The story
At Cinder St John’s Wood in London, chef Jake Finn channels his fine dining experience into a focused Mediterranean kitchen. He trades plated precision for substantial flavour and communal dining. Every ingredient meets the Josper flame oven, which imparts a distinct char across the entire menu. This approach keeps their cooking grounded, prioritising taste over presentation while maintaining rigorous standards in the pass.
The menu follows a tapas style format designed for passing bowls and keeping conversations moving. Grilled flatbreads arrive smeared with confit garlic tahini and burnt tomato salsa, while chargrilled sweet peppers rest atop quinoa and fresh mint. Cold preparations like spicy tuna ceviche pair sharply with sweet potato and coriander, and duck breast finds its match in a satay-style peanut purée. Condiments drive the flavour profiles here, with Urfa chilli aïoli and red pepper relish lifting each plate of Mediterranean cooking.
The dining room operates as a sharing venue where happy chatter fills the air and locals regularly trade weekend takeaways for a proper night out. A compact wine list highlights bright European selections, ranging from crisp Vinho Verde to structured Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cocktails provide an inspired counterpoint to the savoury offerings, and dessert rounds out the evening with creamy crème brûlée or baked cheesecake. The layout encourages guests to linger over the shared Mediterranean spread without rushing through service.
Recognition
Details
History
2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
A fine neighbourhood restaurant in a quarter of affluent north London not over-endowed with gastronomic options, Cinder is very much the personal project of Jake Finn, a second larger outpost to go with the original in Belsize Park. Filled with happy natter, it's the kind of place that easily persuades locals not to eat in their PJs at weekends, but throw something on and step out into the wide world instead. A Josper flame oven is the heart of the operation, the menu working to the format of a fairly lengthy roster of small plates. Some grilled bread with garlicky tahini makes the most appetising start, ahead of one or two cold dishes full of sharply pointed seasoning. Spicy tuna ceviche with sweet potato and coriander or beetroots with feta will disappear like morning mist as soon as they hit the table. The condiment elements of each plate lift them into the realms of the memorable: Turkish Urfa chilli aïoli and red pepper relish laced with chilli oil accompany a trio of cod croquettes, while the satay-style purée of peanuts and cashews that came with our duck breast, red onions and lime leaves made a blackboard special truly special. Desserts play it safe with decent crème brûlée and baked cheesecake, or there could be freshly cooked doughnuts enriched with BBQ banoffee sauce. The short wine list just about covers enough ground, and there are inspired cocktails too.
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