Meatballs

Meatballs | Farringdon

NOTE: Sadly, Meatballs has now closed. Happily, The Quality Chop House is still open.

Ikea, as you know, is most famous for inventing the Swedish meatball.

What is most impressive about their creation is the way in which it has so rapidly spread – rather like the format for “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” – to countries around the world, each of which have put their own spin on the plucky dish.

From ballekes in Belgium and fleischpflanzerl  in Germany, to bola-bola in the Phllippines and kal-e gonjeshki (literally, and gag reflex-inducingly, translated as “Sparrow’s Head”) in Iran, the humble meatball has well and truly made its mark.

So often relegated to a supporting role, however, innumerable meatballs can be found languishing as mere after-thoughts on menus around the world:  their dreams of stardom being cruelly drowned each day by vast and overbearing seas of spaghetti and tomato sauce.

Just launched, with the specific aim of giving meatballs the confidence boost that they’ve been hankering after – and the leading role that they deserve – is a restaurant called, well, “Meatballs”.

Located in the Quality Chop House, right by Exmouth Market in Farringdon, Meatballs is housed in a classic Victorian dining space that dates back to the 1870s.  Tipping its hat to the balls’ global popularity, the menu has an international flavour: from sliders to lamb with Moroccan spices and minted yoghurt.

Head down, throw back a few blueberry gin and tonics or a jug of the Chop House Sangria, finish off with a frozen chocolate cake, and then bask in the glory of knowing that you were actually there to see meatballs finally getting the big break that they so richly deserve.

NOTE: Sadly, Meatballs has now closed. Happily, The Quality Chop House is still open.