This is another one that’s been on my list for a while but I never got round to visiting. But thanks to the handy map I have of all the restaurants I’ve been recommended on my phone, when I agreed to meet some friends for dinner near Old Street, Daffodil Mulligan was the prime choice. Once I’d booked I started to do a bit of research and realised one of the founders is Richard Corrigan – at that point I knew it would be good, and I wasn’t disappointed. The decor & atmosphere feel really high end but laid back at the same time, which matches the vibe of the food perfectly.
As always, we started with a drink and (as always) I got a whiskey sour. This was a perfect version of the classic whiskey sour. Now for the food. I’m usually the type of person that picks their meal the day I book it, but for Daffodil Mulligan I only chose one dish ahead of time (the sugar pit pork) and the rest I left to the waitress’ recommendation. Everything on the menu just looks incredible.
From the small plates we first ordered the bread with cultured butter & buttermilk which is about as delicious as bread and butter can get, which is really bloody delicious. We had a selection of sourdough & soda bread, both of which were warm, soft & delicious, which very high quality, creamy, salty butter. Next came the salt chilli fried chicken with mustard & chilli pickles. This was up there with some of my favourite fried chicken bites – the chicken was juicy on the inside, spiced and crispy on the outside. Then you dunk in the mayo (of which we ordered extra) and top with one of the pickles. The perfect bite.
We also ordered the onion potato cake rarebit (this normally has eel in but they were out) which was also delicious. Think potatoey pancake with cheesy rarebit blobs. Next up we got the ‘Monty’ hock on toast with smoked jalapeno & pickled shallot. This consisted of a piece of toast topped with a generous helping of juicy ham hock mixed with cheddar & other delicious bits, topped with jalapenos and shallots. Another huge success.
On recommendation from the waitress we got the pig cheek skewers with tamarind and brown crab ‘Chip Chop’ curry curry sauce, and the chargrilled octopus with tamarind hummus and blood orange gremolata. The pig cheek was melt in the mouth delicious and the curry sauce added such a punch of flavour I could’ve licked the bowl clean. And the octopus, I’m a huge fan of octopus done well, and the was done so incredibly well. The meat was perfectly cooked, and the tail end got really nice and crispy. The blood orange added a lovely tang to the dish.
Now the the main event, the thing everyone recommends – the sugar pit pork served with salted cabbage, prawn spring roll & sour lime dressing. And let me tell you it absolutely lives up to the hype. The pork is pink and so so juicy and tender (the picture speaks for itself), and serving it with the cabbage really cuts through the richness. That crispy prawn spring roll really is a hidden gem – we needed about 5 more!
I need to give a special shoutout to the mash with smoked butter and bone marrow crumb. If anyone went to Pitt Cue before it closed, you’ll know about bone marrow mash and how much of a beautiful thing it is. It was amazing to relive this, but with the added crunch from the marrow crumb. Think the absolutely richest mash you can imagine with that gorgeous, fatty bone marrow taste. I could eat 10 servings of this.
And after all that food, I still had space for dessert because, as my brother always said, dessert goes into the pudding stomach, which is different from the savoury stomach (and yes it houses Yorkshire puddings too). I got the chocolate choux with caramel and yuzu. I feel like I keep saying on here that I’m not a huge chocolate fan, and then ordering chocolate desserts – but I swear its true. This one was so light owing to the super crisp choux & and airy ganache, and any richness was cut through by the fresh taste of the yuzu.
This was an absolutely fantastic meal, every plate was incredible – there were no disappointments at all. I actually don’t think I could rank the dishes, they’re all equally as incredible. I’ve tried to pick a favourite but I keep picking one, and then remembering another until I’ve gone through the whole list of dishes about 3 times. Honestly, you have to try this place. I can’t wait to go back and taste the rest of the menu. If you’ve been, or go after reading this let me know what you think in the comments!
Find them at 70-74 City Rd, Old Street, London, EC1Y 2BJ.
Bakes By Meg 