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Behind

London, Hackney - Seafood - Restaurant - £££

Overall Rating: Exceptional

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Exceptional

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Exceptional

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Exceptional

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Exceptional

The idea behind Behind, Andy Beynon’s restaurant on the ground floor of a new development in London Fields, is to foreground what usually goes on behind the scenes. The restaurant, more spacious than its 18 covers might suggest, is open plan with no distinction between kitchen and dining room, front and back of house. The chefs get to enjoy the abstract paintings and the excellent soundtrack too. No wonder they look happy. Although it’s a self-described ‘chef’s table’ set-up, Behind differs from others of this ilk because the counter is a single high table that curves around the room in a near full circle, quite apart from the culinary workspace. Service is delivered entirely by the chefs themselves who come over only when they have a dish to present or a wine to pour. They know their stuff. Beynon, who has worked under Claude Bosi, Phil Howard, Michael Wignall and Jason Atherton, offers a fish-focused daily ‘menu surprise’ at £98 fo...

The idea behind Behind, Andy Beynon’s restaurant on the ground floor of a new development in London Fields, is to foreground what usually goes on behind the scenes. The restaurant, more spacious than its 18 covers might suggest, is open plan with no distinction between kitchen and dining room, front and back of house. The chefs get to enjoy the abstract paintings and the excellent soundtrack too. No wonder they look happy. Although it’s a self-described ‘chef’s table’ set-up, Behind differs from others of this ilk because the counter is a single high table that curves around the room in a near full circle, quite apart from the culinary workspace. Service is delivered entirely by the chefs themselves who come over only when they have a dish to present or a wine to pour. They know their stuff. Beynon, who has worked under Claude Bosi, Phil Howard, Michael Wignall and Jason Atherton, offers a fish-focused daily ‘menu surprise’ at £98 for an eight-course dinner, £54 for a six-course lunch (tremendously good value). He introduces the concept personally and personably, explaining his approach to ethical sourcing and seasoning (he likes to use seawater, not salt). From a waiter, it’s a spiel; direct from the chef-patron, it’s a statement of belief. The first wave of dishes served at our lunchtime inspection expanded on the statement: an intense shellfish broth made only of prawns and wine; lavosh flatbread pressed with microscopic shrimps (‘bycatch’ that would otherwise be wasted); and a sashimi-like sliver of the powerfully flavoured top side of mackerel cured in tiger’s milk. Did the cured trout in seaweed with bonito flakes and a full-bodied mustard and chive emulsion need a buttery laminated bun on the side? No, not really, but who would turn down such excellent baking. Delica pumpkin tortellini made of duck-egg pasta in crab soup was the pinnacle of the meal: rich, sophisticated, complex, clever. The main course, a take on fish pie, with a beautiful glassy piece of skate, oyster leaf, beurre blanc and trout roe, seemed conventional after the pasta. Standards remained high for an 82% chocolate dessert with ricotta ice cream, sesame and black olives, and an optional cheese course that paired blue cheese with sweet plum jam and a frangipane tart. The wine list goes from £39 to £390, with just a handful below £60. But we’d argue that cooking this confident is worthy of a special bottle.

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S Shale

12 January 2025

We ate lunch on NYE, having dined at Behind once before in July. The food is absolutely outstanding, truly inventive, light, full of flavour, but not overpowered by chilli (a common fault in ‘hip’ menus) and sparing on the salt. Overall utterly delicious and very beautiful. Our seven-dish meal included the prawn and wine broth, an extraordinary ‘rockpool’ of fish jelly, inc. finger limes & radish; incredibly tender dishes of sea bream, and of scallop and an exceptionally light dark choc...
We ate lunch on NYE, having dined at Behind once before in July. The food is absolutely outstanding, truly inventive, light, full of flavour, but not overpowered by chilli (a common fault in ‘hip’ menus) and sparing on the salt. Overall utterly delicious and very beautiful. Our seven-dish meal included the prawn and wine broth, an extraordinary ‘rockpool’ of fish jelly, inc. finger limes & radish; incredibly tender dishes of sea bream, and of scallop and an exceptionally light dark chocolate dessert. The atmosphere is lovely, the soundtrack hip and contemporary but at a level where we could enjoy conversation without shouting. We had excellent service from / conversation with the chefs, who serve the food, and a lovely woman who helped to host and poured the wine. We were drinking by the glass and enjoyed two carefully chosen & excellent white wines. Because of the layout of the horseshoe-shaped bar, it is really best to go as a pair or solo (2 solo diners when we were there), although the chef’s table can accommodate 4 (two of whom will have their back to the kitchen which undermines the purpose a bit.) There is plenty of space between each couple at the bar. We love the East London vibe, much nicer than recent visits to highly rated Mayfair restaurants. It has gone to No 1 in our favourite London restaurant list and we are looking forward to going back as soon as we can afford it.
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VENUE DETAILS

20 Sidworth Street
Hackney
E8 3SDGB

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OTHER INFORMATION

Counter seating, Wheelchair access, Family friendly, Credit card required

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