Restaurant Review | Mr. Buckley’s

Buckley’s chances just got better.

 Mr Buckley’s, 277 Hackney Rd, Shoreditch, `London, e28na

This is a tale of three Buckley’s. First, William Buckley, born in 1776 in Cheshire, lived an uneventful life until he enlisted in the King’s Regiment and fought Napoleon in The Netherlands under the command of the Duke of York. Here he hurt his hand and returned to London only to be later convicted of knowingly receiving a bolt of stolen cloth; he insisted he was carrying it for a woman and did not know it was stolen. In 1803 he was sentenced to transportation to New South Wales for 14 years. Tough luck. Here, he escaped his captors, was not seen again and was given up for dead, only to live with the native aboriginals for the next 32 years, gaining considerable respect and stature amongst the tribe who believed he was the returned spirit of a former elder. In 1835 he re-appeared at a colony campsite with a party of Aborigines, wearing kangaroo skins and carrying native weapons to the amazement of everybody present and was subsequently pardoned. This feat was considered so impossible at the time it spawned a vernacular saying in Australia, which is still common today; ‘you’ve got Buckley’s or none,” referring to your little chance of success.

Then there was another William Buckley who lived in London some 130 odd years ago and was the owner of a pub called the Queen’s Arms on Hackney Road. One evening, he and his cook and waiter attended an evening at the nearby United Radical Club a few doors down from his premises. Alfred, the cook and a club member, intended to introduce William as a fellow member; however, the president informed them that one of the rules excluded publicans, and he could not accept Buckley’s name. Upon hearing this, Buckley is said to have shouted, “We have come to set fire to the @%$&#§ place,” and proceeded to pour liquid over the gas meter and set it alight. They were arrested and refused bail. I don’t know what happened to them, but that’s one way to eliminate your competitors.

The third Buckley in this trilogy is Mr Buckley’s, a relatively new restaurant and bar, which makes its home within the same walls as the United Radical Club did many years ago at 277 Hackney Road in Shoreditch. A fitting honour to the pyromaniac publican, I have ridden past Mr Buckley’s many times over the last few months on my way home from work, often trying to get a quick look inside the new venue with its neon signage inside the window as I fly past in a peloton of crazed riders. Halfway along Hackney Road, it’s a bold choice of position nestled between Old Street at one end and Broadway Market just up the road – both magnets for the local hipsters with their thick beards, short shorts and seemingly bottomless wallets.

We wandered around Shoreditch on one of the summer’s most gloriously warm evenings, looking for a place to get a good cocktail and some food, only to find that most of London’s eight million people had the same thought. The streets were teaming with people, and finding a table was nearly impossible. We went from place to place before I declared:

“We got Buckley’s chance of finding a table tonight”. “We should try Mr Buckley’s down the street”, my friend suggested. I love it when a plan comes together.

I ring ahead and hit the jackpot - they’ve got a table for us. The place is cleverly split with a basement and mezzanine level, which can be seen from the front due to the floor being slightly higher than the street level and an open plan behind the large windows. A simple but quality fit-out, there is an excellent use of plywood and exposed brick walls complimented by low lighting and a seductive red glow from the neon and the illuminated letters around the restaurant.

We were seated straight away and virtually snatched the drinks menu from the servers’ hands; we were parched and desperate for a cocktail, so we were wasting no time. My friend chose the elderflower fizz, and I went for the Buckley’s Grog, which the waitress told me, was the most potent cocktail on the menu. Perfect. We ordered the Noccellara olives and a feta, broad bean & wild garlic dip with the good cocktails, but they foreplay to some of the more serious dishes that had jumped off the menu.

The plates are for sharing, so we ordered four to get started. A whipped Ragstone cheese with broccoli, almonds, beetroot and leaves was light and fresh with the veg cooked, so they retained just enough crunch to balance the creamy goat’s cheese.

Next came the lobster mac & cheese. Numerous American-style eateries have been taking the capital by storm lately, so I’ve tried a few mac & cheese in recent months – this beats them all, hands down. Having lived in North America for over ten years, I ate a lot of mac & cheese, and I’d go as far as to say this was the best I’ve had. A decent-sized stack of pasta topped with salmon roe and a lot of lobster flavour packed into it and not too much cheese, which happens too often. It looked like the chefs had added a bisque from the shells, which gave it a strong flavour, and while you always hope for more meat when it comes to crustaceans, for £7.50, there was more than enough.

We ordered a 6-hour pork belly – perfect glazed squares of pig that had been slow cooked and pressed with skill, served with kohlrabi coleslaw that gave a fresh crunch to the fatty morsels. We had the jerk-crusted onglet steak with paprika, mango butter, and some sweet potato crisps. The peppery jerk spice worked well on the rare beef, and the sweet, smokey butter soothed the palate nicely.

The wine list is short and sweet, with eight reds & 8 whites, only one of which is over the £30 mark. There’s a rosé, some bubbles and a dessert Tokaji as well.

We were up for £88 for the two of us, food, cocktail and bottle of red, so another box ticked in the value stakes. Mr Buckley’s is a welcome addition to the area – great vibe, friendly staff, fantastic cocktails and very well-executed dishes from a strong team. A place like this should make some of the other local joints raise their game, let’s hope they don’t just get jealous and try to burn the place down!