Review: Morito, Clerkenwell

Small plates aren’t going anywhere. They are the new normal. And to be honest, while I have the occasional grouse at the silliness of some menus, that’s basically fine by me. You want first world problems, try stopping for a light lunch in France anywhere outside of a city. Sandwich? Non. Tapas? Non. Burger? Non. Bag of chips? Non. Full three course sit-down meal? Mais oui! Every bloody village and town in rural France has two or maybe three restaurants where, between the hours of 12 and 2 exactly (exactly!) you can get a three course lunch. Or starve.

Anyway, Morito in Exmouth Market is the lil’ brother of Moro. So it’s a Mediterranean tapas bar with inspirations from Spain through Greece. Small, busy and buzzy, the staff are wonderful and look after the coming and going tables effortlessly well.

We tried their onion tortilla. So this is an old-school firm tortilla, very well made and given a really nice spin with the slightly burnt onion flavour through it. That was probably my favourite.

The salt cod croquetas were okay, but missing some richness somewhere to bring the salt cod alive. Good aioli.

Crispy aubergine with whipped feta and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses was nice, the aubergine sticks having a very fine coating of semolina to give them just a little crispiness along with the silk inside. Good snacking.

Grilled mediterranean veg was really a chickpea dish, but cooked a nice melange of spices from further along the Mediterranean I thought it was rather delish.

Oyster mushroom bocadillo was a bit meh, the sturdy bun rather overwhelming the subtle chunks of mushroom and the little bit of crispy jamon with it.

Loved pud though. Rich pot of chocolate mousse topped with roasted almonds, sea salt crystals and a very punchy olive oil that tasted like grass on a Greek hillside. The darkly sweet mousse and the sharp grassy oil danced together perfectly. I always want my chocolate mousse with olive oil now. There was also a bowl of ice cream made with fat raisins and a dribble of sherry, simply lovely.

Morito reminds me of good tapas when it first arrived in the UK. Probably £24 each for food and a reasonably priced bunch of good wines. It’s well worth knowing for a good bite to eat, although to be honest it is rather outclassed by Jose, Barrafina, et al.