I had the pleasure of eating at The Clerkenwell Kitchen on a recent trip to London.  I heard about it because it is making a name for itself as one of the premier sustainable restaurants in London.

the food

The focus at The Clerkenwell Kitchen is quality.  And according to chef Laura Hearn, one of the owners, quality usually translates into sustainable practices.  Chef Laura owns the restaurant along with Chef Emma Miles.  Chef Hearn says you can taste the difference between an ethically harvested ingredient and one that is just "rubbish".  She doesn't, however, think that an ethically harvested ingredient necessarily means it boasts the "organic" lable.  And so I didn't see alot of organic ingredients listed on the menu.  The menu for the day was a simple one and it offered plenty of nutritious options.  I was happily surprised to be served a healthy choice when I ordered a soft drink.  This cola is actually good for you!  It's made with: Carbonated spring water, organic apple juice from concentrate (18.3%), organic corn syrup, organic lemon juice from concentrate (1.8%), malt extract, natural flavourings, cola nut extract (0.1%).  And it tastes delicious.  Can they please distribute this in the States?

Chef Hearn explained to me that they try to source most of their food locally.  Although, because the focus is on quality, if she has to order the pasta straight from Italy, she will.  She does try to make sure to source food from farmers who practice ethical farming, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because you can taste the difference!  She puts a special emphasis on sourcing her fish sustainably which is now easy as she has built relationships with a few sustainable fish sources in town.

the location

I was able to get to The Clerkenwell Kitchen via the London Underground, which is a great way to get around the giant city especially for a traveler like myself.  The restaurant is about a 10-15 minute walk away from the Farringdon Station.  See the video at the beginning of this review showing my trek from the Hammersmith to the restaurant in the Islington. The Clerkenwell Kitchen is located within a very old building that was recently renovated into offices and retail.  This office complex is called the Clerkenwell Close.

the dining experience

The dining experience at Clerkenwell Kitchen is delightful.  It's a bright cheerful space with a nice simple modern design. The wood floors provide a warmth to the place, plus the exposed brick walls remind us of the historical context we're in. 


The Clerkenwall Kitchen is blessed with  a fabulous courtyard for people to take advantage of on the days it's not raining. 


Chef Hearns also grows her herbs in the courtyard.  Talk about local and sustainable sourcing!


Now for the food experience.  The taste was simply amazing!  I had the Spaghetti and Carmelized Onion with Goat Cheese and Rocket.  This dish was rich and flavorful and the portions were generous.  I also tasted the Squid and White Bean Stew which I had never had before coming to London and it was quite good as well.  And then, as I love dessert, I tried their chocolate pie which did not disappoint.  The food at The Clerkenwell Kitchen is accessible, simple and just plain delicious.  Another great thing about the dining experience at The Clerkenwell Kitchen is that the menu changes every day!  This keeps it fresh not only for the regulars but for the chefs as well.


The kitchen at The Clerkenwell Kitchen is a big part of the space (hence the name of the restaurant) - it is wide open to the diners.  You can see the cooks preparing each order with care under the supervision of Chef Hearn.  You know that they aren't back there heating up previously prepared food under a heat lamp.  I saw them prepare each dish fresh as if it were the only one they were serving. 


building/operations

As I mentioned before the restaurant is housed in an old building which means it is an adaptive re-use of an existing building.  Adaptive re-use is fundamentally sustainable and is not unusual in London.  London has such a wonderful heritage of old buildings and it has done a great job of adapting modern life in and around them. 

Although they don't use any green power at The Clerkenwell Kitchen, they save energy via efficient lighting fixtures and harvesting the daylight from the courtyard.  For people eating in, they use real plates and silverware which cuts down on waste.  That brings us to how they use water in the restaurant.  Chef Hearns told me that they don't have a formal water-use policy, but that they practice common sense and try not to waste water.  For to-go orders or left-overs, they supply a simple cardboard container. 

They definitely recycle at The Clerkenwell Kitchen.  In London, most municipalities provide a composting service along with their recycling services.  So Clerkenwell Kitchen uses the Islington Municipal Composting service for their food waste.  I told Chef Hearns that I was jealous of this advancement, as in Phoenix we have yet to implement a municipal composting strategy.  

community impact

The Clerkenwell Kitchen is a mainstay of the Clerkenwell Close community.  The restaurant encourages people to not only eat there, but hang out and talk for as long as they wish.  I got a sense that there are many regulars that have lunch there and they consider it a great place to meet up with their collegues and neighbors. 


The Clerkenwell Kitchen is open 8am-5pm on Monday-Friday but Thursday is a special day.  They serve dinner and drinks and remain open until 11pm that day.  It makes every Thursday a celebration and is a great way to bring the local community together. 


affordability
The cost of  my lunch was average for London standards and comparable to a good lunch in the US.  They have a range of prices so you can have a fairly affordable lunch there if you order right. 


the rating
The Clerkenwell Kitchen receives a rating on Green on the Sustainable Sustenance Rating System.  Congratulations to Chef Hearn and Chef Miles on operating a Green restaurant which offers great quality in the food and the experience!  Make sure to peruse the rating system tab for more information on how we rate restaurants.  

Have you been to The Clerkenwell Kitchen or do you plan to go next time you're in London?  Let us know if you've visited other sustainable restaurants in London as well. Leave us a comment!