Moio - Removed from website November 2021 (closed) - Shoreditch, London

João Ferreira Pinto formerly served as head chef at the Michelin-starred Portland, and brings a dab hand to Dalston, creating exceptional spliced-up, touched-up Portuguese cuisine at his new eatery MOIO. His business partner, Swedish sommelier Caroline Sebel, has worked around the clock to ensure that his cooking has the perfect partner in the glass. We visited on a chilly Wednesday evening in November to do a reccie. 

MOIO is very much of its neighbourhood - a bare bones bistro that is oh-so-industrial. Dark wood flooring gives way to light wood tables and chairs, all overhung by copper pendant lighting. There's the option to grab a pew along the kitchen bar, which has been decorated with the Moorish tiling as one sees in Portugal, and there's plenty of bare brick and potted plants spread throughout the inviting room. 

We kicked off the meal with Algarve flavoured carrots, Portuguese morcela with smoked plum and bread from Dusty Knuckle with warm and spicy home-flavoured butter, which set the pace for the deliciousness to follow. We then tucked into a chestnut, mushroom and coconut soup served in a tin pottery cup, perfect for a cold evening, and smoked stracciatella with Bourjasotte Noire fig, lardo and fig leaf oil. Our mains were delicious: crispy Octopus confit in aged beef fat, sweet potato puree, harissa as well as duck magret in a homemade spice crust with beetroot variation. We wrapped up with a chocolate tart with a pear and port wine sorbet, which was as good as it sounds. 

MOIO is very good indeed. For those looking for upmarket bistro cuisine in Stokey, you've come to the right place.