We are SO pleased to see the old Railroad spot (RIP!) on Morning Lane being put to great use. The team have given it a whole new lease of with a clever use of window & counter top seating making it feel more spacious than it is.
Legs gets its name from the “legs” you get in a wine glass (those lovely droplets that snake their way down the glass and tell you more about the sugar content) – geddit? Which gives you some idea as to how important the wine list is in this joint – ie. VERY. With a cracking selection by the very affordable glass, it almost seems a waste to commit to a bottle, we flirted our way through the list, starting with a chilled red, moving on to a crisp white and ending with a summer rose.
The menu is comprised of small plates, designed to share, which come out as and when they are ready – as is the norm these days. We were advised we’d need about five between us but three would do as a light dinner to accompany the wine. Having said that, the menu is so strong we found it difficult to narrow down the selection.
First out of the kitchen was a creamy ball of Buratta, coated in a summery lemon crumb which we scooped onto chunks of sourdough. Another dish sees the humble pea take centre stage, mixed with crunchy pistachios on top of a creamy base and covered in lashings of parmesan – it’s so simple but totally incredible.
Their signature dish is shaping up to be the fried potato with crème fraiche & a generous sprinkling of jewelled trout roe – the super crispy potatoes are a solid accompaniment to the ever-changing plates on offer.
A confit rabbit leg perches on top of creamed corn, punctuated with red chilli and crispy spring onion. Pungent aioli is drizzled over smoked haddock and tenderstem broccoli – making this the richest dish, and one to be devoured slowly and purposefully.
The dessert section is only small – just three options to choose from. Vanilla milk jelly has a panna cotta-like consistency and is the perfect base for super sweet slices of strawberries & granita. Perfect with that Rose we mentioned earlier.
With a banging soundtrack (Father John Misty, ASAP Rocky), Legs manages to be cool without being contrived, something so many before them have failed to do in this area.
When all around us seems to be gearing up for the bus loads of tourists, shipped in to ogle discounted designer togs, Legs feels like something just for us Hackney dwellers.
THIS VENUE HAS NOW CLOSED.
