Your reviewer really wanted to like Sagardi. He has been visiting the Basque region for over 20 years, had one of his best meals of 2024 there and fell in love with Ibai when it opened in London last June. Fronted by a chef from the region and with other successful Sagardi branches around the world, there was so much to like on paper. Walk into the Shoreditch venue and you will be wowed on first impressions. We were let down though by both food and service.
If dining is about experience and theatre then just walk through the (very heavy and hard to open) door at Sagardi. It’s an impressive venue decked out in warm woods and exposed metal. At the back is a wall dedicated to wine. To the right is a small bar and to the left a small ‘real world’ butcher where the venue’s meat selection is artfully displayed in a series of glass fronted cabinets. We certainly had ample time to take all the above in since a front of house or any other form of welcoming server was woefully absent. My eagle-eyed dining comrade also noticed that the jamon at the front of the butcher’s display looked very sorry for itself. Something to avoid, and perhaps a warning sign of things to come.
To peruse the menu at Sagardi is a delight. Beyond the txuleton (the Basque speciality of aged beef), there is a wide range of tapas-like starters, seasonal dishes, grilled offerings, plus a section called ‘Grandma’s home cooking.’ Think of this range as popular classics reimagined for 21st century London. Our server sought to steer us immediately towards the cuts of meat. They certainly looked attractive but we felt it somewhat disingenuous that the smallest piece on offer weighed in at 950g. That’s a lot of meat for two and would preclude sampling anything else. We passed and moved on.
Once we had decided on our selection of dishes (primarily chosen off the smaller plates and Grandma sections), we sat back and had time to savour both the venue and the wine placed in front of us. The tables began to fill up and there was a pleasing energy to Sagardi, without the noise levels ever getting oppressive. Our wine – a Priorat by Alvaro Palacios – delighted too. However, for a restaurant specialising in all things Spanish, it was relatively disappointing to see very few Garnacha wines offered and none from the Sierra de Gredos, arguably the country’s most up-and-coming region.
Good (and a very long way from great) would perhaps be the most appropriate conclusion from the seven savoury dishes we sampled. Ham croquettes were immediately forgettable (the recently sampled crab version at Barrafina was in a different league), while a plate of anchovies were disappointingly boring. Better was a pate de campagne, which was rich and flavoursome even if it would have benefited from a more thorough charcoal roast. Grilled artichokes pleased as did morcilla (black pudding). However, lamb’s trotters proved almost inedible, with more bone than meat. A fluffy piece of cheesecake did at least ensure we ended dinner on a relative high.
A text received by your reviewer midway through his dinner read “you have not attended your reservation at Sagardi.” When showed to our server, he seemed as confused as we did. It is, perhaps, a fitting symbol. We certainly did not feel as if we benefited from the full Sagardi experience.