Tish Restaurant

Post

Subscribe

As I had an unexpected week off work in April, I decided to meet my grandpa for lunch. We settled on in Belsize Park, as it's a convenient meeting spot for both of us and we'd never been there before.

Described as "a unique dining experience", Tish is a restaurant inspired by Kosher cooking. It's owned by David S Levin and is located a few metres from Belsize Park station, in the exact same spot where Giraffe used to be. The restaurant offers a menu of European dishes: you'll find chicken schnitzel, Chicken Fattoush, lamb cutlets and the Brit favourite fish and chips. There's also a vegan burger and aubergine schnitzel for those who don't eat meat. Sides include chips, garlic green beans, Castelfranco mix salad, and pok choy with chilli and soy.

When I stepped into Tish, I was surprised by how empty it was. I'd read that the restaurant is popular amongst local mums and families, but perhaps the busier times are at the beginning and end of the day. For the entire duration of the meal, there was only one couple sitting at the table behind my grandpa and I, and one man outside on the terrace. Tish is fairly spacious, with a central bar and plenty of seating, both inside and outside.



After perusing the menu, I opted for a simple plate of tortellini (which unfortunately seems to no longer be on the menu), while my grandpa went for mushroom arancini and cauliflower soup (also no longer available). In terms of drinks, I ordered a Peach Bellini mocktail (a mix of sparkling apple juice and peach purée), and my grandpa chose orange juice. I was really tempted by the Tropical Colada and Tish Shirley Temple, but I thought they'd be too filling / sweet and I wanted to save room for dessert!



When the food and drinks arrived, I was really impressed with the layout. My grandpa commented that the tortellini looked almost too pretty to eat, and I had to agree! The chefs must have put a lot of effort into the presentation. The tortellini was absolutely delicious too - the filling (spinach and ricotta) was so tasty, and the sauce was so creamy. At first glance, it did seem like a fairly small portion, but it was just right for lunch. According to my grandpa, the cauliflower soup was "rich and creamy", and the mushroom arancini was "divine". Unfortunately, my grandpa has a mild gluten tolerance and couldn't eat the croutons that came with the soup - but he still wanted garlic, so luckily the waitress was very understanding and brought out some chopped cloves instead.



Now onto desserts! My grandpa and I had pretty much chosen our desserts before our main courses had even arrived! We both went for the apple crumble, although my grandpa asked for apple ice cream instead of vanilla. You really can't go wrong with apple crumble, and the one at Tish is so scrumptious. The combination of juicy apple and sweet vanilla with a crunchy topping is perfect.



The prices at Tish certainly reflect the quality of the food, so bear that in mind when booking a table. Starters range between £9 for soup and a very steep £24 for goose foie gras. The mains are also on the more expensive end of the scale, varying from £17 to £37. From what I recall, the apple crumble was about £9.

Tish probably isn't somewhere you'll dine at on a regular basis, unless you can afford to splash out. However, it's a good place for a celebration meal or if you just want to try somewhere different.

#belsize_park
#dinner
#food_wine
#lunch
#restaurants
%wnlondon