the modern pantry

this is fusion food that really works. we had a very enjoyable meal in a venue i would be happy to return too.

i started with the the new caledonian prawn omelette with green chilli, spring onion and smoked chilli sambal, the combination of the sweet prawns and chilli was stunning, making it the best tasting and interesting omelette i have ever had, a dish that if i made a return visit i would struggle not to order again.

my companion ordered the king scallops with jerusalem artichoke mash, a tasty dish that was unfortunately spoilt by some grit in the scallops.

for main course i had the lamb rump with curry leaf besam chips and curly kale. the chips were great, less so the curly kale which rather dominated the plate. this dish though was served with a quite lovely 1999 urbina rioja.

my companion had the roast cod with chorizo and squid ink mash, a terrific dish that successfully combined some very strong flavours without overpowering the cod.

with the modern pantry and bruno loubets at the zetter, st johns square, clerkenwell is a developing into quite a foodie enclave, which can only be agoodthing.

visiting the modern pantry  is like visiting your favourite aunt’s place who loves to feed you  with unusual and tasty food combinations. the kind of aunt that loves taking care of you (much to the envy of your own mum) and who always makes you feel right at home by creating some great tasting dishes.   the  modern pantry  is located on the very quaint st. john’s square near some other verygooddining venues such as  sushi tetsu  and  bistrot bruno loubet . we’d been to the  modern pantry  once before and were surprised at howgoodit was. we were therefore very excited to pay them another visit and try out some more of their dishes. smoothies   anna hansen is at the helm at the  modern pantry  (previously providores) and during our previous visit we noticed that one of her distinctive cooking styles is that she likes to create surprising, but delicious food combinations that are best described as ‘eclectic comfort food’. the interior of  modern pantry  is rather neutral, but also ver

lovely place for breakfast post night shifts. delicious options on the menu. located very centrally.goodservice for a always busy place. i recommend!

the modern pantry is indeed modern. very clean, white and minimalist. you could say that of the clientelle too. it's a bit of the clerkenwell clique here. modern late 30's types with agoodincome wanting ecclectic cuisine. i say that because there is no set formula in the menu. no common thread aside from it offering up a mix of incohesive ingredients for its dishes. that is not necessarily a bad thing, as if you take the risk and its a win, the bravo. but somehow i can also see where this could go wrong as you just dont know what to expect. i, not so dirty, black and the opposite of minimalist enjoyed my visit. it was certainly an education.

went for brunch and had the pumpkin waffle. it was surprisingly good! but the egg benedicts with smoked salmon my friend had tasted quite fishy.goodambience and service. it's definitely worth a visit

it's a nice place for brunch. the food was very good. i had scrambled eggs halloumi and mushrooms and everything was fresh and well cooked.goodprice quality! (15 pp)

it was memorable for the waiting staff that looked after us and the rather amusing man at a nearby table. we started off with a waiter who couldn't exactly be described as enthusiastic. happily he was replaced by a very friendly waitress who was much more engaging and interested in us having agoodtime. she happily explained dishes to us so and even bought an ingredient out to our table so that we could see and taste it. the contrast couldn't have been more stark.

a highlight in farringdon, tucked between bistrot bruno loubet and granger & co is the modern pantry; a well-known brunch destination. however, the modern pantry isn’t just for the daytime. it offersgoodquality cooking throughout the day. behind the “fourneau”.....

i had one of their signature dishes: sugar cured prawn omelette with chilli sambal.  agoodomelette is hard to come by.  as much as i love cooking, it's a dish i reserve for restaurant chefs to make.  and just agoodplain omelette is delicious in its simplicity as it's all about the texture and the richness of the eggs and butter.  the modern pantry's upgraded version was actually mind-blowing.

it was beautiful in sight -- evenly bronzed and puffed with greens and prawns poking out, a small dollop of chilli on top and two pieces of buttered sourdough on its side.  it was still a bit runny on the inside and it was generously filled with fresh and spicy spring onions along with ever so perfectly cooked prawns that were sweet and succulent.   they're cured for 24 hours in an abundance of south east asian spices and condiments like fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.  the sambal was smoky with the heat on the mild side as to not cover any of the other elements.

my friends and i visited the modern pantry on saturday for a relaxed brunch. the vibe of clerkenwell is modern, the interior as well as the name of the restaurant both reflect this - a very chic feeling with a lot of natural light. the restaurant is set over two floors.

as much as i was impressed by the looks of the restaurant, unfortunately i wasn't by the service and the food. i had the signature sugar-cured new caledonian prawn omelette, green chilli, spring onion, coriander, smoked chilli sambal with toast. the dish was tasty however nothing too exciting. i had asked for some cheese on top of my omelette but was told this wasn't possible and was offered a dessert cheese platter as an alternative.

what brings my rating down so low unfortunately was the unprofessionalism displayed by the receptionist taking care of our table on the day. having been reminded twice that our table needed to be returned by 1pm before the booking, we were well aware of the timeline. the constant remark during the brunch made us feel rather unwelcomed and took away the relaxed ambience we were hoping for, which is unfortunate for a place with suchgoodpotential.

i've admired the modern pantry from afar a few times whilst wandering around clerkenwell, which is becoming an increasingly hip part of london for food and drink types to head for. the coffee was strong, the service was fast, food was all verygoodand we both left absolutely stuffed for just under £40. the addition of fruit or vegetables to each course at least made these feel healthy and as a very late slightly hungover breakfast this absolutely kept me going until dinner time which is all i could ask. if i worked locally it’d be my spot of choice for meetings and breakfast which can often be a meal that’s difficult to inject life into – they really cracked it with the menu seeming both reassuringly familiar but with an injection of their own personality.

i just love meeting people that i click with automatically. it happens so rarely and when it does its just magic. this happened to me a few weeks ago, when i met the uber-talented, hilarious (and slightly bonkers) angelica malin, owner and chief of about time magazine.

a mutual friend introduced us… being a fellow foodie writer and budding entrepreneur, she got me, my goofy jokes and foodie chit chat from the get go.

 it also just so happensgoodand unexpected things happen when i hang out with jelly. it was in our first meeting, sitting in monmouth sipping on our frothy whites when we happened upon a meeting with the owner of chef magazine, peter marshall. bizarre that he should have been sitting on the next table and keen as mustard to take us for lunch to discuss our food writing pursuits. how could we say no?!

we settled on modern pantry, a bright, little hotspot in farringdon, with a fantastic menu to boot. although built into an old town house, the place echoes a very california clean vibe. the white and bleu colour scheme injecting light into the place, complementing the fresh menu.

 we started with a selection of olives, nibbles and delicious spiced nuts. salty, laced with paprika and a hefty chilli kick.

we went straight on in for main course. 

peter went for the tempura battered soft shell crab, with a coconut laksa, vermicelli, rose, pickled daikon and thai basil cress.

jelly went for the pan fried grey mullet, golden beetroot, cauliflower ‘cous cous’, and a spring onion & almond pesto. it was a beautiful dish, with perfectly cooked fish. although, we both agreed, the cous cous was slightly lacking in flavour and seasoning.

i went for the ginger & white wine steamed mussels with saffron aioli. the mussels were plump and beautifully cooked but the liquor was unfortunately a little watery and lacking in flavour. much so was the aioli whose only dominant flavour was strong extra virgin olive oil, no hint of saffron flavour to be found.

we felt that the best way to redeem the meal would have to be pudding. it did not disappoint!

we opted for the cinder toffee affogato with espresso (which was sogoodi didn’t manage a photo), a raspberry and pink peppercorn sorbet and the olive oil & orange cake, with poached clementine, saffron cream, candied walnuts. the sorbet, fresh, fruity with a delicate peppery hint was doubtedly my favourite.

we opted for the cinder toffee affogato with espresso (which was sogoodi didn’t manage a photo), a raspberry and pink peppercorn sorbet and the olive oil & orange cake, with poached clementine, saffron cream, candied walnuts. the sorbet, fresh, fruity with a delicate peppery hint was doubtedly my favourite.

the cake had delicious flavour, but was slightly dry. the cream was a welcome addition to add rich creaminess.

to top it all off was my creamy, foamy, delicious honey-sweetened matcha latte. a perfect, anti-oxidant packed, coffee alternative to give me a bit of energy for an afternoon of meetings ahead. this one was a real knock of for the best ones in london, served at thegoodlife eatery in south ken. hands down the best two matcha makers in london.

excellent food, nice restaurant, waiters know all about the pretend ingredients. verygoodcoffee.goodall round actually. will be back. absolutely. fabulous.

this time around, my café/restaurant to do list had ballooned out to colossal proportions. patiently waiting,  the modern pantry had been hanging in there since 2012 - it was a long time coming. anna hansen and her team's modern diner flickered on my radar with their take on delicious seasonal eating. luckily during this trip i found myself in clerkenwell time and time again. the  lure of coffee  most certainly had something to do with it. pretty as a picture, right? hands down, dessert of the trip i.e. perfection on slate. the blood orange curd tart that pulverises the competition, seriously. this café definitely signals thegoodthings to come for london. reminiscent of bills for it's all-day dining versatility, modern pantry prides itself on a menu that changes daily reflecting the best produce on offer. speaking of which, the menu is a complete tome with a 2 course daily special also on offer. several visits are probably in order, or just show up with a big bunch of friends so you

the modern pantry was supposed to be a number one brunch destination on a relaxed sunday afternoon, but apparently my expectations were set too high.
i went for traditional eggs benedict (with hollandaise on a side as i am not much into dairy): they ran out of salmon unfortunately, so had to go with a classic spinach option. the eggs were slightly overcooked, so no cheerful yellow mess on the plate that i was looking forward to – the yolk remained strictly within its protein surroundings, oh that's boring! the fresh orange juice contained more fresh ice, than orange, and the meal took ages to arrive – they were probably cooking my eggs this whole time.
on a bright superfoodie side, the restaurant seem to be very attentive to the healthy demands of superfoodies like me: gf options are scattered throughout the menu, and gluten-free toasts are available on demand. even my english muffins were presumably gluten-free, though frankly i am not so sure whether that was the case.
the atmosphere is utterly enjoyable, the modern interior is elegant, yet cozy, and the staff were attentive: this makes up a couple of points lost on what, regrettably, proved to be a rather mediocre meal. will rather have eggs benedict-expert @misohungry cook the dish for me next time, but might come back to modern pantry for dinner, upon which a revision of this review might be needed: i've had dinner here once before, and have some vaguelygoodmemories of it.