Lucky & Joy | Perky, Veg-Forward Chinese Spot
After years of sell-out residencies, supperclubs and lock-ins, the talented duo behind Lucky & Joy finally came to the conclusion that people like their cooking really rather a lot.
So they did the decent thing, and opened a permanent restaurant.
That duo is chef Ellen Parr (of Moro and Morito) and drinks expert Pete Kelly, and their space can be found on Lower Clapton Road. It’s swathed in the same colourfully tongue-in-cheek aesthetic of the original Lucky & Joy pop ups, with purple, green, and blue fluoro-style spot lighting, as well as a flatscreen TV purely cycling through pictures of animals, just to give it that gloriously kitschy edge.
The menu is all regional Chinese, and is inspired by the pair’s travels around the country itself (as well as NYC’s Chinatown), picking out local specialties that they were particularly drawn to as they went. They spent the aforementioned years-worth of pop ups learning to master them, and now rotate their menu daily to include as many as possible. It’s all very veg-forward, with at least 50% off each day’s choices being meat-free… but this being Chinese food, the rest is very much not.
The menu’s split between cold and hot dishes (which all come in various sizes), the former of which include the likes of chilli-laced smacked cucumbers from the Yunnan region; a herbal ‘tiger salad’ from Northern China; and the most delicious sesame noodles (arguably worth a trip in themselves). If you’re after something hotter, you can score some red-braised pork belly; or their famed red and green pickled sea bass. They’re also offering pineapple fried rice (served in an actual pineapple); and lamb chops from Xinjiang, cooked with onions and pomegranate.
The drinks part of the equation is similarly Chinese-inspired with the mojito-style Yunnan Flavour (blending coconut-washed vodka, ginger, lemongrass & coriander), and a Lucky’s G&T, which includes Sichuan peppercorn-infused gin, some clear pomelo…
…and quite a lot of joy.
NOTE: Lucky & Joy is open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, plus lunch Wed-Sat. You can find out more, and book a table, right HERE.
Lucky & Joy | 95 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0NP
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