Enter Mishkin's and it's a showroom of fashionable restaurant interiors brought (admittedly tastefully) together, there's: exposed brick (natural), exposed brick (painted), ceramic tile, wood on walls, a shiny bar and a black and white vinyl chessboard of a floor. There's booths and tables, cutlery in a tin in a plastic tray and apparently a picture of Russell Norman's grandmother on one of the walls. I imagine the word 'grandmother' is used more in Mishkin's than any other restaurant in the UK though with no proof, it can only remain conjecture. Russell's restaurants remind me of someone who will spend an hour choosing the right dress but say 'this old thing? just something I threw on'.
Opening the website is a different experience, equally manicured but now modern and sharp. It fooled me into thinking it was content free at first since initially, there are no click through options, only the name and dark hue filled circle that announces 'A kind-of Jewish deli with cocktails'. After five seconds the same circle gives way to four click through options but having scanned this space already I'm hunting elsewhere to find information; I get there eventually.
Click through to read about Mishkin's and the website reveals 'The boundaries in Mishkin's origins are as ambiguous as the menu's influences' which is hard to disagree with for the menu draws unashamedly on any number of over the Atlantic influences (and some closer to home). For sure there are a good handful of Jewish deli staples so the strap line can be partially justified, but enough other things for it to be also endlessly debated, questions like: is gin cured salmon a traditional Jewish dish? Pretty sure an All Pork Big Apple Dog isn't though this particular item is not seen by us on the menu today.
Dining today we have a Jewish food veteran and a Jewish food newbie. Sadly, neither was that impressed. For the veteran, Mishkin's food isn't i) Jewish enough, ii) like grandmother used to make, or iii) even as good as other Jewish delis. Both Maschler and Rayner in their reviews after opening suggested that the Brass Rail in Selfridges did better salt beef sandwiches. For our part, with the Reuben for example, the veteran declared the sandwich wasn't 'a proper Reuben' while the newbie, a long time veteran of sandwich bars nevertheless thought it was nothing special vis a vis any number of quality sandwich bars serving office workers their daily lunch across the capital. We wondered then for whom exactly does Mishkin's hit the spot?
Opening the website is a different experience, equally manicured but now modern and sharp. It fooled me into thinking it was content free at first since initially, there are no click through options, only the name and dark hue filled circle that announces 'A kind-of Jewish deli with cocktails'. After five seconds the same circle gives way to four click through options but having scanned this space already I'm hunting elsewhere to find information; I get there eventually.
Click through to read about Mishkin's and the website reveals 'The boundaries in Mishkin's origins are as ambiguous as the menu's influences' which is hard to disagree with for the menu draws unashamedly on any number of over the Atlantic influences (and some closer to home). For sure there are a good handful of Jewish deli staples so the strap line can be partially justified, but enough other things for it to be also endlessly debated, questions like: is gin cured salmon a traditional Jewish dish? Pretty sure an All Pork Big Apple Dog isn't though this particular item is not seen by us on the menu today.
Dining today we have a Jewish food veteran and a Jewish food newbie. Sadly, neither was that impressed. For the veteran, Mishkin's food isn't i) Jewish enough, ii) like grandmother used to make, or iii) even as good as other Jewish delis. Both Maschler and Rayner in their reviews after opening suggested that the Brass Rail in Selfridges did better salt beef sandwiches. For our part, with the Reuben for example, the veteran declared the sandwich wasn't 'a proper Reuben' while the newbie, a long time veteran of sandwich bars nevertheless thought it was nothing special vis a vis any number of quality sandwich bars serving office workers their daily lunch across the capital. We wondered then for whom exactly does Mishkin's hit the spot?
Mishkin's
the bar at Mishkin's
our carafe of wine
Chicken matzo ball soup
Chopped chicken liver with schmaltzed radish
Gin cured salmon
Reuben on rye with pastrami, sauerkraut, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese
House fishcakes, chrain
Admittedly today's lunch was not expensive, £22 per person including a glass of house wine though poor decisions or getting carried away could see a much bigger bill run up: it's shocking that Macaroni Cheese is on the menu here at £9, at Goodman Mayfair, an ample side of Mac and Cheese, truffle sauce and Parmesan is just £4, while £8 will buy you the lobster version. We might also think back to yesterday's visit to Club Gascon that was (for food) just £25 for three courses so actually a comparable price to Mishkin's really, even if Gascon is a little less trendy.
Pleased to say that service today was good with staff that knew what to do, how to handle customers and were familiar with the menu. It's just a shame that neither the veteran or the newbie here were that impressed with the food itself. There's no escaping the fact then, should we be in the Covent Garden area, and more particularly on Catherine Street, it is nearby neighbour Opera Tavern that will get our vote every time for the food there is in our view simply better, and today's meal left us wishing that we were in fact next door.
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Pleased to say that service today was good with staff that knew what to do, how to handle customers and were familiar with the menu. It's just a shame that neither the veteran or the newbie here were that impressed with the food itself. There's no escaping the fact then, should we be in the Covent Garden area, and more particularly on Catherine Street, it is nearby neighbour Opera Tavern that will get our vote every time for the food there is in our view simply better, and today's meal left us wishing that we were in fact next door.
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