Shrimpy's

South American Restaurant in King's Cross
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7 / 10 from 1 review
Address
Kings Cross Filling Station
Goods Way
King's Cross
London
N1C 4UR
Map
Telephone
020 8880 6111
Cuisine
South American
Region
King's Cross
Nearest Station
King's Cross St. Pancras
0.18 miles

South American food from the people behind Bistrotheque.

All In London Review

Tasty and gratifying food at super trendy Shrimpy’s

Review Image
Shrimpy’s is soooo trendy right now. Run by the same people as Bistrotheque, they must know a thing or two about gentrification. Hoxton was still cool when the Bethnal Green dining and cabaret venue first opened, but in a short space of time it became the fashion pack’s favourite haunt. Perhaps history will repeat itself at Shrimpy’s, in the newly developed N1C area of King’s Cross, once home to little more than industrial wasteland and now set to be transformed into a cultural mecca of sorts.

It’s housed within a former petrol station shop, re-branded as The King’s Cross Filling Station and made to look like, well, a filling station. The structure is temporary however, as in a couple of years it will be replaced by housing. An alfresco patch, not part of Shrimpy’s, offers Homeslice pizza and prosecco. Inside, Shrimpy’s looks like a canteen, albeit one with kitschy murals by modern pop artists. Closer inspection reveals tables are laid out with elegant precision, complete with starched napkins and gleaming cutlery. Staff are smartly dressed, and take orders on iPads.

If further evidence was needed of Shrimpy’s fashionable status there’s the menu, which is voguishly Latin-inspired. Veal heart is served in velvety slices that are a little pink in the middle, paired with chorizo, capers and fried onion; it’s a great mixture of spicy, tangy and sweet. The ceviche isn’t quite as brilliant - coriander threatens to overwhelm it and the fish is a bit too fibrous, but on the whole it’s not bad.

Long, meaty chunks of octopus are great, with scalloped potatoes in a tomato and caramelised onion gravy. Side dishes are very satisfying, including a creamy, slightly garlicky humita, a corn-based snack traditionally wrapped and steamed in a corn husk but here just dunked into a bowl ready for dolloping.

The fried chicken is portioned into thick slices with fried red pepper and a sweetcorn mash. Its arrival prompts the envy of our neighbours who have just had a very loud, slow-moving debate over whether to order such a naff-sounding dish in a restaurant. In fact their overbearing noise is the only off-putting thing about Shrimpy’s, but this is to be expected where something is hip and happening. The food is very gratifying, and the robust cocktails (like the Rock Hill, a sturdy blend of Benedictine, bourbon and vermouth) go a long way to assuage any peripheral niggles. Two courses plus drinks comes to around £100.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Jul 18, 2012


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London's most tech-savvy restaurants picture

London's most tech-savvy restaurants

Grub for geeks

This fashionable restaurant is situated in a former petrol station in the redeveloped King’s Cross area. It stands to reason therefore that they’re up-to-date with trends like taking down customer’s orders on iPads.

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