Much has been made of the holy talent incubator that is the Compton Arms. This little Islington pub ascended into the gastro ranks when a couple of chefs calling themselves Four Legs took over the kitchen in 2019 and proceeded to casually sling out London’s Best Burger. They left to open Finsbury Park’s never-knowingly-undersubscribed The Plimsoll, and The Compton Arms magic lightning struck again with the arrival of Tiella, a rustic Italian residency from Dara Klein, who served the city’s finest, freshest chicken Milanese for almost two years.
This is ruddy-faced British food, rethought for people who don’t own a cottage in the Cotswolds or even a Barbour
The latest brave chefs to take on the Compton challenge are Rake; Jay Claus, Syrus Pickhaver and Peter Ward. What's most surprising about this trio of chefs, isn't their combined 30 years experience in some of the industry’s best restaurants (Quo Vadis, Brat and Acme Fire Cult for starters), but the fact that three adult men can fit inside this tiny pub’s tiny kitchen.
Their menu is, in essence, ruddy-faced British gentleman food, rethought for people who don’t own a cottage in the Cotswolds or even a Barbour jacket. Here, the spectre of St John is strong, with the likes of salsify and scotch broth, or bawdy devilled duck hearts on St George’s toast seeming straight from the Fergus Henderson playbook. But rather than ostentatious ‘I-dare-you-to-eat-that’ whole beast butchery, Rake’s approach to meat is more earthy and pagan; said duck hearts come in a marvellously dank sauce which soaks into the crunchy toast, which, as far as we can tell, is simply a huge shard of fried slice.
It’s a winning dish in a line-up of endless hits. Deep fried cockles on skewers are the perfect pub snack, crisp on the outside and gloopy in the middle, seasoned boldly with so much fish and chip shop vinegar your eyes will water with tears of joy. Browned oysters rarebit are cooked with a creamy, addictively mustardy gunk that brims over the side of the shell, making you resort to scooping out the remaining sauce with your finger in a highly undignified fashion. The mightiest dish of them all might be the ray wing tenders; sweet, juicy and crunchy buttresses of fish, served on a medieval-looking crumpet. If each Compton Arms chef residency ends up with a signature dish, this could very well be Rake’s.
There’s more of course; chips that are so fat as to basically be roast potatoes, soft cuttlefish in a magnificent murky ale stew, and, for health, a winter tomato salad dotted with crunchy nubbins of radish.
Another massive win for the Compton Arms? Undoubtedly.
The vibe A cosy backstreet pub with a cute dining room or garden (don’t worry, it’s heated) tables.
The food Seasonal British fare with an old school, semi-pagan energy.
The drink Cocktails – try the dirty martini – as well as a decent wine list and pub pints.
Time Out tip Order the cockles, for goodness sake.