August 2016

Eating out
Morito
You don't have to order the whole menu like Susan
Birtwistle did at Morito – but you might want to
The little sister of Moro in Exmouth Market has
got be the hottest ticket in town right now, even in
these depressing post-Brexit times.
The space isn’t good looking – it’s a hybrid of
an economy self-service cafeteria and my local
GP’s waiting room. But the bar’s where the best
seats are. Here, you’ve got the vista, the intimacy
and service at your beck and call. Personally, I
wouldn’t bother with the tables which are neither
interesting nor big enough.
Sam and Sam Clark, the owners of both
restaurants, are lovely people and brilliant
cooks. We fed them when they came to one of
our fun dinner parties at Birtwistle Outpost (our
Christmas only restaurant).
The food the Clarks produce is delicious and
abundant in flavours. In the late 1990s. It was
nigh on impossible to get a table at Moro on a
Saturday night. “One had more chance of dryhumping
Jamiroquoi.” Thank you Grace Dent.
There’s something about sitting at a bar to eat
that always makes me a little heady and excitable.
It’s the fun spot, not too earnest, not too serious.
We ordered and we ordered a load. We had to
spread out a bit across the bar as the dishes just
kept on coming as and when they were ready.
You might want to order a few at a time, rather
than the full menu all at once, as we did.
So here’s the list. Don’t judge us: bottarga
tostada & rock samphire, spiced chopped salad,
avocado, labneh with chillies and charred corn,
(a favourite), flat beans with tomato, cinnamon
and dukkah; grilled octopus with fava puree,
battered aubergine with date and salty curd,
charcoal grilled mackerel with tomato salad and
harissa, charcoaled grilled lamb chops, paprika
and anchovy butter and some crispy pork belly
chicharrones. I think that says it all.
£5.50-8.50 per plate
Morito, 195 Hackney Road, E2 8JL
moritohackneyroad.co.uk
30 LOVEEAST