The second offshoot of the much-loved Soho deli is an oh-so-cool diner that’s let down by forgetful service and forgettable food
After my first visit to the brand new Lina Stores in King’s Cross, I refused to write a review, because I reasoned that almost all the staff would be fired by the end of the month. How unfair to air my feelings about the gum-chewing miscreant at reception who chivvied us in with all the grace of a meat-raffle caller on an oil rig. Or the surly servers who rolled their eyes at my request to move somewhere less draughty. Or the food – specifically, the overcooked pappardelle with its weak, forgettable, busking version of oxtail ragu. Lina Stores had been open for only seven days, after all, and launching a 100-seater Italian – and one that’s open from dawn to dusk seven days a week – for the bunfight of tourists and families who head each day to Pancras Square is no task for the meek.
This largely pedestrianised, multipurpose space now boasts dozens of restaurants, boutiques and businesses. Change in footfall has come rapidly. The multi-floored Dishoom outpost at the other end of Stable Street is often a one-in, one-out affair, while the door staff at family-friendly antipodean brunch spot Caravan on nearby Granary Square are masters of crowd control. It’s no mystery why the chain restaurants – albeit the very cool ones such as those two and the imminent Hoppers and Bao– have moved in.
The mood of the staff was a war of attrition against the public
Continue reading...