It's all about fresh fish and fine wine at Moxon's Next Door.
'Fresh seafood' in London seems almost an oxymoron; a phrase that instead conjures images of battered beach shacks serving that day’s catch, or tiny restaurants overlooking the sea somewhere on a Greek island. And while I’ve been to both, it’s London’s offering that’s stayed with me the most recently; I headed over to Moxon’s Next Door for a night of unforgettable dining.
If you know anything about fish, you will know that Moxon’s is kinda a big deal, which should give you a clue on the whereabouts of the restaurant. Located literally next door to the famous fishmonger on the pretty Lordship Lane, Moxon’s Next Door eschews fancy decor in favour of stripped back and crammed in. It’s not uncomfortable, but rather cosy; fully booked on a Tuesday, the space is filled with clackety wooden tables, all shoulder-rubbing-ly close to one another. But it’s the food everyone - from young couples to an entire family - came for.
Stripped back and simple, Moxon's Next Door is low-key and food focused.
Using produce sourced from day boats across the country, the menu is a snappy list of inventive small plates, with sharing mains chalked up daily on the board. Walked all the way from the fishmonger to the kitchen to our table, fat Rye scallops (£10) were plucked from the sea fresh, and swimming in a salty seaweed butter. The tuna tataki (£11) was equally as flavoursome, the fish left ruby red in the middle, with soy sauce and wasabi to dunk as you pleased. We split a Plymouth bream (£35), which arrived in its full form to the table, before being filleted at our request, returning as a flakey, delicate fish - the perfect summer main when accompanied by griddled tenderstem broccoli (£4.5) and the roasted cauliflower (£6.5) small plate.
The DesignMyNight Digest
Understated and simple, Moxon’s Next Door does one thing and it does it excellently. Seafood is sourced and cooked by experts, the wine list is a nice mix of sharp whites, and the attentive staff and intimate atmosphere is reminiscent of a seaside local - it all had me hook, line and sinker.
