Despite its name, Nest has received basically zero stick since opening 18 months ago.
It’s warm, unfussy, and quietly exceptional – in fact the closest you can come to a quibble is that as soon as you find yourself getting attached to its seasonal menu, they switch it out for a new one the moment the mercury does a little shimmy. Because, well, that’s how seasons work.
And this is how Perks work: if you’re a Nudge Member, then you (and up to 3 lucky guests) are getting a YEAR’S worth of steeply discounted dinners, with 35% off the food bill at the start of each new seasonal menu. And it all starts this month with their new Sea & Coastline menu, which you can enjoy at a reduced price from 28th January to 13th February.
We’ll come back to them in a moment – but for now, we’ll focus on the space itself, which you’ll find hugging the grand old Shoreditch Town Hall, in an old-school red brick Victorian building. It’s all framed around a huge horseshoe counter, with a wine & cocktail bar at one end arcing over to an open kitchen at the other end, all clasped around the cosy little candlelit dining area in the centre. Thus, on either side of you there are drinks being shaken and chefs meticulously putting together the menu.
It’s a set-menu only affair, meaning you get the menu delivered to you in a brown envelope sealed in wax. You can either choose to tear it open and find out what you’re having, or just wait to be surprised with course after course of creative goodness.
The contents of those envelopes will focus on the four seasons, and the four key British landscapes that help define them. For the chillier months that bring us into the new year (January to March) they’re drawing on the ice-cold waters for the Sea & Coastline menu. You’ll find fresh Maldon oysters, Cornish squid & hand-dived Scottish scallops, as well as some tide-tended salt marsh lamb.
Looking further ahead, spring will take us to the Rivers & Valleys (fresh river fish, smoked eel, wild garlic, asparagus & English wasabi, plus chicken & pork); summer is the season of the Highlands (Herdwick sheep met with fresh vegetables & foraged ingredients); and finally winter is the domain of the Game & Forest menu, which will have charcoal-cooked rare breed venison, grouse, mallard & more parented up with earthy mushrooms & sweet root vegetables.
The wine also sticks to the theme, with pairings that reflect the landscape the food comes from, coming from as far afield as the Andes, South Africa, and Dorset, but also Italy and France, which is classic attention to detail from Nest… n’est pas?
NOTE: Nest is open now, Tuesday to Saturday. You can find out more, and book a table, at the Nest website.
PERK: Nudge Members +3 are getting 35% off each new seasonal menu at the start of the season. Right now, they can get a reduced price on the Sea & Coastal menu, 28th January – 13th February. Find out more under the ‘35% Off’ banner above. Not a Nudge Member yet? Sign up for a free 7 day trial.
Nest | 374-378 Old Street, EC1V 9LT
Who do they have for company? Just some of these excellent Shoreditch bars…