Cinder review: unfussy, fire-kissed food in St John’s Wood

When we think of cooking over fire, a few images come to mind. Dads stood over a barbecue, holding a Budweiser and sporting an apron bearing phrases like “if you’re reading this, bring me a beer”. Other images include southern American-style hunks of meat, brisket cooked over coals for 14 hours, or maybe the blistered sourdough and bubbling cheese of stone-baked pizza.

This is not what to expect from Cinder, which opened its second outpost on St John’s Wood High Street late last year, following the opening of the Belsize Park branch in 2021. Jake Wood, the man behind Cinder, seems to have a thing for quaint, posh north London neighbourhoods.

Drinks and venue

We were seated at one of the tables for two at the front of the restaurant, which are set up in a way that recreates the intimate setting of the Belsize Park branch, with a similar rustic décor – think bare plaster, chipped tile and olive paint. If you’re a group of four or more, you’ll likely be seated in one of the booths or tables that line the walk down to the open kitchen, and there is both a downstairs bar and an upstairs private dining room.

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Size-wise, it’s an update on the Belsize Park branch, which at less than 20 seats, is, to put it mildly, cosy. The bigger premises also allow for a longer menu, but the central tenet remains the same: every dish contains some element that has seen a fire – specifically, the 300 degrees or so of a Josper grill.

You might expect the result to be all char and smoulder and smoke, but it’s far more subtle than you might expect; a charred jalapeño in the house margarita, for example, or a bowl of olives that have been individually and painstakingly grilled. The margarita, it’s worth saying, is a must – the table next to ours saw ours being delivered, immediately asked what they were, ordered a round, and seemed as delighted by them as we did. The wine list is similarly impressive, and we were recommended an organic Beaujolais that is light enough to go with everything we order.

Menu and food

Our waiter, an extremely attentive and personable chap called Arthur (all of the staff seem genuinely happy to be there) recommended ordering a few small plates and a couple of main courses between two. Whatever you do, make sure you start with some bread: it’s warm, charred and fantastic. Perhaps get it with some of the whipped cod’s roe, which is garnished with some crunchy radishes that look like they were ripped straight from a garden before plating. The mastelo cheese is also worth ordering; it’s similar to (but better than) halloumi and dowsed in a lip-smacking, sweet olive glaze then littered with fresh oregano leaves.

After the small plates, there’s a number of routes you can take. There’s a couple of raw dishes, as well as a wide selection of fire-kissed veg, seafood and meat. We order the cedar-plank salmon and the chicken thighs with confit lemon, which are both stalwarts on the menu, as well as a spiced steak, a baby gem caesar and a side of potatoes. It’s admittedly far too much food for two, but narrowing our selection down further may have been too difficult a task for a Friday night.

It’s easy to see why the salmon and chicken are menu mainstays. The chicken is almost impossibly tender, but at the same time beautifully unfussy. It’s what every dad thinks they can produce on a barbecue, but can’t. The salmon was the best thing we had; sweet, fatty and flaky, cleverly served with some gherkins that cut through it all perfectly.

The steak is both theatrically served and properly spicy, which is welcome in a world of meat coated in flaccid spice rubs. The caesar, meanwhile, is the perfect accompaniment to all this meat, and the potatoes are crispy, salty and moreish.

After this, we finish our wine and leave, feeling well-fed and watered, with just enough time for a closing-time portion of ice cream from nearby Unico. If you have more space in your belly, or have missed Unico’s 10pm closing time, then Cinder has a couple of dessert options, including a warm chocolate sponge with salted praline.

The verdict

I want so badly to have this restaurant on my doorstep. It is another reason to be jealous of the people who live in the quiet, friendly, upmarket villages of Belsize Park and St John’s Wood. I fail to think of something I’d rather do on a Friday night than to amble down to visit Cinder’s friendly staff, bustling atmosphere and straightforwardly delicious food.

Kieran Ahuja was a guest of Cinder. 5 St John’s Wood High Street, London, NW8 7NG; cinderrestaurant.co.uk