Eating out: Bonnie Gull, Exmouth Market

This week we ventured out to the newly opened Bonnie Gull on London’s Exmouth Market, just around the corner from King’s Cross and Farringdon. Set up by Alex Hunter and Danny Glancy, originally as a pop-up in an old Hackney pie’n’mash shop, Bonnie Gull opened their first restaurant in Fitzrovia. They source seafood from day-boats around the coast of the UK and have a menu that changes daily depending on the mornings’ catch. Their Exmouth Market restaurant opened just last week and we were quick to pay a visit.

Bonnie Gull Seafood Cafe is an ode to the faded glory of British seaside towns. Rose-tinted memories of golden days by the sea: Pleasure beaches, fresh crab rolls on the pier, Mods & Rockers hurling deckchairs, whippy ice creams and jukeboxes full of sweet Northern Soul…

Images: Bonnie Gull

I had Dorset Palourde clams with Bulhao Pato, a fragrant Portuguese broth made with white wine, chilli and coriander, while Olivier had grilled Dorset crab, avocado and brown meat on beef-dripping toast. Both were delicious, but the clams were so fresh and juicy, I felt like I was by the seaside. This was followed by ‘Smash your own whole Dorset crab’ with flame grilled brown meat and skinny fries for me (fun and messy), and hake penny buns for O. We didn’t quite have room for dessert but the homemade ‘whippy’ ice-cream cones looked good, and they also do a stick of rock, Cornish fudge or an apple pie.

While the Fitzrovia restaurant is designed to be a bit more up-market and smarter, the Bonnie Gull on Exmouth Market feels more like a café you might find on the waterfront, where you can get fish and chips in newspaper or fresh oysters straight from the sea. The décor has some unique, quirky things to look out for, such as the map of the UK that tells you where the fish has come from, nautical themed hooks and signs, as well as framed photographs of typical British seaside locations. I left the restaurant and was surprised not to see the sea in front of me and hear the seagulls squawking.

Images: my own

See the menu here.