A ‘Jewish’ deli that sells pork? Takes rather a lot of chutzpah, doesn’t it?

The Venue
White-hot restaurateurs, Russell Norman and Richard Beatty – who bought us the likes of Polpo, Polpetto and Spuntino – have now launched their fifth site in the heart of Theatreland. With its gleaming black frontage and white lace curtains, Mishkin’s need not work very hard to stand out from the cheap chains of its tourist-laden location. Quick as ever to spot a gap in the market, the duo have created a Lower East Side deli cum East End caff that serves up 'comfort' food for London’s glitterati. Glam up and cross-pollinate Katz Diner (where Meg Ryan famously had her orgasm in When Harry Met Sally) and Bethnal Green’s E. Pellicci, and the result is Mishkin’s.

The bi-cultural effect is mildly disorientating. Black and white checker floors, red leather booths and exposed brickwork are distinctly New York, while the white tiled walls and two-seater tables evoke the war time jellied eel eateries of the East End. Much love and thought has gone into evoking the spirit of an era passed, even down to the retro roll soap in the toilets and the bill that comes pinned on a clipboard. But it’s all done in the spirit of fun and is set within a contemporary context, avoiding nostalgia overload.

While queues snake round the blocks of the perennially full Polpo and Spuntino, the main difference is that you can reserve a table at Mishkin’s – or drop in and tuck in at the bar after a night out. They stay open until midnight and close the blinds after dark, transforming the lunchtime diner into an evening venue with an exclusive feel and a continuous flow of cocktails.

The Atmosphere
This is where Soho media types wash down salt beef sarnies with gin cocktails, in slick suits and thick-rimmed Cutler & Gross glasses. Even the waitresses are stylish and wear their own clothes rather than a uniform, for a refreshing change. In keeping with its U.S. theme, New Orleans funk plays in the background at a level enabling you to still hear your own thoughts – a small but significant thing so many London restaurants fail to achieve. Packed would be an understatement: within days of opening, Mishkin’s heaves, much to the satisfaction of Norman who quietly oversees the action from a back-end table.

The Food
With matzo ball soup, salt beef, cholent and pickled herring on the menu, you’d be forgiven for thinking the food’s kosher. It’s not. The 'all pork Big Apple dog' (£9) makes that pretty clear. It’s all about comfort food, which is why you’ll find macaroni and cheese (£9) on the menu too.

From fried green tomatoes to cod cheek popcorn and bananas foster, the menu smacks of frivolous fun and a freedom that only very successful restaurateurs could dare to explore. Just don’t expect Bubba’s chicken soup – while warm and soothing, it just doesn’t have that Yiddish schmeck, and at £5, it’s a touch steeper than at Harry Morgan’s. The strongly black peppered matzo ball and tiny ringlets of spring onion are distinctly not traditional but interesting twists nonetheless.

Rich red and perfectly warm, the Brick Lane salt beef sandwich on rye with Coleman’s mustard and pickles (£9) slides down a succulent treat. The meat is tender and stringy, as it should be, and mercifully, some of the fat is left on for that extra bit of taste. Without the inclusion of mazto meal, the latkes (£3) at Mishkin’s are really just rostis (potato pancakes) but this doesn’t mean they’re any less tasty – just different. They are on the chewy side but it works, especially with a side of pickled cucumber (£2) as a juicy bedfellow.

An oval dish of pickled herring (£7) on a bed of beets tartar makes for a vibrant and appetising-looking dish. The high quality fish is rendered disappointingly tough but softened by the amazingly creamy beetroot underneath. Fried green tomatoes (£4) is one of those intriguing dishes you just have to try. Battered to a pulp, some of the ‘green’ tomatoes are actually red (maybe they run out of green ones) and are completely under-salted, though far from inedible. One of the most fascinating sounding dishes on the menu must be the cod cheek popcorn (£7). The cheeks come lightly tempured and sprinkled with lime zest and wafer-thing ringlets of green chilli. With the texture and quality of succulent fried calamari, these light gold nuggets of loveliness are a total delight to eat.

Woefully, lockshen pudding – the Jewish staple and ultimate comfort food – doesn’t make an appearance on the menu. But if you’re not too cholesterol-ed up after your main, other sweet options (all around the £5 mark) include, warm choc chip cookie and ice cream; Nancy Newman’s soggy lemon drizzle cake and apple and honey blintz (to make up for the absence of lockshen pudding).

The Drinks
Ask your waitress why there’s just so much gin on the menu and she’ll tell you that it’s in keeping with the 'Jewish New York theme'. Many might beg to differ. The 'theme', more likely, refers to a return to the 1930s and 1940s when gin cocktails were popular in the UK. Remember cucumber martinis, gin rickeys and gin fizzes? They’re all there on the menu for around £6, served in cute little glasses, Zelda Scott-Fitzgerald-style.

The strawberry malted milkshake (£4) is a Mishkin’s must-have. Forget the thick, artery-clogging, blow-your-head-off-trying-to-suck-through-a straw Ed’s Diner stuff. No artificial nasties or flavourings, Mishkin’s has got it just right – a perfect balance of sweet and zesty fruitiness and you can actually taste the milk.

The Last Word
Judging by the bustling crowd present during the first week of opening, the latest Norman/ Beatty venture looks set to be yet another winner. It’s fun, it’s glam, the food fills both you and a gap in the market, and the prices aren’t exactly extortionate. Just don’t forget to bring your thick-rimmed Cutler & Gross glasses.

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