We first tried TĀ TĀ’s food at Druid St Market (if you haven’t been to that Saturday food market in SE1 then you really should). Their ricewich was something quite unique and the flavours were banging. After a few successful pop ups and one offs, they’ve now taken over the kitchens at a cafe on Kingsland Road resulting in Curio + TĀ TĀ.

It’s a cafe vibe with an open kitchen and bar and a large terrace outside. Staff are as relaxed as the atmosphere and it all feels very East London but in a friendly way. The menu is split into sections of hot, cold, snacks, rice. Your best bet is to get a bowl of rice each (£2.50) and order a few dishes to mix with it.

“Our” spring roll (£2.50) was soft and sweet and filled with curried alfalfa shoots and shiitake mushrooms. Amaebi tartare (£8.50), that’s prawn, was such a wonderful blend of textures and flavours. The generous helping of tobiko, fish roe, was like having my tastebuds gently massaged by the sea.

Mushrooms with egg yolk (£6) was so much more exciting than its description – and so pretty too. The butifarra (£8.50), which is pork sausage, was a soft and wet dish that was perfect for smothering over the sticky rice – helped along by a fried egg. The flavour for such a simple looking plate of food was quite incredible. Iberian entrecostos (£9.50) was chunks of 100% acorn fed pork which was practically all fat – just how I like my pork!

Puddings were impressive. Never had anything quite like them. Ricecream with strawberries and cereal and coffee ice cream with mascarpone and brown butter (both £5) were an exciting blend of textures and surprising flavours. Both are a must order.

Currently they’re only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday for dinner while they find their feet but that’s set to extend pretty soon and the menu will start featuring specials. All this will only make Curio + TĀ TĀ better. And it’s pretty darn good already.

Would we go back? Yes.

Curioandtata.co.uk
We dined as guests of the restaurant.