Cinder Belsize Park is an intimate neighbourhood restaurant at 66 Belsize Lane built around cooking over fire. A charcoal Josper oven gives the kitchen its distinctive character, bringing smoke, caramelisation and concentrated flavour to vegetables, fish and meat. The menu changes with the seasons and the availability of ingredients, so the experience remains closely connected to the produce.
Dishes are designed for sharing, with the restaurant suggesting several selections per guest. House focaccia with whipped butter and smoked salt provides a simple beginning, followed by plates such as beetroot with herb ricotta, Hispi cabbage with chilli and pine nuts, or burnt leeks with pecorino and hazelnuts. The fire gives even the vegetable dishes depth and texture.
Larger plates can move from cedar plank salmon with pickled cucumber and shallots to sea bream with fennel, radish and citrus. Chicken thighs with confit lemon, sticky beef rib with pink peppercorn and lamb loin chops with yoghurt, maple and sage show the range of the grill. Triple cooked potatoes and charred broccoli complete a generous shared meal.
Cocktails continue the restaurant’s bold flavour combinations, with the Cinder margarita, ginger based drinks and spritzes among the choices. The compact room keeps service personal, while the terrace offers another way to enjoy the neighbourhood setting in suitable weather. Cinder’s focused approach makes live fire the link between every stage of the meal rather than a feature reserved only for meat.
Address: 66 Belsize Lane, Belsize Park, London NW3 5BJ, United Kingdom