Aren’t we all fed up with ‘concept dining’? With eating in refurbished shipping containers, or at pop-ups, or at restaurants with only one main course option, or getting takeaway through a hole in the wall, or paying £16 for a measly burger?
London specialises in dining experiences that cost too much, give too little and don’t live up to the hype. Ever since Bob Bob Ricard in Soho introduced those small buttons on each table labelled ‘Press for Champagne’, our appetite for a dining gimmick, at whatever price point, has been inexhaustible. But it seems that it’s finally starting to wane.
“This is fast food done better than ever before”
Enter X-Upper – a brand new gourmet sausage restaurant on Upper Street. The name gives little away, nor does the interior. It’s trendy and neon-lit, with copper cutlery and indoor murals by a local artist who goes by the moniker ‘Pixie’. But once your food comes out – a surprisingly well-thought-out combination of sausages, sauces and sides that appears almost instantaneously – the whole place makes perfect sense.
Manager Mariam French did her homework. She and head chef, James, travelled to 14 European cities on a quest for the best sausages. Only six made the cut, creating a compact menu of six dishes from different countries, plus sides and specials.
X-Upper is open all day until 10:30pm, Sunday to Wednesday, and midnight, Thursday to Saturday, so they’re trying to attract the post-pub revellers as well as the Upper Street foodie crew.
This is fast food done better than ever before. I opt for the Swiss Olma, a light-coloured bratwurst from St. Gallen which, French proudly tells me, is protected produce – like champagne or prosciutto. It’s served with X-Upper’s signature purple mustard, which is bright, tangy and delicious, a chunk of milk-and-honey sourdough and pickled red cabbage.
A menu based entirely on sausages could very easily be too heavy, but my Olma is light, charred on the outside, soft on the inside, with a hint of mace. I also have the Paesano – their take on a Tuscan tomato salad – which is just delicious.
The Olma is a bestseller, but French tells me that the Rioja Picante (a fiery Spanish chorizo) and the KK (a decadent special guest stuffed with Emmental cheese) are also popular.
This is a concept that however unexpected, will outlast the rest. Their tagline – “sausage is the new burger, only better” – rings true. Bratwurst over burgers any day.
X-Upper 88 Upper Street Islington, N1 0NP, 0203 620 9688. Open all day until 10:30pm (Sunday-Wednesday) or midnight (Thursday-Saturday). Prices start from £8.25.
