The bright neon pink sign of Rascals is a new addition to Shoreditch and I was lucky enough to take advantage of the 50% soft opening. It's an interesting sounding menu with dishes and ingredients spanning many continents.
The Japanese-inspired cocktails £11 have fun names such as Yuzu Pretty (delicious, sweet and quite strong) or Shiso Fine. The expresso Speedtini sounds like a great version before a long night out.
- Tempura Squid Spirals (with apple aioli, Thai dressing) £9 - the ink disc was impressive but the squid itself was remarkably plain and unflavoured;
- Cauli Cod Waves (burnt cauliflower, crispy cod) £9 - well cooked and not dry at all;
- Sticky Pork Belly (mezcal glaze, pickles, fennel) £10 - soft pork belly, mildly seasoned with a sweet coating;
- Slow Cooked Lamb Rump (anchovy lamb, potato, cauliflower) £10 - very tender pink lamb with a potato stack and excellent anchovy and capers bringing strong umami. More lamb would have been appreciated if this is the same £10 serving size;
- Sprouts & Romanesco (saffron, pickled blueberries) £8 - interestingly enough this vegan option one of the best dishes with delicious kale sprouts, brussel sprouts and pickly cauliflower roasted and seasoned perfectly;
- Ballie's Chocolate £8 - a chocolate sphere has caramel sauce poured onto it until it collapses in a heap. Nice but too sweet for my savoury tooth.
It was a shame to note that we were given an old menu which didn't have the grilled lobster on it. It was only at the end of the meal did we see someone else get it and realised the food envy. Shame. Shame. Shame.
Overall the food quality is good and obviously at half price a great deal. I'm not sure if I would specifically go back given the relatively high prices especially when drinks and service are incorporated. The larger share dishes are also a big step up in price so they would have to be very substantial for the cost. If I do find myself there again (which I wouldn't be disappointed with at all) then I would surely get the lamb rump, sprouts & romaneso and a larger share of seabass washed down with a Speedtini. Otherwise the lamb shoulder large share would have to be very significant in size but sounds good.