Frizzante @ Hackney City Farm
Countless times we’ve walked past Hackney City Farm and pondered checking out their Thursday evening suppers. Despite it’s position slap bang in the middle of Hackney, there’s something almost Mediterranean about the place, and as the cafe is run by three Italian chefs (Armando, Eddy and Mauro — known collectively as Frizzante) it’s not surprising.
Having succumbed last night to it’s charms, I have to say I was hugely impressed with the food. Our antipasti: carpaccio of sweet yellow zucchini, field mushrooms, heaps of peppery wild rocket, generous shavings of parmesan, lemon juice and truffle oil on a fierce garlic toast was absolutely divine. A wonderful mixture of flavours and textures and a recipe I’m definitely stealing.
But that was nothing compared to the mouth watering (seriously, it’s watering now just thinking of it) slow-roast pork ragú with thyme and maltagliati pasta. The pork was tender, moist, generously portioned and impossibly tasty, while the ragú had just the right balance of flavour — not falling into the common trap of being too rich. Meanwhile, neon pigeon’s sweet cherry tomato with roasted ricotta and pasta looked equally delicious.
The farm ‘hall’ has a lovely atmosphere, last night’s entertainment being a three-piece band (acoustic guitar, violin and accordion) who played for the first hour we were in there — the large rustic interior giving it the definite air of a barn dance. It was very easy (with the assistance of a glass of deliciously dry, crisp Sicilian Fiano) to forget we were in the midst of the East End.
My only quibble would be with the slightly inattentive service (it took half an hour from finishing our main course to get the attention of a waitress to bring us the bill … and to get that far we had to get out of our seats to fetch someone), but it’s a minor quibble, and I’m always willing to forgive and forget when the food is that good. I’d certainly go back.
