Appalachia, a new restaurant near Old Street in London, offers an authentic taste of Appalachian regional cooking, a cuisine largely overlooked in the UK until now. Chef Ali Borer, formerly of Smoking Goat and Guy Ritchie's Lore of the Land, prepares dishes rooted in the traditions of Scots-Irish mountain settlers who smoked, pickled, and preserved ingredients out of necessity. The menu includes grits, pork rinds, collard greens, kilt salad, chow-chow relish, and pot liquor, all served in a reclaimed saloon bar setting at 71 Nile Street, London N1.
Unique Atmosphere and Drinks
The dining room, a reclaimed old saloon bar, allows guests to watch Borer prepare cornbread madeleines—cheddary and fiery, served hot. The space is not terribly comfortable but feels authentic, much like other hip indie spots making the best of their surroundings. Downstairs, a whiskey and cocktail bar called Lowcountry offers inventive drinks like banana pudding sazerac made with brown butter-washed rye and absinthe, and a fat fashioned comprising bacon fat-washed bourbon and maple syrup. For non-drinkers, the drinks list includes Jörg Geiger's fruit fermentations, Saicho sparkling teas, an extraordinary olive lemonade, and an alcohol-free paloma.
Menu Highlights
The seasonally changing menu reflects Borer's nerdy devotion to authenticity. Chow-chow mignonette on British oysters honors pickling traditions, while pot liquor poured over East Sussex mushrooms is the liquid leftover from cooking collard greens with smoked pork. A kilt salad features hot bacon fat poured over greens to wilt them. Pork features prominently, but the pimento cheeseburger with thick, hand-cut potato fries is popular. Vegetarians should order the fried green tomato salad on a pickled ginger gravy base—crunchy, breadcrumbed tomatoes that are among the best in London. The glossy-topped hillbilly loaf with cultured apple butter is also fantastic.
Star Dishes and Final Impressions
The butter-brined half chicken with miso grits and black pepper gravy is the star of the meal, described as 'Sunday dinner on performance steroids.' The beef tartare tostada, however, was overly spicy, causing the beef to get lost. The tongue and head skewer with oyster sauce glaze exemplifies the kitchen's waste-not philosophy. The banana pudding choux bun, with layers of vanilla custard and Biscoff crumb with salted caramel popping candy, is a Shoreditch riff on a classic Southern dessert, though the bananas were chewy, possibly plantain. According to the review, 'Borer is cooking the best Appalachian food in the UK, not least because he's cooking almost the only fried green tomato salad on this side of the Atlantic. I can't pretend his place isn't weird, but the weirdness is delicious.'
