Peg London

Best Japanese yakitori diner near a Burberry outlet EVER.

It was my birthday and we took a cheeky day off! We went to Hackney Central where there is, amazingly, a profusion of luxury clothing discount stores: Burberry, Pringle, and quite a few more. HOWEVER — what brought us across London on this auspicious day, was the restaurant that many a food critic has been raving about: PEG. - 120 Morning Lane, E9.

The room is tiny and has about 15 seats. It serves Japanese yakitori which traditionally is all the bits of the chicken skewered on individual wooden skewers and barbecues. WIngs, heart, etc. Charcoal grilled to crispness on the outside. The balance of flavours along with the balance between vegetarian dishes and meat dishes was the height of perfection.

I have been living with the remembrance of their cabbage salad for a while now. The pieces are chopped to bite-size and they have a dusting of sesame on them. The dressing is sesame and a bit peanutty but never sticks to the cabbage in craggy and visually unappealing ways. It’s the height and heart of freshness — the crisp crunch of the cabbage and the toasted goodness of the nut and the smoothness of the sauce. See below for perfection.

Look — I don’t know shit about food or restaurant reviewing, but others DO. The Financial TImes said it was “awe-inspiring” and they are not wrong.

Weeny teeny PEG. kitchen which kicks out the most perfect food in London.

A more perfect cabbage salad you will not find anywhere in the world.