Notes From: Lagana, Shoreditch

Context

• Lagana is a type of Greek flatbread

• This is the newest Greek spot from the Pachamama group that also runs two West London Greece-inspired places: zēphyr in Notting Hill and Bottarga in Chelsea. I have not been to either despite the group’s exec chef Tzoulio Loulai being Greek. I will blame the commute

• Lagana sits on the former site of Pachamama East and has undergone a refurb and concept overhaul. It is still in its soft launch, with official opening on 15th September

• I was given a full comp - I only paid service - to act as a quality controller who will tell it how it is (FYI this is a service I’m willing to be paid for). I’ve given feedback to the team, and here is my view, in not-so-note form, biased to my preferences

Takeaways

• There’s palpable attention to detail and a serious intention to entertain that I loved — it prioritises fun and brings some of the West London glamour and energy missing from a lot of East London spaces

• There are noteworthy touches to admire: mismatched hand picked antique silver cutlery to the bubble wrap trompe l’oeil chandelier, the encouragement to be creative with colouring pencils and felt tips offered to draw on the table cloths, the long candlesticks that are left to drip onto the table (romantic) and are replenished once entering the danger stub zone (thoughtful)

• I like the menu printed on retro lined yellow paper and the child like illustrations of the brand — it adds a lightheartedness that can be felt in the style of service too

• Is that excitable energy reflective of the newness or will it remain playful? My bet is on the latter

• The cooking is great, from the grill to the raw to the fried to the cold. The tzatziki was one of the best I’ve eaten outside of Greece (salted cucumber skin as garnish is a touch) and there are surprising moments e.g. kakavia (a seafood stew) as the sauce on an excellent sea bass ceviche. There is no fear of salt and the flatbreads are indulgent as they should be. As with any good Greek meal, you will consume a lot of bread: pita, flatbreads, lagana crackers

• The menu is long and varied, offering anyone a taste of something novel e.g. monk’s beard - in lieu of horta - blanched and dressed with olive oil, served with lemon and a dollop of tsalafouti (soft cheese)

• Fried courgette with a red pepper emulsion - described as BBQ sauce by our server - is addictive. In fact, so is the concentrated tomato sauce that sits next to the sliced lamb belly. The kokkinisto (referring to the tomato stew meat or veg are typically cooked in) ketchup, sounded genius, but mixed through the beef tartare did not impress as I thought it might

• I wish the sheftalia could be pork instead of lamb, and the grilled mushrooms in broth aren’t quite right, yet

• The cocktails are named after colours, and the wine list doesn’t show producer names, instead offering interesting adjectives outside of the classic wino vocabulary, which democratises the whole thing. Also a drinks list was given to both of us, which I appreciate, as I hate having to read in turns

• Orange pie (should be called by it’s official name, portokalopita) comes with mastic ice cream but misses in flavour and texture and of course, there is soft serve - chocolate and strawberry, served separately - and a generous portion

• The bathroom cubicle lighting is spot on: it’s dark by the sink so you can’t see facial flaws while washing your hands and the toilet seat is under full beam, for good hygiene

• To me, Lagana sits within the seams of the Athenian neo taverna scene, with references to Pharaoh, LS&Sia and Ton Filon, a sprinkling of the silliness of Wine is Fine, along with a nod to the local gloss spot Bistro Freddie and the playful romance of Sessions Arts Club