Claw & Hammer, London: ‘The seafood is terrific’ – restaurant review

The City of London may be an unlikely spot to catch the taste of the US south, but wait till you try Claw & Hammer

Claw & Hammer, 30-33 Minories, London EC3N 1DD (020 7702 1605). Small plates £7.50-£14, mains and hot pots £16.50-£29, desserts £5.50, wines from £22

Do not go to Claw & Hammer on a date. Or to be more exact, do not go to Claw & Hammer on a first date. Go on a seventh or eighth date, when the deed has been done, and you’ve already seen each other being about as messy and human as it’s possible to be. Then this restaurant on the eastern edge of the City of London, which specialises in southern US seafood boils, will be just the thing.