan’ and ‘urbane’.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I love helping Londoners with restaurant recommendations - especially on Twitter. One of the most frequently asked questions is about co-working spaces, or places where freelancers can plug in, settle down, and work for the day, all while enjoying a decent cup of coffee or food. Described on their website as a "social working space", Forge & Co (situated directly opposite the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch) does just this: its canteen and bar area is for socializing and chilling out, while its workspaces provide hot desks for freelancers and small businesses.
On Monday, I went to check out their Canteen and instantly loved the interiors: designed as an entirely open-plan space, the bar area is denoted with soft chairs, low tables, and a beautiful long bar of glittering spirits. The Canteen section housed several long, communal tables and more intimate seating designed for two people, while artwork hung on the walls.
As an American, one of the first thing I notice about restaurants is service. And London can be notorious for bad/indifferent service. But I was greeted warmly as soon as I walked into Forge and effortlessly catered to when I requested cocktails instead of the lovely bottle of red we'd been generously offered.
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