Auguste, a new Italian restaurant in Hackney, London, is a fascinating blend of the old and the new. Named after a clown, the restaurant's ambiance is a nod to the iconic Edward Hopper painting, 'Soir Bleu'. The owners, chef Mike Bagnall and general manager Dylan Walters, have transformed the space from its former life as Papi, a hip European-influenced small plates spot, to a modern Italian restaurant with a focus on Abruzzo cuisine. The menu features skewers or arrosticini, tiny mini kebabs with meat cut into 1cm cubes and grilled over a furnacella.
The restaurant was packed on a Wednesday night just three weeks after it opened, a testament to its popularity. The arrosticini came in three varieties: salt marsh lamb, Suffolk wagyu, and rose veal liver, all with a choice of four dipping sauces. The short, frequently changing menu leans heavily on the central Italian region of Abruzzo, with dishes like coppa stagionata, stracciatella with yellow datterini tomatoes, and wild boar-stuffed morels with Italian summer truffle.
The meal was a collection of loose ideas rather than a coherent dinner. The bite-size potato rösti topped with blue cheese cream was delicious but the rösti itself was too soft. The cured sea bream with puttanesca salsa was a bit too allium-heavy, and the bowl of cappelletti in a clear broth was a tad salty. However, the chicken saltimbocca wrapped in prosciutto and sage, fried and finished with a rich, chickeny jus, was a standout dish.
Dessert was limited to just two options: a vanilla semifreddo with gariguette strawberries or a rudimentary tart filled with an unset, rum-heavy cream. Auguste shows some fleeting moments of greatness, but there's plenty of room for improvement. The restaurant comes armed with a loyal, ardent fan base, and it's up to the owners to take advantage of this and make the necessary improvements.
In my opinion, Auguste has the potential to be a great addition to the London dining scene, but it needs to refine its menu and ambiance to reach its full potential. The live-fire craze among London hospitality's menfolk is an interesting trend, and Auguste is certainly tapping into this with its arrosticini. However, it needs to ensure that its dishes are well-executed and that its service is impeccable. Personally, I think Auguste has the potential to be a real success, but it needs to work on its consistency and attention to detail.
