What’s the draw
Flank is a nose-to-tail, open-flame barbecue joint from Brighton lead by meat master and chef-owner Tom Griffiths. Laying claim to a corner stall in Old Spitalfields Market's swish new street-food-slash-restaurant hub, the lively bar offers high-quality restaurant-style eating that delivers big on modern British flavours in an informal and, dare we say it, very East London environment.
View on Instagram
What to drink
These guys don't mess about. The wine list is short and sweet and if you're eyeing up two of the larger dishes you'll get two craft beers thrown in for £30 – pretty good, eh? If you're hunkering down for dinner though, just remember that the market stall stops serving booze at 7pm on the dot.
What to eat
Flank's menu evolves week to week, and it's so popular with lunchtime crowds that – when it comes to dishes like the epic smoked ham hock and soft egg crumpet or 16-hour beef brisket roll – the kitchen often sells out of nearly half its menu before evening service. But, if that doesn't give you reason to get in early, we don't know what does. When we drew up a stool, we went big – and if we're being honest here, that's exactly what you should do, too. Bone marrow toast, 'grandma's' piccalilly with a side of charred cabbage tossed in fat, fried bone marrow gnocchi and two platters spilling over with drool-worthy smoked duck and seared sirloin steak briefly graced our plates before being eagerly snaffled up. This – if you haven't gathered already – is conscious cooking that waits around for nobody, not even your afternoon carnivorous cravings.
Small plates from £5; larger dishes from £9, including a side. Old Spitalfields Market, E1 6EW. oldspitalfieldsmarket.com/flank
