The Yard used to be called the Fire Station and it wasn’t really ever up to much. At some point in the last few months it has had a face lift inside and out and metamorphosed into The Yard. The building is set in a courtyard recessed away from the traffic horror that is Old Street, where Paul Street meets Ravey Street. It also means it has only a touch of Hoxton Square in it, being on the other side of the road. Hoxton Square itself is never a pleasant trip unless suitably inebriated.
The restaurant space is dark with low level lighting, very dark interior finishes, granite slab flooring and is spread over two floors. We opted for the basement level and settled ourselves comfortably, although in summer, the weather being reasonable, hiding in the basement makes you feel a bit guilty for not being outside.
The Yard has a basic Italian Style menu, with all the usual suspects; garlic bread or brushettas to start, followed by lasagne, carbonara or an extensive range of pizzas – all very run of the mill options except you can literally order your pizza by the yard. I chose the crayfish, crème fraiche and rocket combo, something I’m fond of in a sandwich but never really had in a pizza and indeed it does work well, but they were a little light on the crayfish. I had a quarter yard which comes on a wooden chopping board with your own pizza cutter which is a nice touch. My fellow dinners went for a half yard of the rocket, parma ham and parmesan combo which was truly huge and needed a fair dose of chilli oil to bring it to life. The prospect of a full yard of pizza is actually slightly terrifying. If it wasn’t for the concept of pizza by the yard, The Yard would be another run of the mill Italian restaurant.
The restaurant space is dark with low level lighting, very dark interior finishes, granite slab flooring and is spread over two floors. We opted for the basement level and settled ourselves comfortably, although in summer, the weather being reasonable, hiding in the basement makes you feel a bit guilty for not being outside.
The Yard has a basic Italian Style menu, with all the usual suspects; garlic bread or brushettas to start, followed by lasagne, carbonara or an extensive range of pizzas – all very run of the mill options except you can literally order your pizza by the yard. I chose the crayfish, crème fraiche and rocket combo, something I’m fond of in a sandwich but never really had in a pizza and indeed it does work well, but they were a little light on the crayfish. I had a quarter yard which comes on a wooden chopping board with your own pizza cutter which is a nice touch. My fellow dinners went for a half yard of the rocket, parma ham and parmesan combo which was truly huge and needed a fair dose of chilli oil to bring it to life. The prospect of a full yard of pizza is actually slightly terrifying. If it wasn’t for the concept of pizza by the yard, The Yard would be another run of the mill Italian restaurant.
No comments:
Post a Comment