Review: Naughty Piglets

Naughty Piglets is located in Brixton, just off Effra Road opposite live music venue Hootananny. It’s been open for a couple of years now and having visited in the first few months of it’s opening I recently returned for dinner to celebrate my birthday with a few friends.

The affectionately named bistro is run by Joe Sharratt, a former head chef from Adam Byatt’s Clapham restaurant Trinity, and his wife Margaux Aubry, who used to manage the wine bar Terroirs. Apparently the name Naughty Piglets began as a pet name between the newlyweds which is entertaining since it’s now become the philosophy behind their debut restaurant.

We began our evening with a glass of bubbles from the fab wine list laden with natural and organic wines. Followed by a Ham Croquette each which had a lovely crunch to their exterior giving way to a soft and gooey centre. I recently shared my recipe for Ham and Cheese Croquetas – Naughty Piglets charge £2 a croquette so you could make a fortune from following that recipe!

Next up, a beautifully light and creamy Burrata with pumpkin and seeds. A lovely autumnal combination of flavours.

By the way, I should apologies for the quality of photos. Naughty Piglets has very low lighting which creates a lovely atmosphere for dining but doesn’t help out iPhone photographers with their foodie pics.

The picture of the next dish definitely doesn’t do it justice. This plate of Grilled pear, Jerusalem artichokes, blue cheese and hazelnuts is mouthwateringly good. The combination of flavours and textures were spot on.

The Devon crab, peanut, pickled cabbage and yuzu was an unexpected twist on a classic British ingredients. Fresh, exciting, delicious.

The Confit duck came as a spring roll with plum sauce and daikon. Hot, moorish and spicy.

The most adventurous dish we ordered was the Wild rabbit faggot, celeriac, prunes, lardo. It looked a little daunting on the plate too! Faggots are a traditional dish in the UK made from meat off-cuts and offal. It was actually a terrific dish, very hearty and well balance with sweet prunes wrapped in lardo adding alternative textures.

We ordered two portions of the BBQ pork belly with sesame and Korean spices. This is one of Naughty Piglets most popular dishes and has a permanent spot on the menu and I can understand why. The melt in the mouth pork belly easily breaks apart at the touch of a fork, paired with spring onions and a tangy sauce, the Asian flavours are delicious.

To complete the main course we enjoyed some beautifully cooked lamb and greens with anchovy, a fab finale.

We ordered two desserts to share between us including the Treacle tart with crème fraîche and the Chocolate mouse with salted peanut caramel. Both were delicious, I particularly enjoyed the Treacle tart probably because I hadn’t had one in ages and forgot how yummy they are.

If you’re local to Brixton a visit to Naughty Piglets is a must. They’ve since opened another branch creatively named, The Other Naughty Piglets in Victoria so if you’re looking for somewhere more central give that a try.