In a place now renowned for being London’s epicentre of all things painfully cool, it comes as no surprise that Shoreditch comes complete with an array of ultra-trendy dining experiences. Since the year 2000, Shoreditch has effortlessly evolved into its en vogue and brazenly hip identity  and with this has welcomed in a whole host of eclectic venues that take influence from across the globe and pull together a myriad of exciting different cuisines and ingenious cooking styles. With this in mind, the arrival of Temper Restaurant’s newest recruit, Temper Shoreditch, it is as though the brand new and freshly refurbished venue has always been there: a staple part of Shoreditch’s quirky and much-loved furniture. 

Standing outside Temper’s dark glass doors that already oozed an air of wicked temptation before I was yet to set foot inside, I waited patiently for my brunch accomplice to join me in the brisk November air. Sometimes the winter months call for much more heartiness in terms of brunch, far more than avocado on luke-warm toast and a flute of even warmer Prosecco can provide. And boy did a truly hearty treat await us behind those doors. More like a slick nightclub than a brunch venue, entering Temper Shoreditch gives vibes of the Mayfair clubs with a front-of-house checking your booking and waiting to guide you down a flight of dimly lit stairs and into a smoky, subterranean surreality complete with a smouldering firepit behind a shining silver counter that swoops in a huge semi-circle, taking centre stage of the restaurant. The performance itself takes place behind this stage, the art of barbeque and cooking with big portions of quality meat the main act. The name Temper really does sum it up: fiery, dark and full of gluttonous temptation, this place would give the devil himself a run for his money.

My accomplice and I are seated at the shiny countertop, front-row seats at this mesmerising spectacle. Now, I will pre-warn you. If you are vegan or vegetarian this is probably not the place for you – unless you are a committed friend willing to drink fabulous cocktails and turn a blind eye to your surroundings. Temper really has embraced the push-back to veganism, with butchery, curing and meat-eating becoming almost a sub-cult to be enjoyed by those who simply love a good piece of meat. Illuminated fridges full of glistening slabs of succulent red steak light up the walls, hunks of charring meat hang over glowing coals of fire and sitting before us is even a decorative sheep skull, adorned with fruits and herbs. The theatrics of cooking in Temper’s open kitchen mean that every now and then a roar of flames erupts as the chefs stoke the coals and flambé the cooking meat – excitement is always in the air, as is the prime opportunity for a fantastic foodie instagram story.

After taking a while to absorb this marvellous scene in some form of stunned amazement, our first cocktails arrive, a cooling and sweet refreshment. Before we dig into brunch, let me briefly explain Temper’s offer. Their ‘Barbeque Bottomless Brunch’ consists of the famously good brunch platter (which I will get onto in a moment) and free-flowing drinks for the duration of your sitting. Red, white and sparkling wine is available, but being such cocktail connoisseurs, we opted for a rotation of the red gin fizz and the lychilli margarita to alternate between us. The red gin fizz was a gorgeous combination of sweet notes with a delectably sharp kick and the lychilli margarita (I must admit, a spicy margarita is my favourite) was a fiery, tequila based thrill, really packing the perfect punch to start any boozy brunch with. 

Just as we finished up our first round of drinks, a truly magnificent sight arrived at our countertop. This was of course the brilliant brunch platter itself. A gorgeous array of glorious breakfast-come-barbeque items amassed themselves across this huge sharing plate, sprinkled with vibrant green herbs and giving off an intoxicating savoury scent. How would just the two of us manage such a feast?

Making up this platter fit to serve the biggest of men, were meats and treats of all kinds. Coal roasted, dry-aged belted galloway beef, house made smoked beef sausages, pork burnt ends made up the meatiness which was joined in divine unison with French mid-potatoes and gochujang butter, fried eggs, charred ramiro peppers, red onions, bourbon pickled chillis, paratha and chimichurri. Taste? Where do I start? The beef was cooked to perfection and melt-in-the-mouth tender. The sausages were packed full of a delectable herby, meaty flavour and had all the satisfying texture that a sausage should have when bitten into. The pork was a salty sweet ratio of perfection, and best wrapped up in all the warm, fluffy, bready goodness of the lightly fried paratha. Balancing out all this meat were the peppers, red onions and chillis, neither too slimy or too crunchy, these were the ultimate accomplices to the meats and were again that heavenly combination of salty and sweet. And hey, who doesn’t love a perfectly fried egg thrown into the mix to add even further depth of flavour and texture. It wouldn’t be brunch without them. As we salivated over the dish, daring ourselves to eat as much of it as we could – despite knowing that no matter how delicious it was sure to get the better of us – I realised that Temper has really done meat right. 

Unlike many other meat restaurants, Temper buy most of their meat from small farms and butcher it in house. This means they use less cattle per week to serve the same amount of food as a like for like restaurant. Temper’s beef is rare breed beef, selected from specifically chosen UK farms with high welfare practices, where all are grass fed as standard. Temper refuse to use any produce that they feel are mass produced or has a large environmental impact. This means that their meat is some of the best money can buy, and when using such quality product, emphasis on flavour and the way it is cooked is paramount. So rest assured, you’re in for a mighty fine, mighty meaty, one-of-a-kind brunch. 

Brunch isn’t brunch without a little dessert thrown in, and Temper do these just as well as everything else. A deep dish brigadeiro cookie topped with fior di latte ice cream tempted us into further sin and although already contently full we set about this oozing hot cookie dough masterpiece with creamy cold ice cream melting beautifully all over it. A supremely satisfying sweet end to the food. 

The perfect way to round up any brunch, boozy or otherwise, is of course with a coffee, of which we ordered two classic oat milk cappuccinos. As predicted, the coffee did not disappoint and was the ideal ending of this brunch to remember. 

Bottomless Brunch £45 per person available every Saturday from 12pm – 3.30pm

Website: www.temperrestaurant.com

Instagram: @temperrestaurant