TAYER + ELEMENTARY

WHO
Two top teams from the food and drink scene have joined forces to open this cocktail bar-cum-kitchen counter off the Old Street roundabout. Renowned bartenders Alex Kratena (Artesian) and Monica Berg (Himkok) have teamed up with the crazy popular Tata Eatery duo, Zijun Meng and Ana Gonçalves (they both worked alongside Nuno Mendes), to look after the food menu.

FOOD
From the short bar menu:
Cantabrian anchovy soldiers with bottarga – £5.50
The cult Iberian pork sando with raspberry jam and XO shallot sauce: crunchy, fatty, sweet, the dream drinking bite – £14.50
Rice paper quesadilla, with braised ox cheek, seasonal herbs salad and mint yogurt – £9.50
From the kitchen counter – the real deal: inspired by Japanese counters, there is no proper menu. Tata’s chef Zijun Meng rustles up a highly creative five-course tasting menu (£60) for only 12 guests each night, featuring whatever inspiration strikes that day. Some of the dishes you might dig into with your chopsticks:
A powerful 120-day ribeye tartare with scallop broth, Japanese roquette mizuna, an apple dressing, funky crisps brought in by a chef friend of Monica’s from Norway, and grated scallop roe on top.
A fantastic cold bowl of lobster tail in a bisque with Marcona almonds and curry paste topped with unripe tomatoes and nasturtium.
His take on fish & chips featuring smoked eel and the tiniest, crunchiest potato bites cooked in beef fat, with a fish bone sauce, Japanese cucumber, roasted celeriac and a good bunch of coriander. Epic.
A rich presa Iberica with New Zealand spinach, candied pumpkin and a three-basil infused sauce. Slightly less striking than the rest.
The star of the show, a funky milk ice cream stuffed with rice cracker bits, plus sea buckthorn, Peruvian marigold and black mint.

DRINKS
We’re talking next level drinks here, with unexpected blends and seasonal ingredients often rotating out to make way for new creations.
From the Tayēr bar:
A play on traditional cocktails, like this deconstructed Whisky sour with Maker’s Mark on one side, and the sour part coming in the form of a yuzu and vanilla ice cream mochi on the other – £9
JARR experimental kombucha with matcha and Aalborg dill aquavit – £11
Cherrystem with Martini rosso, bitters, tonic and red currant – £10.50
A glass of 2018 A.A. Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin blanc – £7
A Tio Pepe Fino sherry tipple – £5.50
Excerpts from the drink pairings at the Kitchen Counter (£60 for 6 drinks)
An intense, leafy skin-contact white wine from the Czech Republic macerated on vine leaves, that went hand-in-hand with the lobster
A white vermouth with a touch of aquavit and roasted celeriac ping-ponging with the fish & chips.

DÉCOR
There are three distinct areas. Forget the Elementary front bar, especially during the day as it lacks a bit of atmosphere. It’s a nighttime spot, and the real heart of this bare, minimalist space conceived by Edit! New-build architecture is unveiled once the gate is opened: welcome to Tayēr, named after Spanish workshops. On the right-hand side when you walk in lies the tiny open Kitchen Counter, half hidden away from the main area by a green tiled wall. Then comes the massive, honeycomb-like central bar unit backed with a proper drink library, with guests leaning on the wooden counter surrounding the unit. The wall shelves of Tayēr are filled with wine boxes, ingredients and experiment pouches, like this avocado-infused vodka sitting in a corner.

NOISE
Speakers blast out European trap, hip-hop and cloud rap – we noticed PNL’s ‘Que la Mif’.

SEATING
In the back room, you can choose from four wooden high chairs around the kitchen counter (reservation only), a large communal table that seats ten guests at the back, or high chairs around the square bar – the best spot for watching the mixologists work their magic.

VIBE
East London and a party mood, with dimmed lights and loud music. Yet so, so sharp! The seasonal drink list is definitely amongst the best in town, the “drinking food” is just what you’re craving with a cocktail, and the kitchen counter menu is totally memorable.

RESTROOMS
You’ll find everything you need in the emergency date crisis box.

SERVICE
When you’re sitting at the kitchen counter, the plates are served, described and taken away by the chef himself, with Alex Kratena popping in for each crazy drink pairing, with a funky story.
10% discretionary service charge added to your bill.

WOULD RECOMMEND
Yes! For once in London, the later the better! Head to the bar for a katsu sando and a nightcap or two. For the kitchen counter tasting menu, book for two max to make the most of it, and blow your date’s mind with the food and drink pairings.