Charles Campion meats Brawn
Brawn - a temple to heartiness
Sometimes you stumble into a well-publicised new restaurant and before you have even plied a tentative fork you know that everything is going to be all right. At Brawn on Columbia Road the omens were favourable long before they were open for business. This establishment is “son of” Terroirs, a restaurant that never fails to delight, and one that is the banker choice if ever you want to take someone to dinner who both fancies that they are a connoisseur and is smugly confident that they know a great deal about the wines of the world. The combination of small plates of hearty French food and fascinatingly obscure wines works at Terroirs and now it works at Brawn as well.
Finding Brawn is a moderately difficult task that is made worse because this bit of E2 just doesn’t look like the sort of place where you’ll find a destination restaurant. There’s little signage outside and the two dining rooms are rather white and rather lofty – they look vaguely industrial which will come as no surprise to any locals who remember the site’s former incarnation as a workshop. The array of different tables and chairs aims to deliver a Boho feel, but heaven help you if you get a wobbly-legged 1960’s table that totters under the weight of your enormous food order like a new born giraffe.
But you’re not here for people watching; you’re not here for the excellent service; you’re not even here for London’s best selection of natural and Bio-dynamic wines… you’re here for the food. We’re in “small plates” territory so it is easy to order rather too much – in fact that’s the way you should approach the menu. There’s a whole section entitled “Pig”. Try the dry sausage from the Basque country; the Parma ham; the lardo; the rillettes are top drawer; the terrine comes to table at room temperature and barely holding together. All of the above are very good indeed – I cannot help it if that doesn’t assist in the choosing process, that’s just the way it is. Onwards! The Dorset clams and Manzanilla are worthy of your attention; the hand-chopped Tuscan beef is a mildly-seasoned, roughly-chopped steak tartare – you get to taste the meat in all its glory; try the spatch-cocked quail; the Mongetes is wonderful – a serious contender for cassoulet’s gastronomic poll position. The black pudding and oxtail Parmentier vies for the crown in the “best ever frying pan hash” category.
The cheese list is great. Bread (Hackney wild sourdough baked in London Fields by the E5 bakehouse) is very good. The wine list is a delight, if you’re brave enough to call for a spooky bottle. And there are enough gently priced options. The bottled beer, from the tiny Kernel Brewery near Borough Market, is admirably bitter and catapults the taste buds into eating mode.
The food is hearty and full-flavoured - it wraps itself around you like a warm blanket on a chill night. You have nothing to fear except greed and over-eating. Some commentators have suggested that Brawn can be expensive and if you order everything that appeals, the bill can certainly escalate, but that’s rather your own fault. Pre-starters run from oysters at £1.50 each to Parmigiano Reggiano £3. The glories under the heading “Pig” range from £6 to £12. Nearly all the “Plancha” items £7.50-£8 (with cod, chick peas and Romesco nudging £15). “Raw” £4 to £8. “Slow Cook” £6 to £18. “Pudding” £5. “Cheese” £3.50 each. The small plate concept regularly shoots itself in the foot – Mongetes, the cod, the confit duck all come in portions that would be happier labelled main course. If you order about £30-£40 worth of food at Brawn you’ll end up stuffed. Un-greedy people could get away with £25. But you’d best go with like-minded friends so that you can share and get stuck in. Brawn is very good indeed.
Brawn Restaurant, 49 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG (020 7729 5692 http://www.terroirswinebar.com)