We can’t think of many lovelier places than Boundary Brasserie on a July evening in Shoreditch.
Away from the commotion of Liverpool Street, the newly renovated restaurant and bar beneath the Boundary hotel is the definition of relaxed and refined summer dining.
Formerly the Albion Café on the ground floor, the Boundary Brasserie has a new owner and new chef. Swedish-born Robin Freeman is bringing life to the new spot offering British cuisine with a European influence.
Transporting you to the cosmopolitan streets of Paris, outside you’ll find striped awnings covering tables for two with ice-cold glasses of rose and bowls of smoked almonds. Pass through the doors and the welcoming murmurs of conversations and you’ll find the beautifully renovated Boundary Brasserie bar.
Inside, much like a modern European orangery, the bar and restaurant is full of greenery, mid-century furniture and marble tables gleaming in the evening sunlight. You can opt for table dining with cushioned chairs in the restaurant area, or perch on stools with a cocktail in the bar area.
Despite the restaurant and bar being incredibly busy and the staff seemingly a little flustered, we felt welcomed and looked-after throughout.
While perusing the menu and cooling off from the heat outside, we sipped on a couple of special cocktails from the deadly sins menu. The green Envy uses basil and kiwi to give you a sweet, yet refreshing aperitif.
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To start we chose the steak tartare with toasted sourdough and the Devon diver scallops with anchovy and lemon butter drizzled over the shellfish still in their shells. The steak tartare was vibrant, herby and seasoned well, but it’s a big portion with not a whole lot of bread. The scallops were delicious and we could have sipped the fragrant and oily butter alone – a light and beautiful way to start the evening.
Opting for a spicier white as the evening was a little too warm for red, we shared a bottle of the Italian 2021 Gavi di Gavi ‘Lugarara’, La Giustiniana, which was light, crisp and very drinkable.
As we poured our second glasses the mains arrived. A happy accident saw an extra side of potatoes placed in front of us, but we were not to complain as the seasoned new potatoes were buttery and delicious and went down perfectly with the order of pork loin, judión beans, Chorizo, and sage butter. Perfectly rich and moorish, but not too heavy for a summer’s evening.
With growingly full bellies, we opted for two classic desserts – we couldn’t resist! I’m not sure if you are able to dine at Boundary Brasserie without trying the chewy, sweet goodness of the pecan pie with Earl Grey ice cream. The small, sweet treat finished off the three courses perfectly without tipping us over the edge.
A brilliant addition to the Shoreditch restaurant scene, make sure you book a table while the sun’s still shining.
2-4 Boundary Street E2 7DD
boundary.london/bar-brasserie
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