ASK FOR JANICE, CLERKENWELL

Fresh, foraged, seasonal food served alongside stunning cocktails - Ask For Janice is revelation. In an area of London that I more commonly associate with all-nighters at Fabric and dodgy burgers and milkshakes afterwards at the open 24/7 Tinseltown, I was delighted to find out more about this new to me restaurant serving an ever changing menu of seasonal produce with cocktails made from some of their 40+ gins.

Ask For Janice opened last August and is proving popular. Every table was full when I arrived at 6.30 on a Tuesday evening, which must be a good sign. Upstairs is a bright room with a large bar down one side and restaurant seating filling the rest of the space. Downstairs is the basement bar where you can also grab food and drinks, as well as hiring the whole room for private events.

We were there to sample a few new additions to the spring menu. The food menu centres on fresh, seasonal produce that’s cooked with a creative twist. I had to tear myself away from the bowl of deep fried wild garlic flowers which were unbelievably good – crunchy, light batter around the unmistakable allium flower, finished with a sprinkle of salt. I was literally hoovering these up all evening, and despite not being the healthiest thing to eat I justified it by the fact I was eating foraged herbs that had only had to travel from Hackney to Clerkenwell.

This was served with another nibble – crisp pork crackling shards with sloe cider jelly that was sticky enough to coat the wonderful crackling.

 

We also sampled some more substantial dishes - marinated flank steaks and Young Buck blue cheese with more foraged herbs, served beautifully pink, it was as tender as it gets.

 

Portwood Farm asparagus with Somerset ricotta and hazelnuts was fresh and vibrant and a dish that tasted of spring. I love the combination of crunchy hazelnuts and bright green asparagus.

 

Lastly, my favourite of the 3, if I had to choose, which was cod cheeks served with wild fennel and lemon. The fennel had been braised until it was soft and sweet, and was the most delicious mouthful with the delicate cod cheek.

Drinks are led by the extensive gin selection and I tried the “Hey Ladies” cocktail – breakfast tea infused Beefeater Gin, Creme de Figue, lemon, fig jam, egg white, Prosecco top, with a sherbet rim to the glass, as well as my favourite, the “3 Minute Rule” – a sharp, fruity drink made from Sipsmith Gin, Janice sloe gin, mint, lemon and sugar. Not only delicious but pretty and colourful too.

 

 

Ask For Janice has a relaxed, laid back vibe and is somewhere you could sit and eat and drink an evening away. It’s open all day during the week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, and from 10-5pm on Saturdays, though it’s also available for private hire on Saturday evenings.

Originally published on Try This For - a fab foodie website I write for, do check it out!