What's the draw
Named for its former location – a car mechanic – 108 is a North West London restaurant whose attitude is more akin to its East London contemporaries Lyle's or Perilla. It's technical, Michelin-baiting contemporary cooking in a reclaimed space that feels like a far cry from white tablecloths in a hushed dining room.
What to drink
The small back bar serves up faithfully reproduced classic cocktails – other than that, there's a Breton cider on the menu, a handful of craft beers, and an expansive and thoughtful wine list, with about half available by the glass. We opted for a Quinta da Calçada vinho verde – all crisp apple flavours and a hint of fizz, that saw us through head chef and co-owner Chris Denney's light, citrus-spiked menu.
What to eat
Sit at the counter if there's space, where you can watch the magic happen from close quarters (or should we say the science – we noticed a sous-vide, Big Green Egg, blowtorch and steam oven crammed into the compact open kitchen). We started with sourdough bread with an impossibly light trio of whipped spreads: unctuous chicken parfait, cod's roe and almost cake-batter-like butter with lardo. There were stings of acidic fruit flavours to be found throughout the menu – rich, saline mackerel was pepped up by pickled pear, the chicken breast was served alongside zingy lemon curd, and monkfish came alive with the addition of zesty grapefruit. If you're coveting something more comforting, go for the Jacob's ladder shortrib and thank us later.
Small plates from £3, five-course tasting menu at £55, wine from £5 by the glass. 108 Golborne Road, W10 5PS; 108garage.com
