Appalachia, new restaurant “inspired by the rich culinary traditions of the Appalachian region in the United States”, has opened in Shoreditch.
Having grown up in Appalachia and lived in London nearly half my life, I was intrigued by the restaurant’s concept when an invitation to its launch party landed in my inbox.
Luckily, the date was free and I RSVPed soon after opening the message.
Aside from the name, there wasn’t a lot about Appalachia (the restaurant) that reminded me of Appalachia (the region). But the few things that did, really did and I certainly can’t complain about anything I ate at the launch nor the hospitality afforded to me.
Of the menu items sampled during my visit, here are the standouts.
Smoked Cheddar and jalapeño cornbread madeleines, with ranch dressing (£7) was a treat and much a mouthful of flavour as one might expect while dining out at a local eatery in, say, Tennessee or the Carolines. I’m not sure the ranch dressing was necessary but in a way that made it even more American.
Butter brined chicken with miso grits and black pepper gravy (£30) impressed. I’d never thought of mixing miso with my grits (and mix miso into all sorts of dishes and grits are a regular part of my diet – and have been for decades). But it worked really well. Texture and taste were smooth and creamy. I’d definitely order this dish should I pay the restaurant a visit again.
British oyster with chow-chow mignonette (£6) went down well. Though, I must say except for maybe the end stretches of the foothills of this mountain region’s far northern extremes, most of Appalachia sits hundreds of miles from the coast. That said, the mignonette made with chow-chow (a pickled vegetable relish) was an authentically down home touch.
I guess, if I can forgive the kitchen for the miso in the grits, I should do the same for the oysters (and other ‘exotics’ such as harissa and seaweed butter found in dishes on the menu).
Another item, Hillbilly Loaf with cultured apple butter (£5) was tasty but I’m not sure what made it “hillbilly”. I would have assumed it was challah had it not been called otherwise. Aso, not to be overly sensitive, hillbilly is kind of one of those words that might only be best used by folks who feel as though they might be described disparagingly as one from others.
A Bourbon lemonade was a potent quencher pairing well with all bites. Had it not been a school night when I visited, I might have ventured downstairs to Lowcountry, “is an intimate cocktail bar inspired by the American South” to sample from its drinks menu. A Banana Pudding Sazerac sounded like just the sort of cocktail I’d savour sipping.
Something that certainly ticked the “back home” box for me was the counter seating with open kitchen. I was fun watching Head Chef Alistair Borer (ex-Smoking Goat) and team work their magic.
Service was friendly and open to questions. Of course, I should note this was a launch event with invited guests. Based on my experience though, I’d expect service to be on the ball for paying customers as well.
Should you go? Sure.
To be honest, you’d probably get a better sense of what actual Appalachian Mountain cuisine is like by dining at some of London’s better BBQ restaurants and burger joints. But for a smart assortment of well-crafted dishes that glean from a broad swath of Americana (New England to the Deep South to the Midwest) while catering to the worldly palates of Londoners, you could do a lot worse.
Appalachia is located at 71 Nile Street N1 7RD. Find out more at appalachia.co.uk.
