L’Ami Malo Restaurant Review: The Finest Crêperie in London

If you’d have told me five years ago I’d be eating in a stylish Spitalfields restaurant serving almost nothing but crêpes – I wouldn’t have believed you. But here I am, dining in one of London’s newest crêperie restaurants over an experience which may well have changed just how I see the humble crêpe. No longer is it just a quick snack or street food treat for me, it’s now something I’d sit down with over dinner and a good glass of wine (or two).

Walking through the doors to this tiny restaurant at just 6:30pm, the last thing I was expecting to see was it completely packed, with an infectious atmosphere I haven’t felt in some time. Start at the back in Le Moulin, which is the restaurants take on a speakeasy bar from North West France and I can confirm – the cocktails are very good indeed. Simple, but perfectly executed and the negroni went down a treat.

L’Ami Malo’s aim is to take the traditional classic French crêperie and revisit them with a contemporary twist, bringing a modern taste of Brittany to Spitalfields. Much of the inspiration for L’Ami Malo comes from the traditional French town of St Malo, which is famous for its crêpes and galettes. They also only use buckwheat here in as many dishes as possible and we sampled that in our first dish of asparagus & cod brandade, radishes, burnt butter vinaigrette and that delectable buckwheat crispy gallete. A fresh and delicious dish.

We also loved our other starter of buckwheat goat’s cheese croquettes with roasted heritage beetroot, kasha seeds and a honey & thyme dressing. The cheesy was oozy and creamy, the earthiness of the beetroot cut into the golden crumb coating perfectly and the dressing made everything nice and sticky. A must order.

Behind the restaurant is two friends with a lifelong passion for Breton food and the humble buckwheat, but it’s not all about the wheat. They’ve mastered dishes such as the classic confit duck leg which arrives moist, falling off the bone and encased in some very crispy skin. It’s served with some richly flavoured red cabbage, pear, tenderstem broccoli and a silky red wine jus which really brings everything together nicely.

The menu at L’Ami Malo of course puts buckwheat at its core and for good reason. These healthy, gluten-free crêpes really are some of the best in London I’ve had outside of France and I’m not making that up. Crispy, flakey and delicious. My savoury favourite was the Morteau sausage crêpe with leek fondue, new baby potatoes and whole grain mustard. It was utter heaven, especially when washed down with a glass of their red Chinon wine from the Loire Valley.

I think I’m probably speaking for everyone when I say a sweet crêpe is the best and that’s no exception here. Best of the bunch was the four apple compote crêpe, smothered in vanilla sauce and a dollop of salted caramel ice cream. It was one of those dishes which left you speechless for a moment and I forgot just how good a well-executed crêpe could really be.

We really enjoyed out time at L’Ami Malo and its made me completely fall in love with crêpes and galette’s all over again. They’re relatively inexpensive, delicious, satisfying and filling. Not to mention they go surprisingly well with a few too many cocktails. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area and can guarantee you’ll have a smashing time, much like I did.

NB: Our meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.