Living near Holloway Road can be a bit daunting. Technically you are in a prime location, Islington on your Council Tax Bill (ouch), less than twenty minutes from Soho with beautiful Hampstead Heath to the West and Old Street a leisurely bus ride to the East. Yet with its countless fried chicken shops, dry cleaners and indistinguishable corner shops Holloway has resisted the approaching gentrification on its outskirts for years. Godfreys and Prawn on the Lawn are early messengers of the areas destiny and supporting their local businesses must be one of the best things a concerned and hungry citizen can do.
As a healthier, lower carbon emission alternative to Godfrey based Fatburgers I invited some friends for some purist grilled tuna steak sliders. To emphasize both colour and texture I marinated the cuts in toasted sesame oil and poppy seeds – at the base of which was a Clarence Court egg yolk. This might sound unusual – especially the yolky part – but functions a little bit like a butter coating and glues the seeds into the griddled steaks without altering the flavour of the fish.
Nothing too fancy going on here, just a hearty investment (2.5kg of fresh tuna is not cheap, especially at sashimi grade) and some home made Brioche Buns with sesame seeds. As toppings we added some watercress tossed in vinegar dressing, thinly sliced red onion, home made toasted sesame mayonnaise and ketchup – the latter appearing more controversial than it actually is. Without the tomato sauce things end up a tad dry and the sweetness nicely offsets the zest from the cress. So don’t be too posh.
I haven’t tried the restaurant at Prawn on the Lawn but the fishmonger is basically a dream come true for anybody in the area who is interested in fresh, locally sourced and top quality seafood. Feels good to have found them and I hope you will feel the same.
220 Saint Paul’s Road, N1 2LL London
