If you’re craving a crêpe (and can’t afford a Eurostar ticket), Le Merlin in Clapton is the place to be. They’ve taken the idea of a crêperie very seriously, offering a simple pancake-only menu (no side dishes here) in a minimal, rustic setting. Crêpes are divided into savoury and sweet options, with classic flavour combos alongside more experimental numbers.
The traditional combo of ham, gruyère and egg was balanced and satisfying, but a wilder choice of confit duck with blue cheese, truffle honey and caramelised onion was too full on to finish. Luckily, that left room for sweet varieties, which totally stole the show. The lemon cream and grilled almond crêpe was like a heavenly tarte au citron and flambéed pear with chocolate sauce was just as delicious.
You might worry that ordering just a crêpe for dinner won’t be enough to satisfy, but the rich ingredients beautifully arranged on wafer-like buckwheat pancakes were filling and pleasingly affordable (between £5.70 and £8.50). Alternatively, people were coming in to sit in Le Merlin’s little garden for just a sweet crêpe and a glass of wine or Breton cider, which still seems like a winning idea. Who knew Clapton could be so continental?