Mishkin's is the 'kind of Jewish deli with cocktails' brought to Soho by the team behind Polpo and Polpetto. The place to come for hot salt beef sandwiches, deep-fried sprouts and mean cocktails surrounded by the young and pretty.
Mishkin's is not Kosher (and neither, incidentally, is Katz's Deli in New York - perhaps the most famous Jewish restaurant in the world) and the dishes are based very loosely on the sort of Jewish comfort food we all love eating. Where possible we have used amazing local producers and where appropriate we have lightened recipes, refined traditional stodginess and, most of all, been playful.
Mishkin's is about fun as much as it is about food and cocktails and music. We look forward to seeing you.
IMAGES: PAUL WINCH-FURNESS
Mishkin's
American Restaurant in Soho
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Website
http://mishkins.co.uk/
Opening Summary
Monday to Saturday: 11.00 – 23.30
Sunday: 12Noon – 22.30
Monday to Saturday: 11.00 – 23.30
Sunday: 12Noon – 22.30
Mishkin's Picture Gallery
All In London Review
Russell Norman can do little wrong in the capital at the moment
A look at the menu, a couple of gin cocktails and absorbing the Motown soundtrack started proceedings nicely. The barmen took the food orders soon after, and the dishes that arrived were wholesome - devoid of fuss and intricacies. A plate heaped high with whitebait, splodges of garlic mayo and vivid green parsley sauce was packed full of flavour. The surprise dish of the night was a pile of sliced salmon, cured with gin and dyed a brilliant purple by a beetroot marinade. Slivers of pink and golden beetroot, and shredded apple added interesting textures in addition to a sharp pickling liquor hit. The dish came with a couple of slices of bread and was all in all truly satisfying, most impressive of all, it was immaculately clean on the palette.
Main courses of sardines on toast with samphire and tomatoes, and macaroni cheese with salt beef and mustard, were equally tasty. The macaroni, served in a mini skillet, had just right amount of mustard coursing through the rich cheese sauce. The beef added a depth of flavour, however, the dish was incredibly rich and perhaps one best shared. Two large sardines lay on a bed of samphire, a top a piece of toast. Topped with three varieties of tomato, red, orange and yellow - total simplicity. The dish did not provide any culinary epiphanies, however, it can be assumed this was not the chef's aim. This was honest cooking, and thoroughly enjoyable cooking at that. Side orders were additions fuelled by gluttony. A bowl of "half and half" - half chips, half onion rings, gave the best of both worlds, and an excuse to wield the retro squeezy ketchup and mustard bottles. Finally a bowl of pickled fennel and chilli slaw rounded off proceedings. Here was a clear demonstration of the prowess of the kitchen. For all the atmosphere and ambience the food had to deliver. A pile of shredded fennel, red cabbage and carrot was fresh, and with a chilli kick that was perfect, clearly no accident.
A pitcher of G&Tea helped was down dessert, accompanied by the standard fashionable jam jar glasses. The cocktail was gin, elderflower and iced tea, and worked very well once it had been given a good stir. The puddings were hearty. A bowl of ring doughnuts - more spherical than ring-shaped, could have been slightly lighter, especially when accompanied by a rich chocolate dipping sauce. However, overall the decadent dessert hit the spot. A blintz stuffed with ricotta and blueberries was also rich, but the richness was pierced by excellent blobs of a sharp lemon curd.
Mishkins has a great atmosphere that is matched by flavourful and well executed food. Retro-inspired cocktails are also a big draw, and sitting at the bar with the buzz of the place all around cannot be recommended highly enough. It seems Russell Norman can do little wrong in the capital at the moment.
Reviewed by James Whiting
Published on Sep 26, 2012
Jewish-styled non-kosher food is tasty and gratifying
Salt beef, schnitzels and latkes are ideal comfort food, so we nip down for Sunday brunch. The interior, with exposed brick walls, black and white tiled flooring, booths and bar stools comes straight from the New York diner school of restaurant design (there is one, right?)
Despite a super-gregarious waiter the boif is soon irked, as beef corn dogs aren’t available, there is only one choice of meatball despite the menu suggesting otherwise (lamb and pistachio, which he doesn’t fancy) and the macaroni cheese takes 15 minutes to prepare. To top it all, he’s been lumbered with a girly Clover Club, a refreshing (and bright pink) concoction made with raspberry syrup, lemon juice, gin and egg white, while I sip a supposedly more virile Negroni.
Starters arrive, but one is much larger than the other. The fried whitebait is very tasty, served with parsley sauce and garlic mayo, although the garlic is barely perceptible. The chopped chicken liver is coarse, with visible bits of cooked egg; it’s supremely satisfying, however combined with four thick slices of sourdough and a small mountain of shredded radish cooked in chicken fat it’s far too large for an appetizer.
The meatloaf sizing is slightly off too, as the soft boiled egg in the centre fills most of it, but the meat, which is rare in the middle, is nicely seasoned. The turkey schnitzel would be a little bland were it not for the mustard sauce and tangy apple compote it comes with, and for sides there is creamy mash and onion rings, which are very soft and fried in a thin batter.
Polpo, Polpetto and Spuntino earned Russell Norman & Co great acclaim. Despite being an exciting proposition Mishkin’s isn’t going to win awards, however the Jewish-styled fare is still gratifying as well as smartly priced.
Reviewed by Leila
Published on Jun 22, 2012
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If you want a place a little more upscale than a simple café to enjoy the delights of salty brisket, then give Mishkins a try. We’re big fans of the hip eatery and while the pastrami Reuben is always tempting, its best to plump for the salt beef beigel washed down with a maple syrup Old Fashioned if you want to be truly classy.
User Reviews
T.A.O
Jan 22, 2014
The food and drink each fall into the 'comfort' category. Lovely sliders - just not enough. Perfect maple syrup old fashioneds - too small. Don't go on to empty a stomach or be prepared to spend a bit more than you normally might. Good atmosphere!!
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